When I was a little girl...

...I loved to read books. I could read and read and read until my eyes popped. I remember in third grade, at the new elementary school, going to the library every day. I read all the books in my section and they had to move me to the "older" section. I was so excited. MORE books. That's when I discovered the Little House on the Prairie series. I devoured them, every single one. I would be so upset it for some reason the next in the series was checked out by someone else. Books helped keep me sane.

I still read all the time. Books are one of those things that still excite me when I get to pick out a new one. I have a shelf of about 70 books that I will read someday. At a book a week (my current pace) that should take me about 1.5 years, so it really isn't as many as it seems....I should get to my next one, now that I think about it!

Efficiency

I had a dream last night about Grandma T. She had planted this huge plot of corn (about 20 acres or so) because she could sell it for things like animal feed, ethanol (it WAS the wave of the future), and corn meal.

Someone who doesn't know her asked "Why at her age would she do something like this?"

My reply was: "Grandma has always been someone who hates waste. She doesn't waste food, or water, or time, or money, or opportunity."

And when I woke up I thought "How apt."

I'm so relieved

I read Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya years ago when I was in graduate school. It is a phenomenal book, and one I highly recommend to anyone simply because it's a great book. I have always wanted to read more of Anaya's work and have collected several of his books over the years but I haven't read anything else until now.

If you've been observant, you'll notice that I changed my "book I'm reading now" earlier this week without providing a review of that book. That's because I couldn't finish it. It was Jalamanta by Anaya and it was so horrible that I didn't even make it through 40 pages. The premis was ok: An exile returns home to help out his people as they are being persecuted by the dictatorial regime. But the way it was told was just awful. It sounded like some weird mish mash of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne and New Age tripe that I couldn't take it seriously, much less actually care about any of the characters. I put it away disappointed in Anaya and wondering if Ultima was his only good book.

But, I decided to pull out another of his books just to help myself answer that above question and so that I wouldn't avoid him forever if Jalamanta was an anomoly. I'm relieved to say that this next book, Alburquerque (misspelling intentional) is excellent. I was hooked from the first sentence, and committed by the second, and that doesn't happen in very many books. I'll be devouring this one.

Book club book review: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

I loved this book the first time I read it and I loved it the second time I read it. I’m sure if I read it again, I’ll still love it.

In The Red Tent, Diamant creates a life around the only daughter of Jacob, Dinah. She is the petted and precious daughter of her four mothers, each of whom taught her something special that became an integral part of her life. The red tent, the place where the women go during their menstrual cycle, is a central theme in the early part of the book because it provides a space where women are able to celebrate who they are, their life giving abilities, and the unique characteristics that make them women. The first part of the book is so beautiful and alluring that the reader is willing to give herself over to the fantasy of women’s space undefiled by men.

Dinah’s life takes its own course after they move the first time and then settle outside of Shechem. It is here that Dinah meets the love of her life, has that fantasy destroyed before her very eyes and then escapes to Egypt where she raises her son and establishes herself as a very talented midwife. Her adventures continue and the book ends in a beautiful reminiscence of Dinah’s accomplishments and wonderful gifts.

I find Diamant’s fiction to be so spiritual without being preachy. She is a talented story teller who weaves a wonderful tale about a woman who could see the beauty in life despite all of the tragedies and heartbreaks she endured.

It was a rough day yesterday

Yesterday was tough. I'm not sure where my kids got the notion that I would buy them a car, but they did and it was a tough discussion filled with fit-throwing when it finally hit them that they were indeed going to have to buy their own car. E is actually refusing to learn to drive until she gets her own car. Logic there astounds me.

Not only that, but they, repeatedly, mentioned the fact that David and I haven't had time to go to the store lately and that "if we would only do our job and go to the store" everything would be alright. For many reasons that didn't settle so well with me.

I swear I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when they graduate! E pointed out that we're going to have a lot of free time after they leave and wondered what on earth we would do with it. Isn't it just like a kid not to realize that their parents have lives other than centered around them.

I'm tired and have a headache today and simply don't know what I have the energy to tackle...

When I was a little girl...

I made these really cool things out of crayola shavings and glue. And I did this inside my desk in third grade much to the chagrin (and repeated irritation) of my teacher.

I was lucky enough to have a mother who bought me the whole 64 pack of crayolas. I wanted this not so much for the variety of colors (though this was really cool) but because it came with a crayola sharpener that you could use to sharpen those pesky crayons when they got flat. There were 4 of us in the back corner (where the good kids sat) who had this awesome box and we would finish our work early and then start our craft projects. If we were lucky enough we would have construction paper, but more often than not, we just had to rely on whatever was handy--and that was often the insides of our desk.

So, this is how it worked. Before the system was perfected, each person would take their flattish crayons and sharpen them which would result in these really cool looking shavings. We would then squeeze a glob of glue about the size of the palm of our hands on the inside corner of our desk and then we'd open the bottom of the crayola box (carefully so that all the crayons didn't go all over the floor) and empty the shavings onto a sheet of notebook paper. Then we'd sprinkle the shavings onto the glue and wait and wait for it to dry. Once dry, we peeled the whole thing up and took it outside to look at with the sun in its background. I'm sure we dropped them after that and proceeded to make more.

We figured out pretty early on, though, that a mix of colors really just looked brown or black and we needed better organization than that, so we would pool all our similar colored crayons with different people and they would shave until we all had several piles of color. Then we'd use these piles to create ART. We could make flowers, birds, skies, whatever. The globs of glue in the bottom of our desk were worked with a bit before we dropped the shavings onto them to make them look like something. Our little factory could put out at least one "painting" a day if we weren't too terribly busy with classwork.

That is until we got caught. Mrs. Lucas was a stickler for a clean room and well-behaved children, and I'm sure that 4-6 smart kids in the back of the room working together on a craft project weren't all that neat or well-behaved (I can see all the smears of crayon shavings on the floor even as I type, not to mention the metal that had to have been ripped out of the insides of our desks). She put a halt to this factory of activity not only by taking up our crayons, but also by telling our parents. I remember my mother being so angry at me for "wasting" my crayons by shaving them for art and not just coloring with them.

After that I was limited to the 48 crayola box, which while still having all the wonderful colors, didn't have the sharpener. Mom didn't understand that the pencil sharpener didn't shave crayolas the same...or maybe she didn't care...but at some point someone, who was also limited to the 48 crayola box at school, managed to get a 64 crayola box at home, ripped out the sharpener, and the little rebel factory was in business once again. I'm fairly sure this is why I ended up getting sent to stand in the hallway one day where I cried and cried so loud that the special ed teacher invited me into her room to help her out so I wouldn't disturb her students anymore. That's another story, though.

Book Review: A Catch of Consequence by Diana Norman

A Catch of Consequence was a really good read. Set at the beginning in pre-revolutionary Boston and then for the remainder of the novel in England, it is a great historical novel. I particularly enjoyed the characters, especially Makepeace Burke, our heroine. She has fiery red hair and a temper to match, not to mention a drive to see things happen. When she finds a man drowning, she has to save him, and the rest of the story is the outfall of that one decision. Not only is the man she rescues a British peer, but he was being drowned by the rebels in Boston who frequented Makepeace’s tavern.

In true romantic fashion, Makepeace and the man she rescued, Sir Phillip Dapifer, fall in love, and despite the difference in social standing, get married. They don’t, however, live happily ever after. Sir Phillip’s first-wife, who he divorced because she committed adultery with his best friend, makes sure that life for them is miserable, eventually leading to the death of Sir Phillip. It is this point that the story focuses on Makepeace and what she has to do to heal herself and move on with her life.

As I said, I really liked this book. I thought that there were interesting changes in character for Makepeace, while keeping the thread of who she truly is. I honestly didn’t understand why she fell in love with Sir Phillip. He seemed a rather flat character who didn’t have the passion to deserve her. The plot is focused and mostly all of the characters were delightful or served a purpose for the novel.

A few things I did not like about the book centered on the writing. I found myself a little stunned by the abrupt transitions between paragraphs. I sometimes didn’t understand that I was reading about another character until I was a few paragraphs into the change. This was disorienting and troublesome for me as I’m not a quick reader and don’t gloss over sentences or paragraphs. I also found some of the dialect extremely difficult to understand, impossible in some instances.

