And finally... The Present.

Phew. I described the first 6 weeks of Bethany's life as being on a treadmill where someone else is controlling the speed & incline. And let's just say that someone was a lot like Jillian on The Biggest Loser. Nonetheless, we survived, and Bethany seems to be doing quite well. Last Saturday, she met her first author, Deborah Wiles, at Bound to Be Read books, and got her first autographed books, as well.

Nana visited this week, and commented on how much bigger she's gotten since Christmas. I suppose it has to be true, especially considering her insatiable appetite, but I still see a tiny baby. Apparently, this is going to be how I feel for many years to come. It's hard to believe she'll be 8 weeks old on Sunday! Last week she discovered her hands, and I *think* she's found her feet, as well. She's laughing and smiling a lot now (when she's not screaming - she's a woman of extremes).
Thought the cousins might like to see the Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls sent by Grandma G. G. (Grandma B.). Bethany likes them quite a lot, and really enjoys their bright red hair.
I made Lindsey take this picture last Sunday before church so that she'd have some photographic evidence of her mother. Of course, the top of my head was optional. :) I love that overall jumper, but it's about the dumbest piece of clothing EVER for an infant. At least it looks cute.

And finally, I'm putting some effort into my children's literature blog: www.readitmakeit.blogspot.com, if you've got time on your hands, stop by & say hi. :)

Ahem.

I would like to record for posterity's sake that we accomplished things today. Super fun things, like weeding through our mountains of books to give a bunch away - three boxes worth, in fact, and I haven't even touched the Everest-sized pile of school books.

We also ordered pizza and it was delivered. To our house. This is not something that can happen just anywhere - in fact, it's the first time I've been able to have pizza delivered directly to me since I lived in Macon. In 2004.

There are advantages to city living.

We spent New Year's here - it's a nice enough place, and much calmer than our hood on a major holiday, but as Lindsey pointed out, if you've grown up looking at woods, it's just not that exciting.

And if you aren't already a fan of Richard Peck's YA novels, I highly recommend them. I just read Fair Weather, which is superb, and definitely a whole mess better than all that crud full of fairies, wolves, & mist that the 10-15 set seems to enjoy reading these days. {For more fun, check out A Long Way from Chicago & A Year Down Yonder.}

Happy Friday!

Something we should ALL do.

Even those non-sewing boys who lurk here but never leave comments...

First, visit SouleMama's post from today. Then, link over to her new craftivism effort, Mama to Mama, and read about a simple way to help new mothers in Haiti.

Convinced? I thought so.

But for those of you who aren't nudged to action, you should read Meg's amazing post about the effort, and Haiti in general.

Now I know you're going to help, aren't you?

When you're done with your project, read anything ever written by Edwidge Danticat, and you'll see why this is so important.

Those, friends, are your cryptic instructions for the evening.

Happy Monday.

Maybe I'm just bummed because Solzhenitsyn died.

I'm not normally one of those people that has huge Monday issues. In fact, when I was teaching, Monday was usually a decent day. The kids were still sort of calm from having a two-day break (although this particular Monday would have been a different story), and I was more relaxed from the weekend.

I finished my cards for Heather's swap last night, and got them in the mail.

Our linen closet is really and truly organized for the first time, oh, you know, EVER.

My work computer came back today, with a new hard drive, and absolutely zero of anything else, but that's okay. We're going to make it.

I am a little sad because I finally got Marie Antoinette (the Kirsten Dunst version - Amber Atkins, anyone? Anyone? Anyone at all?) on Netflix, but it didn't work, so I had to order the allegedly-immediate replacement.

But in general, nothing is wrong, I'm just feeling puny.

Blame it on Solzhenitsyn - my buddy, my pal, the one I could always rely on to make me put my personal tragedy in perspective. He's off to Russian Orthodox Heaven, where the vodka flows freely, and you never, ever lose your basic human rights and civil liberties. Heck, I bet he even gets to hang out with my other Russian buddy, Yevgenia Ginzburg. Lucky duck.

Have a happier Monday than I am having.

NOLA Reunion 2008

Beignets and chocolate milk at Cafe du Monde

Dinner at Cochon, minus Petey, who was playing photographer

Our sophomore year crowd - Bear, Pete, Torrence, Invisible Wascom, Feather, me, Raegen, and Lauren in front of what remains of our dorm. No, we didn't live in trailers. They tore down the dorm (hallelujah!), and this is the temporary solution. It now houses Army ROTC. Go figure.

Ice cream at Brocato's - peach ice for Bear and Zuppa Inglese for me

Newcomb Girls Under the Oaks = deep sigh of regret

Rather than even attempt to describe everything that happened, I'll just give you a bulleted list of the highlights, okay? This is in something closely (but not entirely) resembling chronological order:

• Raegen, Petey, Torrence, and I were in the Quarter with frosty cool beverages within two hours of our arrival in the fair city.
• Bear fed us gigantic plates of wonderful food within two hours after that.
• Raegen and I had a great time catching up - haven't seen her since before my wedding (our last trip to New Orleans, in fact) - she spent two weeks volunteering in Peru before joining us!
• Raegen, Lauren, and I got to stay up late and chat - just like sophomore year, minus the Feather.
• The three of us got up early for Cafe du Monde and beignets. I, hating coffee, had chocolate milk, because it was already about 15983474 degrees - way too hot to consider my traditional hot chocolate.
  