Those concerns were little, though. A Catch of Consequence is a delightful book that I enjoyed reading from the first page until the last. I’m looking forward to my next Diana Norman book.

For the Love of Office Depot

I absolutely love shopping at Office Depot. I can find excuses to go to that store. I love picking out paper, and pens and notebooks and dividers and basically any office supplies you can think of.

Yesterday I bought a labeler. It is so much fun. So far I have labelled all of my notebooks so that I know what I'm grabbing, or can tell someone else, "get the one that says XXX." I feel like I'm in an organization heaven right now.

Back to it!

Goodbye to San Francisco

David left today on a trip to San Francisco...it's a conference trip, so (he says) not fun for him, just something that he has to do. I was planning to go on this trip, if you remember from blogs past; however, I decided not to since I do have a lot of work to do and since it would cost money and not really profit us any business-wise. Turns out that was a really good decision considering how crazy things have been here lately.

But, I have to say that this is the second trip to San Francisco that I ALMOST went on and didn't and I'm dying to go to that city. I've always wanted to see the bridge, the hills, the street cars, china town, the bay, everything. I've wanted to go to the wine region since I discovered wines and know that when you drink them locally they are so much better than when you buy them at restaurants or stores. It's disappointing not to be able to go a second time. One day hopefully...

In the meantime, I work and work and work. Europe will be a well-deserved rest!

I hope it isn't so!

So, yesterday I wrote how I thought I was psychic as a kid and would have these dreams that were so vivid and real and would sometimes "come true." Well, last night I dreamed that David and me and the girls left for our European trip only to find out once we got to the airport (about 2 hours away) that we'd forgotten our passports! yikes! Talk about something that would be horrible.

Well, now that I dreamed it, I can put extra assurances to make sure it doesn't come true!

When I was a little girl...

I thought I was psychic. I truly believed that I could tell the future just by sitting down and thinking. I could predict what was the next song on the radio, I even could predict the words in a song that I'd never heard before. I could solve the puzzles on Wheel of Fortune faster than anybody I knew! I would have dreams that were so profound and real, I really believed I had lived them.

What I now know to be intuition was certainly magic when I was a kid. I believed in my gift and only shared the fact with people that I thought would appreciate it...which were few and far between. I actually thought it was a gift granted to me by Great-Grandma Stricklin. I knew she was magic too. I would often have long conversations with the trees or clouds or spirits or whatever lived in the oak trees on the 30...I learned a lot about the way of the world and how things function during those times lying on the trampoline.

I'm saying all this tongue in cheek, but I actually have had several weird dream experiences. Great-Grandma visited me and mom a couple of days after she died (that's one example, there are others). I knew that I was going to marry a man named David who was tall, dark haired with dark eyes. When my friend Jeffrey Lucan died, he visited me in my dreams several times until I told him that he was freaking me out. I miss him now that he really did leave me.

So, though I don't really believe myself psychic anymore, I do think that there's something to intuition and being observant of patterns for they help us see a bigger picture than the world in which we occupy space. I still can't explain all the dreams, though...

Book Review: The Salt Letters by Christine Balint

While I can’t say I hated this book, I can’t say I loved it either. The Salt Letters provided an interesting and easily readable account of a girl’s escape from family expectations to pursue the love of her life…and to do so required her to travel all the way across the world in a rickety, overcrowded boat. Her experiences are harrowing and the narrative voice is true: you feel Sarah’s experiences and sympathize with her.

What I didn’t like about the book was that it was written in such a vague way that I couldn’t really tell if she died or found her love in this world at the end. The narrative weaves the story through both the present and the past, but the ending isn’t clear if she’s in a dream world from her sickness or if she’s healed and will begin her life anew in the “new world.” It almost feels as if the author wants the reader to be confused, or that she’s being cute in writing a double-meaning ending, but it was unsatisfying for this reader. I didn’t like not knowing.

What I did like about the book is how the characters feel real, how you can sympathize with them, how their struggle to survive the miseries of the long boat ride (boredom, discomfort, unsanitary conditions, bad food, lack of privacy, etc.) makes them all feel a little crazy, how the narrative takes on a fantasy tone at times. The playfulness of the narrative was a stark contrast to the actual events of the story, and was, for the most part, done well.

Oh, to be cradled in the arms of Amazon.com's packing materials!

Vignette #3

In a discussion with A, E, David and me last night about boys and why they're so hard to understand, A said that she would continue believing that boys don't think about sex and that they have emotions but are just stupid, E replied:

E: That's naive Alyssa, and you know what naivitee will get you...pregnant!

Luxury

When I was a little girl...

I'm going to start a new series on Mondays called "When I was a little girl..." where I'm going to try to bring up an interesting memory from the time I can remember until I graduated from high school...So, here goes.

When I was a little girl I used to have a very very hard time waking up in the mornings. I would get out of my princess bed (the four poster wooden bed that was a "gift" from a slave owner to her slave upon emancipation, or at least that's the story I was always told) and put my feet on the little rug beside my bed and scoot on that rug over to my doorway. My room didn't have carpeting in it for a few years and the floor was always cold on my warm sleepy feet.

I would then dash to the bathroom and do my business and get back in bed where I would cozy up and usually fall back asleep.

After a couple of scoldings I would then get up and sit in front of my dresser. The bottom drawer was broken, so when I pulled it out it would lay on the floor instead of hold itself up. I would sit there and usually doze off to sleep again only to wake up when my head hit the dresser or floor or when one of our cats came to greet me good morning. I would then select my clothes and get back in bed where I would cozy up again.

At some point I managed to get dressed and then would start my ritual of eating breakfast. I loved cereals that had different kinds of "bits" in them. My favorite was always Lucky Charms. I would go through and eat all of the oat bits first and then I would eat the marshmallows color by color. I'm sure this took me forever because the marshmallows were usually all soggy and gross by the time I finished.

At some point my mother would start fussing because she was going to be late for work yet again, and I would have to start running around to get all my stuff ready for school. Then we would get in the car for our LONG ride to school and I would usually fall asleep again on the way, or at least try to if my mother's singing didn't rouse me too much.

Easter Beauties

It's a Good Friday

And I'm thankful for that. I have a bear of a month coming up that involves at least 3 Saturday workdays for me and 2 for David and unfortunately, they are not on the same Saturdays. I'm ready for May 5th to be out of the way so we can resume our normal pattern--Friday night date with dinner and movie, Saturday sleeping in and then doing nothing all day except what we want to, then Sunday more of the same.

So, I will enjoy this long weekend (we're taking Monday off with the kids) and then we'll begin a month from hell in just enough time to stop, take a short breather, pack everything and head off to Europe!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

Bookclub Book Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (a week or so late)

Rarely does one come across a book like Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. It's a love story, a tragedy, a social commentary on the plight of African Americans at the turn of the century, an anthropological study in language and culture, a historical perspective of the building of "black towns." And it's so well-written and conceived that I have not met one person who didn't love this book.

It is rare for our bookclub to unanimously love a book. There are usuallya couple of us who really love it, a couple who really hate it, one or two who tried but couldn't finish, one or two who wanted to read it but didn't for whatever reason, and then those who were indiferent. Everyone of us loved this book.

While the language can be a little difficult to master at first--being written in dialect--you get used to it after a chapter or so, and the reading of the book is very quick after that. I read it the first time in college and fell in love with Hurston as a result. This time was also a wonderful experience.

High praise from me, who doesn't always love a book, and not necessarily the second time around.

Book Review: The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

I fought with myself on whether I liked this book or not. I really did not like the main character of the memoir--Gerda, Sylvia's Great Aunt. She was pompous and self-righteous and seemed motivated to do the right thing for all the wrong reasons, but somehow she grew on me and by the end I liked her despite her flaws.

This was a tough book to read considering how all of the other "Quilter's Apprentice" series books have been really feel-good books that help you see how quilting has formed relationships between women that span generations. I was at a point in my life where I needed that "easy read" and The Runaway Quilt did not provide me with that. However, by the time I finished and was keenly aware of the fact that I missed all that wonderful female bonding that happens between quilters, I realized that I was getting just that, but it was between generations of quilters that would never know one another. It was at this point that I learned to like the book.

The Runaway Quilt posits quilts' roles in the underground railroad of the 1850s. Were they really signals for runaway slaves, and if so, how did they work? Despite evidence to the contrary, did the log cabin quilt really signal a safe haven? Most importantly for this story, was how did an Elm Creek quilt make it to South Carolina with such glaring evidence that it originated there, but no evidence that there were familial or other contacts in that area? That mystery gets solved in Gerda's memoir and through other revelations, which do make the book a worthwhile read.

Don't pick up The Runaway Quilt if you expect another "easy" read by Chiaverini. However, if you're looking for a book that helps us understand the challenges facing people during the Fugitive Slave law time period, then this book will help you see those in addition to positing how women's work (i.e. quilts) helped fuel a rebellion movement.

Monk's Fishouse, Cobh, Ireland

A Sugar Confession

I had dessert last night. It was so far below what I thought it would be that I have NO desire to have dessert again for a while. The best part was the berries, and to be honest I could have done without the cake and custard.

Goes to show you that tastes DO change even if the mind-set doesn't.

To All Thornton Thimblers!

In the book I'm reading, The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini, there was a quilt bee in which the main character assisted in quilting 13 quilt tops...in ONE DAY!

We have clearly been slacking...I'm shocked that in roughly 3 months from today we'll only have managed to finish ONE top in THREE days...

But, hey, they didn't have all the wonderful shopping and eating opportunities that we have today...not to mention all the games and stories and catching up!

Can't wait!

Reading

I love to read. I think reading is one of life's best pleasures. No matter how wonderful your life, escaping into a well-written book is something that can't be surpassed by very many other things--sex, travel, and a good bottle of wine are really the only three I can think of.

I think my love of reading is one of the reasons that, when I have a book that isn't gripping me in all the right ways, I begin to avoid reading. Why would I read "that book" when I have so many other fun things to do? Why would I read "that book" when I know how much fun reading should be and it's just not getting me there? That's where I am right now...and funny enough I want to finish the book--most of the time I get to feeling this way I simply put the book aside.

So, what that means is that the book has some good qualities that I like, but is missing something huge for me. And since I know what it's missing, I'm hyper sensitive when those points come up.

Tell me, any readers out there. Have you read The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini (4th in her series)? Did something about it irk you? I'm wondering if it's just me seeing that she now has 5 more books published in this series in just 5 short years...If I can manage to push through, I'll have a review by early next week...and then I'll be less cryptic about why it annoys me.

You think you know yourself...

If you remember a couple of weeks ago, I was talking about going shopping and finding a new bra since my old ones weren't looking all that great anymore, and when I did I was going to try on the size that the measurements said I should be?

You know what? They were right. Somehow all these years I thought I was a C cup and now I'm a DD. It's almost like I had a boob job and only had to pay a couple hundred dollars for some new bras. I've tried on different styles, different brands, etc., and almost to a tee I'm a DD. It's almost like I have new toys that I have to dress up!

Vignette #2

Overheard while E was on the cell phone with her best friend while also e-mailing with her on her new laptop:

E: You have to get instant messaging...yeah, that way we can text and IM...it's, like, TWO things, you know.

Spring Fever

This time of year is so hard for me. All I want to do is go play outside in the sunshine, be silly, and sleep. Putting on my sandals for the first time of the season is almost a moment of celebration. Springtime means that you have to wait until October at least to eat chili gain. And thought I'll miss it, that's ok. I love to watch the birds building their nests, our cats get a little nutty. My children even went on a picnic last weekend (I think this may have been the first in their lives initiated by themselves). Springtime in Mississippi is particularly lovely. So many things flower here and everything seems to be in bloom this week.

It's a lovely day!

Book Review: Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker

Possessing the Secret of Joy is a difficult book to read, but worth it if you want to be more informed about the horrors that afflict women in many parts of the world, including our own country. The central character, Tashi/Evelyn (she has an American and an African name) underwent female circumcision as an adult because she wanted to belong to her African tribe and be elligible to marry. The horrors resulting from that decision affect the rest of her life--both physically by making it almost impossible to birth her only child and emotionally as is marked by her bouts of insanity.

The story is told through several people's perspective including Tashi's husband, her best friend, her son, her husband's lover (Lisette) and their son. The contrast between Tashi, who's sexuality is erased through her culture's insistence on female mutilation, and Lisette, who's sexuality is celebrated and barely containable, is marked. The fact that Tashi's mutilation affects everyone in her life is significant and powerful. While trying to overcome something she doesn't understand, she is able to affect those around her through her suffering and attempts to make something of her life.

Walker was amazing to take on such a difficult topic...I don't know how she managed to write the pain Tashi must have felt without becoming seriously depressed herself. It was a difficult book to read, I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to write. My only complaint about the book is that at times, the narrative voice slips into a historical/preachy voice that doesn't sound like any of the narrators and made me want to skip forward even though the content of that section was important.

I don't recommend this book to someone who wants a light-hearted read, but if you would like to learn something about female circumcision and why certain cultures continue to practice this horrible crime against women even today, then I do recommend that you pick this book up.

I went out for a simple walk...

Yesterday I decided to go for my walk while the maids were here cleaning the house. I always hate being in their way, so a walk, which I need to do anyway, was the perfect answer. They usually take about an hour, so I decided to be back in 45 minutes. While I had driven by and through the park a few blocks from my house, I had never walked on the fitness trail, so I decided to go there and try that out. Frustratingly enough there was not one sidewalk between my house and the park and then the trail was a huge disappointment. I still needed to kill 20 minutes, so I decided to walk down to the street that is 1/2 mile from my house, walk the 3 blocks to my street and then walk down my street. The sidewalks weren't all that plentiful on this path either, which was rather frustrating, but I managed getting into a ditch or a driveway when a vehicle would pass.

I turned down 21st Avenue, the street where the house I'll buy one day is on, and only one block from my house...actually since I left the back door open when I left it was only a matter of going through the alley near my house to get to my back door...not really a whole block. But, as I went past the Press's house, I noticed there wasn't a car in my driveway which meant that the maids were already finished...and likely had locked the house on their way out. I had a half a second of panic, but tried to remain calm, went to the door, and indeed it was locked. I didn't take my key, not expecting to be gone long enough to matter.

I didn't have any idea what time it was or any way to call David who had a meeting at 11 to see if it was worth walking up to his office. But after 15 minutes of trying to entertain myself by going through the mail (nothing but bills) and listening to music on my iPod, I decided it was worth trying to catch David...if nothing else, I would at least be DOING something. Besides, I had to pee and there was nothing but restaurants between here and campus and I was fairly certain that a sweaty person in exercise clothing wouldn't be welcome to use their bathroom without at least purchasing a coke. And since I had no money...So, up to campus I went, and I managed to catch David who was finishing up his work for the morning and was about to leave early to come home and surprise me since his meeting was cancelled.

We walked home, he let me in the house, and I learned a very important lesson...never leave home without your key or your cell phone!

Book Review: In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

In this sixth installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, Smith delivers another uplifting book. I may have enjoyed this one the best of the series so far. Things happen in this book, but for the most part, it was about character development. And learning more about these wonderful characters is a good thing.

Mma Romatswe finds herself in a pickle when her first husband (Note Mokoti) returns demanding money and inciting fear as he has always done; Mma Mokutsi takes dancing lessons and meets a man, who, though not perfect, is close enough; Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni finally finds his match in passion for machines in Mr. Polopetsi; Charlie the mechanic gets a dose in reality when he quits his apprenticeship to date an older, rich lady who drives a Mercedes Benz. While all of this is going on, Mma Romatswe and Mma Mokutsi are trying to find a Zambian man who ran away with lots of money, but that little mystery is really understated in this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cheerful Ladies. To see Mma Romatswe fall and recover herself was a perfect move at this point in the series. She has seemed bigger than life throughout, and to see her humanity was, for me, very refreshing. I love watching Mma Makutsi grow into herself and be proud of who she is. She is simply delightful.

One thing that Smith does in all of his books that he continues to do well in this one is provide a life of integrity and morality for his characters without being preachy or nostalgic. While the characters yearn for a time past when everyone treated each other with respect and tradition, they do so in the expectation that people should still be acting that way, not in sadness that they no longer do. I love these books and am very much looking forward to #7.

Guest Blogger: David Butler! Movie Review: All Quiet on the Western Front

My wife and I have decided to watch all of the Academy Award (Oscar) winning movies in chronological order. We joined Netflix and added each one to our queue. The movies started to arrive several weeks ago and we are attempting to watch one per week. We have made it through 5 movies to date.

The first movie to be reviewed is All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). All Quiet on the Western Front is a film adaptation from a novel chronicling World War I from a German soldier’s perspective. The movie begins with students in either a senior-high or early college classroom. The students are all fresh faced, nicely dressed and day dreaming while the instructor rambles. Behind the instruction out two open windows on each side, you see mobilization for war. Eventually the instructor's voice becomes louder and more virtuous proclaiming the honorable role of defending the Fatherland ( Germany ) and each young man's duty. The instructor eventually whips all the students into a frenzy where they go off and enlist in the army.

The rest of the movie chronicles this classroom of boys from boot camp to the front lines. I will not give away the whole movie or ending, but one of the most poignant scenes is when one of the former students now solider comes back after months (or is it years?) from the front lines. He drops by the same classroom with the same instructor giving the same patriotic speech to a new group of young faces.

The cinematography is superb with each scene shot for maximum impact on the viewer. The acting is perfect, you feel sympathetic for the soldiers and what they are experiencing both physically and psychologically. During one scene, the French forces charge into and over the German trenches. These soldiers shoot and fight hand-to-hand against these foes. One has to step back and remember that these "enemies" are actually the "good guy" the Allies in World War I. The movie is that compelling. For 1930 the sets are huge and expansive, especially the trench warfare pieces and associated explosions.

I strongly recommend this movie to anyone. It is not simply a war movie, but instead is a fundamental insight into how warfare transforms a person in a short time.

It's Allergy Time

I have experienced what I believe is the worst allergy attack I've ever had. I thought I had a terrible cold until David pointed out that everyone else is feeling bad and maybe it's allergies and gave me one of his zyrtec. I felt better within an hour. I actually slept last night which was a huge bonus.

I don't think we pay enough attention to allergies--most of the time they're not terrible or life threatening. But as I said as I was going to sleep last night, you can die of allergies...

San Diego Pictures, Finally

We had a very nice time in San Diego. We got there Monday evening, went to the hotel and had drinks and nachos, then went to our room and practically passed out since we'd been up and moving around since 6:30, Central, that morning. This was the view that greeted us in the morning.

My friend Tony picked us up on Tuesday morning and took us into the city where we went to see the Embarcardo--basically the shipyard. This statue had just been dedicated. There were WWII vets everywhere and film crews. It was very exciting.

We then had to take David back to the hotel so he could go do his conference workshop, and Tony and I went back to San Diego to Balboa Park where we walked around and saw all kinds of wonderful views. The gardenia garden and the fountain were my favorites.

After Tony dropped me off, David and I had dinner and then saw this beautiful sunset from our room. It was an early day the next morning getting back home.

Big Circles Batik Quilt

I collected batik fabrics for this quilt for years before coming up with the design (derived from a photograph in a quilt magazine advertisement) and then piecing it. I almost lost it to Hurricane Katrina, and thought I had for a few days, because it was at the quilt shop in Pass Christian. However, the quilter escaped with just the quilts she had commissioned to quilt before the shop was destroyed by the hurricane. Lucky us! Anyway, I have finally found a quilter who I trusted to work on it and she did a fabulous job quilting it as she would a double wedding ring. It's just about as perfect as it can be (in my humble opinion anyway!)

From Home Alone to Home Congested

Well, my home alone dreams didn't happen. While David was indeed gone, the girls were not able to spend any time this weekend with their friend Ali like they had planned. First her grandmother was sick and then Ali got sick. Ali did try to not be sick, but after she threw up several times at the mall Sunday afternoon, A&E insisted on coming home.

Unfortunately I woke up Saturday morning with a bad cold, so while I didn't sit at home and moan like I wanted to, it did take a little bit of the fun out of shopping, and the playfulness I expected to have once home was really diminished. I did get my awesome quilt (pictures tomorrow) and hemmed it. I did get several shirts and bras for the trip. Oh and two new pair of shoes...in fact, I got the most comfortable pair of sandals I've ever worn. They are the Yucatan style by Ecco and are worth every penny.

The weekend wasn't a total wash, but I still feel a little puny and have to head up to Jackson for a meeting, and I don't feel nearly as invigorated by the home alone time as I thought I would.

D#$% cold!

Home Alone

David left for Tucson this morning and spring break starts for the girls this afternoon. I suspect that I'll spend a good bit of the next three days home alone, and I'm trying to decide what to do with myself...

I started a new book that I'm really enjoying (6th in the Ladies Detective Agency books). I could have it finished this afternoon if I sat down to read it.

I could go to the mall and shop for bras. I love losing weight, but when all my bras begin to look like there's less of me in them, I can only hide that for so long. Of course, doing my measurements the way JCPenney says to do them, I'm supposed to be a 42DD, which made David laugh in a rather insulting way when I informed him of that. So, bra shopping could definitely be up there.

I could just go shopping for clothes. Need new summer stuff, as I was apparently expecting to lose weight before this summer because I got rid of every pair of shorts I ever had. Of course, the stores aren't carrying anything new and exciting just yet. When I asked when the spring stuff would be coming in, the woman behind the counter said, "we're already getting it." I replied "really?"

I could get a ton of sewing done. I am almost finished maching quilting a lap quilt and I could attach the binding and snuggle under it tonight while I'm reading. Plus I have my needlepoint and cross stitch projects that are mid-way.

Of course, there's always nintendo. I could finish our new game before David gets home and make him incredulous and jealous. Or I could play the other game that's really boring for other people to watch, but which I really enjoy--It's a farming game, and I believe when I left off I was actually pregnant!

The little nag in the back of my head is reminding me that there's always work...I don't want to get into the bind I was in last week...

First, though, I'm going to get breakfast, and then I'll consider what I want to do this weekend. I am definitely going to pick up my latest quilt from the quilter. I CANNOT wait!

Book Review: Pope Joan by Donna Cross

• I was intrigued by Pope Joan, especially when I read that the book was based on a legend that is believed to be true: the Catholic church has purged all evidence of Pope Joan from its because of the embarrassing problem of having a female rise to the ranks of pope.
  
  Cross does a very good job of showing church history during a time that Europe was plagued by disease, famines, barbarian raids and many other violent things that made living difficult, education almost impossible, and women’s right a laughable circumstance. She tells the story of Joan who is the third child and only daughter of a Catholic missionary priest who married her mother even though she was a heathen, supposedly because of her beauty. Early on, Joan is torn between the literate world of the church that, though completely oppressive to her as a woman, opens doors to her intellect, and the “heathen” world of her mother where the gods are kind and instructive not vengeful. She eventually chooses to become educated and runs away from home when the opportunity presents itself for her to gain education at a monastery.
  
  The remainder of the book deals with Joan’s love of a man, her fascination with learning and reason, her pull to things masculine because they represented power, and the danger of being discovered for what she truly is. When her village is sacked by Vikings, Joan takes advantage of the situation and takes on the identity of her brother who was killed in the attack, becomes a monk and excels in the Catholic church to the point of being elected pope.
  
  I liked the book. It made me think about a lot of things—especially the world we have today where we take for granted education and women’s rights. I did find that the point when Joan “switches” gender to falter a little because Cross seems obligated to “prove” Joan’s existence and the fact that she could have been caught any number of times but somehow wasn’t. Overall, the book is successful and a highly recommended read.
  
  Some of the more compelling ideas explored in Pope Joan are
  
• the lack of rights for women—down to the basic lack of privacy or choice in spouse
  
• the use of superstition couched in religion as a means of “proving” innocence or guilt in all things from witchcraft to murder
  
• the class system which made it impossible for people to rise beyond the station they were born to
  
• education as a privilege—one which someone would give their life for.

Hasta Jueves!

I'm headed to San Diego EARLY in the morning and won't be back until Wednesday afternoon!

See you all on Thursday!

A Report on Date Night

I did indeed make it until 10pm, but just barely. We had a fabulous dinner of bbq pork chops (they were really really good), broccoli, salad, and some foccacia bread. Then we sat on the porch and finished our wine and talked, then played some nintendo, put together the outer edge of a puzzle, then played some more nintendo and then went to bed at 10:01. I remember looking at the clock at 10:12 and laughing that I'd made it past 10!

Now, back to editing this report so I can be done done done tonight!

Date Night!

I'm so excited about date night tonight. Not that we're doing anything other than spending time together, playing games and having a few glasses of wine, but it IS something other than work, and this week, that's very special.

I mention date night to some of my friends and they seem really surprised that David and I would still have a special night that is totally dedicated to just us. "Aren't you bored spending time with him yet?" they ask...bored? If I were bored, why wouldn't I do something about it and if that didn't work, why would I still be married?

I have to admit that we went a little crazy earlier this year and went out to dinner every Friday night. While I love doing that, switching to working from home and the accompanying expenses (not to mention being marrooned in Santa Fe) have made that a little more difficult financially than it was last year...so we're only going out twice a month now, and after getting insurance premiums I'm beginning to think that maybe we'll have to cut those out too!

At any rate, Friday nights are nights that David and I reserve for each other. The kids have to find something to do and somehow to get there and we simply do whatever we like and talk and have fun.

The problem with date night tonight is that I'm really tired and hope I can manageto stay awake to make it through a game or two. I've worked until 9pm every night except last night since Sunday and it's starting to wear on me. When I went to bed last night I realized that I couldn't remember when I'd last had a shower. I think it was Wed., but I couldn't remember if something came up and I didn't make it. So, hopefully I make good progress on the final things I need to finish up for this report and can enjoy myself and stay awake at least until 10!

March

The old saying goes that March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb. That certainly holds true for today as we've had stormy weather all day.

March has always meant to me St. Patrick's day which is always fun because you have to wear green and drink beer. I actually hated St. Patrick's day as a child because next to yellow and orange, green was my absolutely least favorite color.

But the weather never meant much to me. Actually March usually heralded the coming of spring. The weather would get warmer and sunnier, the grass would start coming in, the leaves budding. It was actually one of my favorite months until I moved to Kentucky when I decided that March was a cruel joke. It was the dead-end of winter and everything was dead and seemed like it would never ever come to life. It was still so cold and rainy and miserable...and the snow storms usually dumped a ton of snow. I was always so happy to see the end of March during those five years we were there.

In Mississippi, the trees start to bud, the azaleas bloom, the weather gets beautiful and sunny and not so humid. I love March here and am looking forward to the cold weather being behind us.

The thing about working hard

The thing about working hard is that sometimes you feel like you'll never meet your deadline. You plunge ahead and everything feels like it takes twice as long as you think it should. You worry that Friday at 5 is going to mean that you're still working and will be through Monday morning--that stinks for a relaxing weekend filled with shopping and fun.

So, you plow ahead, trying to hold those anxiety bugs at bay, and then get ready for bed on Tuesday night and realize that you're 3/4 done with the project. Really. 3/4. And it's only Tuesday night, which means you can sleep in a little on Wednesday morning and enjoy a new pace of work because it's not going to make a difference if you finish Wednesday afternoon or Friday afternoon, so long as you're finished by Friday and now that seems entirely possible. And to top it all off you even get to add those neat little extras you wanted to do to make up for the fact that you're really really late turning in this report.

So, I'll continue working hard; I expect tonight will be another late night, but then I should be able to go shopping in Mobile on Sat. and then spend Sunday getting ready for our trip to SD. Aaah, to feel human again.

Travel

I love to travel. I would travel all the time if I could somehow manage to take my bed, cats and pillows with me. Of course, I would need lots of money for that kind of travel, but I would love going and seeing places and being entertained all the time...but wouldn't we all. Or at least I think everyone thinks that way. I've been told it's a Sagitarius thing--we like to go and travel and see the world.

3 months from today, the family will head out for 17 days in Europe. We all don't know how we're going to wait the 89 days we have to wait...it's been torture waiting as long as we have been! But, the trip is completely paid for and we're waiting to find out what can happen and what we'll see.

On Monday next week David and I go to San Diego for a very quick trip. I have never been to California and am eagerly waiting for this trip. I have a friend who lives in Palm Springs who is driving down to see us, plus our hotel is right on the beach. Life will be good.

In April, David and I will be heading out to San Francisco--another trip to CA! I have wanted to go to San Fran ever since my mother was hooked on the tv show Scarecrow and Mrs. King. It should be lots of fun--David will be at a conference and seeing friends, and I'll be free to do as I please. Plus we'll see the vinyards.

All that travel, and yet I could pack my bags tomorrow and go spend a week at the beaches in Alabama. Or head up to Amish coutry and see the spring planting getting started. Or go to Kentucky for the April races at Keeneland. I'm even thinking about where I want to go to see fireworks in July...

it never stops, so I better get back to work and earn enough money so I can get to those fireworks!

Vignette 1

Elizabeth has given up soft drinks for Lent, and the following conversation ensued Wednesday night while she was searching in our medicine drawer.

Elizabeth: Mom, do we have anything for caffeine withdrawal?
Me: Well, what are your symptoms, then I’ll know what to give you.
E: You know, I’m having caffeine withdrawal since I’m not drinking Dr. Pepper.
Me: I understand that, but what are your symptoms, headache, stomachache, shakiness?
E: Nope, just tired.
Me: Well, get some sleep.

Still Sugar Free

I've wanted to report for a while now that I'm still doing well with the "no sugar" thing. I very occasionally allow myself a chai tea latte from Starbucks (full-sugar since they don't have sugar free) but otherwise, I'm very very good. I'm really enjoying the control of it all...I'm still losing weight. I'm down about 25 pounds now since June, which is really great considering that I'm not doing much else to try to lose weight except walk when I can get around to it. My jeans are falling off...and one of my favorite shirts looked so big on me yesterday that I decided I can find out what happens if I wash it by hand instead of taking it to the dry cleaners. This is all very exciting.

But, when I go to the bakery to get my fresh wheat bread or a baguette, I look longingly at the cakes and brownies. Yesterday I almost convinced mysef that one cupcake from Starbucks to go with my latte wouldn't really hurt me that badly--and probably it wouldn't if I could stick with just that one, but I don't trust myself. And I really want to stick with this through our trip to Europe mainly because every time I've done well losing weight, I totally blow it on vacation. And I'm not going to do that this time because I'm mentally prepared...but it doesn't make things much easier when those cakes and cookies look so yummy...

Boys can be so stupid...

We have this conversation almost daily--about how stupid boys can be. It's mostly in reference to teenage boys and their interaction with my daughters or their friends, but sometimes, it extends to men. I tell my daughters that about some things, men will never "get it." Exhibit A:

This figurine of a balking mule was given to me by my husband for Valentine's Day 2001. He saw it on a trip to Amish Country in Ohio, wanted to buy it for me but didn't want me to know he was going to get it, left and went home, lost the contact to the store, had to SEARCH to find the store, finally did, purchased the balking mule (whose name is Dolly, by the way), had it mailed just in time for my fabulous Valentine gift. He couldn't even wait to give it to me on "the day" so gave it to me early. Needless to say it didn't go over very well, and I ended up getting a gigantic box of Godiva afterwards for all my hurt feelings.

Yet, to this day, my husband, who can be really smart about most things, thinks this was a great gift and I just didn't appreciate it in the right way...

It took 16 years, almost!

When David and I first got married we made tacos at least weekly. It was one of our staple foods along with Double Dave's pepperoni rolls, beans-rice-cornbread, and sandwiches. Tacos were almost like real food because we had to do some preparation...AND they had meat and vegetables in them. You remember your poor days, don't you?

Well, I got pregnant not too long after David and I got married. Morning sickness didn't kick in until I was almost 3 months along, but when it did kick in, it kicked with a vengence. One night we sat down to our dinner of tacos, I took a bite, managed to get it down, and tried another. This wasn't all that unusual as most foods made me do that. However, after bite 6 or so, I ran to the bathroom, and unloaded all of that and most of everything else that I ate that day. I managed to suck on some Jolly Ranchers and get my stomach to calm down, but couldn't possibly eat more of those tacos.

The next time David was cooking, I smelled the tacos cooking, ran to the bathroom, and then had to sit outside until the smell went away.

The next time wasn't pretty at all. I had the reaction to the smell, but then felt miraculously better, ate dinner without a problem...and about an hour later while David was in the bathtub, threw up those tacos in such a disgusting way I thought I was going to die. As I was sitting on the floor in utter embarrassment and David is shocked in the bathtub wanting to do everything to make me feel better, I weakly requested that we not ever have tacos again.

I have tried on a couple of other occasions to eat tacos, but I've always felt nauseous and couldn't proceed. Last night, though, at the special request of my kids, I bit the bullet (so to speak) and really enjoyed it, It was flavorful, crunchy, spicy, and just about perfect. Meat and vegetables..And David said, "I would never have thought it would take 16 years, but here you are!"

Everyone's heard of writer's block...

...But do you think there's such a thing as reader's block? Lately, I've been experiencing something I can only term as reader's block. The book is interesting, theoretically and plot-wise. The main character is based on a real person, someone historically significant; the setting is 10th century Japan, an area and time I know nothing about. Really, I should be very excited about reading this book--and I was at the beginning. But 200 pages into it...I was beginning to avoid it. When I would read, I would find my mind drifting and then not care that I'd run my eyes across 2 pages and didn't know anything that had just happened. I could pick that up in context as I went on. And with another 200 pages to go, I just didn't see how I would ever be able to read another book in my life.

And that seemed a little out of hand, especially considering all the books I've bought lately that I can't wait to read. So I've put it aside for a few days/weeks until I finish my next book, and then I'll get back to it and see if it engages me again.

I find this behavior/approach to reading interesting. In my book club there are people that will not put a book down no matter how bored they are or how awful they think the book is. I'm willing to give it 100 pages and then if I don't want to read it anymore I put it away never to worry whether I finished it or not. And if I truly didn't like it, that action will never bother me because I'll never miss those characters or that story. There are others of us in book club that won't read a book if it's about a certain topic, or will put the book down as soon as something specific happens--like child abuse.

So, in lieu of a review of a book I'm not sure I like enough to finish (Tales of Murasaki by Liza Dalby), I'm asking you what kind of reader you are when you approach a book that just isn't grabbing you like you think it should.

Thank Goodness for the Giving People

Our heater finally died on Saturday morning. When the guy came down to give us a report he said, I'll give you the good news first--I don't even remember what that was. The bad news was that the heat exchange box on our furnace was cracked and that the heater was likely leaking carbon monoxide into the house--a bad thing for anyone to consider even if it was going to be 30 degrees that night.

So, we bit the bullet and ordered a new one. Thank goodness they are installing it today because it's blustery and miserable out there and the only reason I'm not freezing to death right now is because we still have a good bit of residual heat from yesterday.

But I feel so sorry for those fellows out there working in this horribly cold weather, on my roof, without the good protective clothing you'd find in areas where winter really means something. So, I'm thankful for people who are willing to suffer so that I can sleep warm and cozy tonight...

Two Pinwheel Quilts

The first is a turquoise, brown and green pinwheen given to a friend who is having her baby boy today. The second is orange, brown and black and is named after my kitty, Lochi because she's orange and black. I pieced it a few years ago and had it machine quilted this month.

Need time Off

Have decided that need time off from the blog to get the projects at USM completed and my life back in order. I'll be back on the 13th...

Miss y'all!!!

Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

It isn’t very often that I read a book and want everyone I know to read it so I can talk to them about it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it’s one that most people would enjoy…and when I say I “enjoyed” it, that kind of freaks me out because it is rather creepy for the first half, but so well written that you’re sucked into the tale and don’t want to put it down. I’m assuming this is why I’m so tired today!

The premis of this book is that the most popular British writer, Vida Winter, is dying and wants to tell her life story to a woman, Margaret Lea, who runs an antiquarian bookstore with her father. Ms. Lea doesn’t embark on the task very willingly, but does so anyway because she loves reading and having discovered Ms. Winter’s work, she is excited to find a complementary soul.

I don’t want to tell much more about the plot other than that because to do so would be to spoil the book. It is about family, facing your demons, class system (it IS a British novel after all), and most importantly the love of reading and a good story. It is a book that came to me through many different channels until I finally admitted that I couldn’t avoid reading it. I’m glad I didn’t because it may just be my favorite recent novel.

February Already!

Hard to believe that January whooshed by and now it's already February. Winter seems finally to have arrived, and we all seem to be shivering in our houses while covered up in sweaters with personal heaters nearby.

When I was a kid, I always remember loving February. It was a special month because not only was it short but it got an extra day every four years. I always thought it would be cool to be born on leap-year day, but I guess my mom couldn't have held out another 3 months to ensure that could happen.

February also had all of my favorite holidays--Ground Hog Day which was just so weird and silly I loved because of the symmetry of the date: 2/2. Valentine's Day was always wonderful because of the little cards we always exchanged atschool, hearts were everywhere. I loved any month that used a holiday as an excuse to decorate in red. I also always thought President's Day was cool. It was always a neat tradition to look at pictures of Mount Rushmore and talk about Washington and the cherry tree.

But there also always seemed to be a negative to February. It seems that I got sick every year with a dreadful flu that would keep me home for several days. In 7th grade I was hospitalized with pneumonia and ended up missing all the Valentine's festivities. One year in Kentucky in February we got 2 feet of snow overnight that shut everything down for several days. Another year in Kentucky I got the flu that resulted in an ear infection that lasted for 2 months.

So February always bring to mind a conflicted set of feelings. I am excited about the holidays. I love any excuse to have an "extra" date with David, and maybe get some jewelry or flowers. But I do cringe at the other miserable historical events and hope that this February will be different...

Late today!

Sorry I was late posting today. I got my boobs squashed this morning (hate that, but know it's a good thing) and then went shopping, had lunch with my friend, went to Wal Mart and then came home and did some finance stuff with the business...

I'm finding that even though I'm now working from home I'm having less time to get everything accomplished. It's started to make me feel a little panicked. I had such a wonderful work day on Monday but then things went screwy with the kids and one of the groups I'm working with and it seems like nothing else has managed to fall into place.

So, I'll play this evening and then go to bed early and read some of my really good book (review will be forthcoming within the week) and hopefully relax so that tomorrow is productive...and that little creativity bug can start to come out and peek around and see what it wants to talk about and do--quilting, sewing, etc.

I can feel it...

...the creativity that I want to come out...I can feel it burgeoning there on the surface of my brain. It is straining, but it is telling me there's entirely too much stress in the way to come out. I almost feel like I did back in the spring of 2002 when I'd been at my first "real" job for about 4 months, spring has dawned gloriously with sunshine and buds and green, green grass. I had one puny window in my office that taunted me with azaleas in bloom...all I wanted to do was be outside playing and rolling in the grass, but instead I had to deal with this jerk of a boss who made me feel so low. The play I craved was my way of dealing with that jerk, but he was preventing me from being able to play because I was so miserably in his power.

In fact, one of the reasons I was looking so forward to resigning my position at USM was that I would have more time to be creative and have fun. That the projects I'd be working on would inspire me to be a better quilter and mother and wife and friend.

What I kind of forgot about is that indeed I will be at that place, but not before February 12th. See the 12th is when the last project I'm working on for USM is due. And then I won't have to spend any more mornings like today sitting in a meeting for 2.5 hours listening to people brainstorm how to make their project better all the while ignoring that they have a 17 page draft in front of them that is a really good start and a deadline looming its ugly head just around the corner. I will be happy to be rid of them, their annoying behaviors and the stress that they pile up on me. I will be happy to be able to let that litte creative bug come out and see what stories I can tell...I have so many piled up in there. But the waiting and the stress and the irritation with everything else makes it hard not to be a little bitter.

For the record, I had a wonderful productive day yesterday...it's today that's left me gloomy.

One of those Questionaires...

I thought I'd do the answers to the questionnaire that my friend Rose sent me...Feel free to comment on new things you learn about me!

1. What is your occupation? Consulatnt
2. What color are your socks right now? Blue
3. What are you listening to right now? Kid Rock (it's a new thing)
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Oat Meal Squares Cereal
5. Can you drive a stick shift? YES
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Periwinkle
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Diann Loper
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? but of course!
9. How old are you today? 37
10. Favorite drink? Diet Dr. Pepper
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? College Football, especially if the Aggies are playing
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Regularly
13. Pets? cats, Oliver and Lochi
14. Favorite food? Probably Italian, but whatever is on special at 206 Front Street
15. What was the last movie you watched? Austin Powers (I had to because of the kids!)
16. Favorite day of the year? My birthday!
17. What do you do to vent anger? clean
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? Light Bright
19. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Fall
20. Hugs or kisses? Hugs, unless you mean the candy in which I love either but can't eat them
21. Cherries or blueberries? Cherries
22. Do you want your friends to email you back? Absolutely
25. Living arrangements? Old house with the family--2 15 year olds are difficult roommates...but we're coping
26. When was the last time you cried? Can't really remember. Since the hormones have been regulated, I haven't really cried that much...
27. What is on the floor of your closet? shoes
29. What did you do last night? went to dinner with David, drank some wine, played nintendo and went to bed early
30. Favorite smells? roses
31. What inspires you? setting a good example for my kids
32. What are you afraid of? spiders falling in my hair!
33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese
34. Favorite dog breed? don't really like dogs
35. Number of keys on your key ring? 4
36. How many years at your current job? 2 weeks!
37. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
38. How many States have you lived in? 3
39. Favorite holidays? Christmas and 4th of July
40. Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? No

It's Friday...

But it feels like every other day with that added anticipation of a date with my hubby.

Working from home has some definite benefits. I can wear stretchy pants, t-shirts, and pony tails most days. I even look forward to putting on "real" clothes when I do have a meeting or lunch planned. I can listen to my music really loud, dance, sing, and otherwise enjoy myself--yes, while I'm working. I can take breaks when I need to to do important things like laundry, or start dinner. I can even sew when I'm in a particularly contemplative mood. I love having all my windows open letting in the sun. I can adjust the temperature so that I'm not freezing or sweating. My kitties are around me all day and they charm me with their cuteness on an hourly basis. I don't have to answer the "front office phones"...basically I'm having a ball and know that I made the correct decision in deciding to work from home.

But then there are other issues...like setting up the office was expensive and time consuming. I spent all of a weekend shopping for and buying furniture, computer equipment, etc. Then there was the actual seeting up of all that beautiful equipment and furniture which took another couple of days--all the while I have projects piling up with deadlines looming. But what's gotten me recently is that, well, if the computer stops working properly, I'm the one in charge of it...and while I'm getting the basics of accounting despite not being an accountant, I don't think I can get the basics of why my laptop refuses to connect to the internet despite the fact that it shows that it's connected, receiving signals, etc...or why it'll do it for 5 minutes and then quit for good. That's annoying because before I could have just called Justin and he would have showed up eventually to fix my problem. But now, I'm Justin and I don't have a clue!

But I do love Friday because after today I can relax on Sat. and Sun. and I get to go out and have a very nice dinner and some wine with my hubby AND come home to an empty house since the kiddos are spending the evening with a friend...and since we do have a computer that is connected to the land-line, I'll be ok...there's interenet access at least, even if I do have to fight David for it :)

Betty Asked...

And I will answer...

She asked in her comment to yesterday's blog: "Merle used to sing to you???"

And really, if you know my daddy, this IS a pretty funny thought. But yes, he used to sing to me every single morning. The following tune...

"get out of that bed and wash your face and hands, toodaloodaloodalooo!"

The verse could be repeated over and over again depending on how much of a response he was getting from me and almost always ended with a rapid flipping on and off of the light.

Daddy, as far as I know, sung under no other circumstance, except for two little ditties--one: "trailers for sale or rent" and another that you got something for a dollar...I can't remember the exact words. Anyway, one Christmas at his Sunday School party one particularly festive class member thought it would be really fun if we sang the 12 days of Christmas with groups drawing their day. My dad, me and Monica Allen's dad picked the "five golden rings." It was so horrible and sad and embarrassing, and I wanted them to stop so badly but no one else seemed to realize that my dad and Monica's dad couldn't find the tune if you gave them a map, tied a rope around their neck and drug them to it.

So, yes, imagine THIS person singing to you a song he made up with the added light show to boot--when you're NOT a morning person :)

A Morning Person I am Not

I have never been a morning person. I hate waking up. I love being warm in the covers with my kitty next to me purring. The whole thought of having to dress for a day of dealing with people, is overwhelming first thing in the morning.

This was so even when I was a child. I remember my mothering having to come wake me up over and over again. When I was really little--first or second grade--I would fall asleep sitting up in front of my dresser. Moving, much less dressing, was no fun.

My dad would always sing to me in the morning. I guess this was his way of overcoming my grumpiness, which was really bad. I hated getting up, I hated the whole process of having to put on makeup and fix my hair, though I would do it anyway--to the extreme so it appears from my pictures.

As an adult I still hate getting up in the mornings. I would rather take hours to get ready to deal with people, eat my breakfast, check my e-mail, catch up on the news, but I'm definitely NOT going to take those hours away from my sleep! Even now I wake up at 7am on weekdays and sleep until 10 or so on weekends.

But never have I done something really stupid in the mornings until today. I was putting lotion on my face--the closest approximation to makeup I wear these days--and had just taken my hair out of its bun that I sleep in when I remembered that my eyes were really sticky and puffy so I grabbed what I thought were my allergy eye drops only to question why it was so slow dripping from the stopper and then when it touched my eye I started screaming because I burned so badly! Normally the eye drops sting a bit but they don't feel like I've got a searing burn on my eye ball--and that's when I realized I had picked up the bottle of acne medication--salicylic acid to be exact. In the panic of "oh my god what do I do it burns so bad I'm going to die" I remembered that you're supposed to rinse your eyes really well when you get something in them, so I splashed and splashed my eyes for a good 5 minutes. I'm happy to report that besides it being a little red and sore, my eye is doing well.

Mornings and me: like oil and water!

Lochi, the Quilting Kitty

A few years ago for Christmas, David bought me a book titled Cats who Quilt by Judy Heim and Irina Borisova I highly recommend this book for any quilter who loves cats. It's so funny, even if you don't have a cat who quilts...but if you DO have a cat who quilts it's simply hilarious.

Just a few days after I brought Lochi home from, this is where she could be found:

She loved it when I was cutting fabric and would throw away the strips into the trash can under my table. At one point, she was carrying the strips of fabric from my trash can to this basket so that everything could be in the right place. She still naps in this basket if I'm sewing.

Just a little later, Lochi is still demonstrating her love of quilts in this picture. Here I titled her the Princess of Quilts for obvious reasons.

In this picture it isn't obvious if she found the pea or not, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

Then today after sitting on the back of one of my chairs, she gleefully realized that the quilt hoop was just an easy step away and she has now ensconsed herself in the hammock that is a Katrina remembrance quilt (just something simple for me). Nevertheless, I was reminded why I put up the quilting frame...definitely a kitty with a passion for quilting!

And why I named a quilt after her (I'm taking this top this week to the quilter; I completed it a couple of years ago).

Book Review: The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory

The Constant Princess is about King Henry VIII’s first wife Katherine of Aragon, mostly before they get married. She is betrothed to Henry’s older brother Arthur at the age of three and grew up her entire life knowing that she would someday be the queen of England. Her first marriage gets off to a rocky start, but eventually she and Arthur learn to love one another and have a rather passionate four months together before he dies. It is at this point that Katherine’s fate is undecided. She is the right political match for Henry but she’s 6 years his senior, and since he’s only 11 at the time that’s a big deal. Henry VII, Henry VIII’s father, takes a liking to Katherine and proposes marriage to her after his wife Elizabeth dies in childbirth. Katherine at first accepts but then realizes that her power would be minimal with such a strong king and decides to wait for Henry to figure out that they should be married. Of course he does, they are betrothed, but Henry VII doesn’t make life easy for Katherine, keeping her in poverty by refusing her allowance and making life otherwise miserable for her. He soon dies, though, leaving Henry free to choose his wife, so he chooses Katherine. The story ends with Katherine’s triumphant victory over the Scots through a battle that ended in King James’s death.

While I really enjoyed the first half of this book, the middle and latter half really brought me down. Katherine suffered the plight of so many other of Gregory’s heroines: power greed. Gregory paints such a power hungry picture of Katherine that she ceases to be a “real” character for me and moves into the archetype that she created with Anne Boleyn. And while I don’t doubt that someone of Katherine’s station has to be power hungry, the overt manipulations, the decisions, the plotting, all get old after a couple hundred pages. And the epiphany on the battle field where Katherine realizes that if she were to lay waste to Scotland that she would be perpetuating her mother’s wrongs, fell flat for me. I guess Katherine had grown and matured by that point, but the switch was so abrupt that it felt lacking in sincerity.

So, while I would recommend this book to lovers of Gregory’s work, especially the Tudor era novels, I would recommend those who want a less stock portrayal of Katherine to steer clear of it. I will read her next book, the Boleyn Inheritance, because I like her story telling and can tolerate her women when they get greedy, but I would love a more holistic portrayal of the life and times of the Henry VIII court that what was found in the Queen’s Fool.

A Whirlwind Ensues

I hope all my family in Texas is doing ok with all the crazy weather out there. I don't miss ice storms that's for sure. I remember getting out of New Orleans from our honeymoon and driving through miserable rain all the way home and then waking up the next morning with ice on our windows. I couldn't make it to Christmas at my Aunt Betty's house because we couldn't drive anywhere. I don't miss the winter weather from Kentucky and am happy to be in South Mississippi where people get in a frenzy when the temps drop below 35 (of course these's the pesky hurricanes, but luckily we don't get those very often!).

Speaking of frenzies, I've been in one myself getting my office set up and unpacking everything while still trying to make progress on all these projects I have going. I hope to have some pictures of my new desk when I get everything set up. I've bought an ergonomic keyboard and am basically having to relearn to type which is frustrating considering that I'm a pretty good typist. I'm predicting that things will calm down next week sometime!

Book Club Book Review: Sorrow of Archaeology by Russell Martin

The Sorrow of Archaeology is about dealing with a debilitating disease while life goes on around you. Sarah has multiple sclerosis and has to address the issues of losing her ability to work, her ability to be a mate to her husband, and her ability to care for herself. Her husband Harry is struggling with all of these things, too, and the relationship dynamic is the center of this moving story.

Structured in a series of vignettes focusing on three areas of their lives, The Sorrow of Archaeology does a nice job of showing how a once healthy person (and relationship) changes in the face of disease. It is sad to watch Sarah blame herself for the failing of her marriage, while her husband, who isn’t the best of communicators, tries to cope but isn’t able to do so very well.

I liked the structure of the novel. I thought the comparisons between the different phases of Sarah’s life were very interesting. The sense of knowing a geographical place and living best within it was also a strong point of the novel. I did find some of the language to be a little stilted and there were mechanical/typographical errors that should have been caught in the editing phase. Overall it was a good book and a quick read.

My Stitching Treasures

Cross stitch on 40 count linen with silk thread, beads, buttons and charms. Designed to go on a box, but I'll simply frame it and hang it in my sewing room.

Book Review: A Rose for the Crown

A Rose for the Crown by Anne Easter Smith is one of those books that kept being recommended to me and I kept thinking “I’m just not sure I’m going to like it all that much because it sounds like a tawdry romance story.” I mean any story that is about a king and his mistress is all about sex right?

Well, not necessarily. This book is actually a very good historical romance. It deals with issues of class, forbidden love, politics, women’s rights/plight, geography, and growing up. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Though it is a big book it only took me a little over a week to complete, and I looked forward to every reading—in fact, I stole a few from my otherwise insanely busy schedule of late.

The basic story line follows Katherine Haute as she changes from a farmer’s daughter to the mother of the king’s son and daughter. She is sent to a cousin’s to be a companion to his daughter and there is educated and introduced to the finer things that wealth can buy while comparing those to the love she misses from her family. After she is married to man much older than her, she realizes that she can make the best for herself and does so in the few short years they are married.

He dies, though, and she is once again free. This time she chooses her mate, a choice that is not necessarily a good one for her, but allows her the freedom to embark on a love relationship with then King Edward’s brother, Richard (soon to be King Richard III). After Richard marries, however, he ends the relationship with Kate, but provides a life for their children at court.

A few themes I found really interesting about the book were the absolute lack of choice in life. Marriage was for merging of property and politics and while you could try to make the best of it, it was still tough. Another thing I found interesting was the definition of a “great” distance. The house that Kate moves to is only 10 miles from her childhood home, and yet she could only go home on very special occasions and then it was a considerable journey with the poor roads and means of transportation.

I really enjoyed this book. I look forward to the next production by Smith.

What kind of entrepreneur...

...sleeps until 10am?

Answer: A very tired one!

I had decided last night before going to bed that I would sleep late this morning, take the day off to quilt since I haven't been able to do that in a long, long time (I used to call them mental health days...), but I was thinking 8:30 or so...when I popped my head out of the covers and saw it was 9:45, I laughed out loud...guess I was tireder than I thought.

Happy new job to me! I think I'm going to really like it. Yesterday was great with meetings all day, and I do have lots of project to attend to, but nothing that will go sour by tomorrow.

To teach an old dog new tricks...

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but I wonder what they think about a young-ish cat? I've never heard a saying like that...

Cats are really funny creatures. They are the most social animals, but they certainly don't act like it if they can help it. They need companionship and attention, though, and will often go crazy trying to get it. They like routines and won't change unless forced to--you can rely on a cat to remind you at the precise moment every day when you're supposed to feed it. And they are really smart, at least some of them are. (I do have one that's rather dumb...or lazy or something like that). But they can learn and will start to do stuff new if you give them a chance and keep them stimulated.

Last month when we went on our trip we boarded the cats. I was really worried about boarding Lochi because she is more set in her routine and she really likes to run around...and I mean run like a motorcycle, rip roaring around the house. She also isn't very keen on strangers and it takes her a very long time to like someone. Case in point--she has just within the year decided David was safe enough to pet her, and she's lived with us for three.

Anyway, the cats did fine at the "boarding house" and came home healthy if a little weak from sitting in a cage for days (which they quickly got over by jumping around on their favorite furniture). But Lochi, who has maybe meowed voluntarily three times in her life before this trip, meows all the time now. She walks into a room and says "me-ow, me-ow, me-ow." And here is where I wish I had a tape of her doing this because it's so funny. It's like she's learned to meow without having the meowing language so her meows sound "accented" and very precise. In the morning when she jumps on me to wake me up, she says "meow." When I get out of the shower, she's waiting on me with a fresh, loud "meow" (clearly meaning "don't you know that's WET? ICKY!") It's a hoot.

Sugar Free...1/2 Year

It's been a really hard 6 months without sugar. Sometimes I mourn for it, but then I think about where it's gotten me (or more precisely stated, where I got myself through consumption of the grainy white substance) and I know that I'm better off without it...but that doesn't always help when I'm feeling a huge craving for a big old piece of chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Or when I'm traveling and all the stores seem to have is snickers bars and milky ways. Or when I'm celebrating my self-employment and I can't indulge in the caramel turtle cheesecake.

It's hard.

But it's also really really good...and this is where I try to rewire my brain when it gets to feeling deprived. I've lost 20 pounds since June. Most of it without even really focusing on the other kinds of food I'm eating. I'm walking 2.5 miles a day now and will continue to do that until I am ready to move up the 3 miles a day, and so on. As soon as things settle down (and they will within the week) I'm going to be eating on the "Dr. Phil" plan, which is really just eating healthily, but he throws in the necessary psychological tools to help you be successful at losing weight.

So, really it is good that I'm not eating sugar. I'm glad because I know that sugar has been the thing that sidetracked me all the other times I tried to lose weight. I know I'm not going to go on a binge that last for months because I have come to realize that I simply can't...

But it's not easy and it's a daily battle--that's been worse since the holidays--that I'm fighting. I don't know if it'll get easier or not, but I do know I'm not going to give up!

Before and After the Snow

The cathedral started by Archbishop Lamy when Santa Fe was originally declared a diocese--before and after the snow.

Palo Duro Canyon

The Palo Duro Canyon is about 20 miles south of Amarillo, TX. It is the second largest canyon in the United States. It was a beautiful, but windy, day when we were there.

Three Generations

Although a fairly decent tequila, the three generations I'm referring to is my grandmother, me and my daughters. Taken Christmas Eve, 2006. (and yes, I realize that I've skipped the generation that is my dad, but since he's not in the picture and four generations isn't a fairly decent tequila...)

More photos later this week...

Happy Birthday Alyssa and Elizabeth

I hope turning 15 is as wonderful for you as it can be...

To the rest of my loyal readers...I've been out of computer contact for 10 long days and today the internet at work wasn't working...I've been assured it will be tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have some lovely pictures from vacation to entertain.