• Raegen introduced us to some lovely Cajun music and a cool indie band called The Figs!
• Lauren put me totally on the spot with a French shoplady in the Quarter, and I had to conduct the rest of my business in her store in French. (No pressure!)
• We met Caro when she arrived, and she totally thought we were waiting on her in this dive bar called Ms. Mae's - absolute college flashback.
• The girls had lunch at a fun Mexican place called Nacho Mama's, where some dude told me he liked my eyebrows. Only in New Orleans...
• We went shopping, and Feather bought something! (This never happens.) Then, she bought matching shoes!
• Met the boys, left the boys, met the boys again for dinner at Jacques-Imo's, where I had the best biscuit I have every put in my mouth. Ever.
• Went back to the Quarter and heard one of Torrence's friends play piano & sing.
• Got up early, took the streetcar to the Trolley Stop Cafe (late-night/late-morning college hangout) where we met the owner (we think)!! His name is Lucien Casio, and he is a doll.
• Spent the afternoon on campus, taking pictures, dodging freakish rainstorms, listening to Petey explain one of his dissertation papers, and reminiscing.
• Went to two of my very favorite bookstores anywhere.
• Bear took me for the best ice cream on the planet. {See above}
  
• Got home in time to change for dinner at Cochon (yes, that's right, French for Pig), where everything was insanely wonderful.
• Drinks at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, alleged haunt of the pirate himself
• Final brunch at the Camellia Grill, which was closed for SO LONG after Katrina that we all got scared, but it's back, with a vengeance. Feather and I wen there every Mardi Gras Day, just before our Ash Wednesday fasts began, and then back Easter Monday or shortly thereafter. The burgers and chocolate freezes were better than ever, and Marvin was still behind the counter. This is the only thing that almost made me cry - but it was fantastic. {And Heavens to Betsy, it's on Wikipedia!!!}
  
• Torrence made the long drive home with me nodding off every fifty miles.
  

Phew. That's a lot. It was wonderful, and I wish I could do it over and over again. As stated last year, after the Tennessee Mountain Adventure, these people rock, and I love them dearly. Maybe next year we'll actually be together - missed Andrew this year because of his pesky honeymoon (sheesh).

Back to your regularly scheduled programming... More pictures are on Flickr.

Success!

I know it looks like a pizza in this picture. It doesn't in real life.

But really, it's a heck of a lot more.

It's strawberry rhubarb pie, and I've never made it before. Rhubarb is on that very long list of things that I learned to like in France, only to learn that you can't get it very far south of Kentucky. Therefore, when I saw it at the DeKalb Farmer's Market, I had to get it, even though it is DEFINITELY violating my new local eating goals. (For the record, it came from Michigan.) The strawberries are local, though, frozen by yours truly in May, so at least i get half credit.

Lindsey and I whipped up this little beauty this afternoon, and maybe sometime before sunset it will be cool enough to taste. I'm seeing some vanilla ice cream in my future, too.

The recipe came from this wonderful book, all about cooking with what's in season.

It's a cousin to this fabulous book, all about making great food that doesn't require crazy ingredients or cost an arm and a leg.

We found both books at 10,000 Villages stores, and they have both of them at the shop here in the Virginia Highlands.

I'll be back momentarily with a weekend update.

Coming up for air...

...but only for a second.

Lindsey had a friend in town this weekend, which was lovely. He's a sweetie. We also got to see our friend Alan, who was home briefly between flight school & water survival "school," before he goes to something else in Arkansas, at which point I think he'll get the privilege of flying very large heavy airplanes back and forth to vacation destinations like Iraq & Afghanistan. Not that we'll know where he is, or anything, but not being morons, I'm pretty sure we'll be able to narrow down the choices.

Friday I returned to Jackson to visit Monkey's schoolwide art show. I got to see some of my very favorite kiddos on the planet, which rocked. The art was amazing, too. Learn more about this here, and also see darling pictures of very cute kids.

VBS planning continues to go swimmingly, with a whole bunch of people saying things like, "just tell me what you want me to do." Here's hoping that they DO those things after I tell them what they are.

I'll be at the International Reading Association conference through Thursay, which promises to be interesting. I get to stand in the presence of some fabulous thinkers, writers, & teachers, not to mention some really cool children's book authors.

Along those lines, here are some great kiddie lit blogs for those of you with kids. I'm thinking of starting my own this summer. It's already got a title. :)
Miss Rumphius Effect is written by a teacher ed professor, and is forever being updated.
Planet Esme is written by the author of Educating Esme, which, if you teach but haven't read, is a phenomenal piece of work that you must read.

In other news, one of my rose bushes actually looks like it'll have lots of blooms by midweek! Now, I can quit being an embarassment to my rose-growing neighbors.

Happy Week, kids.

Enjoyed all of the bad stuff.

Found this awesome book/concept somewhere in blogland, so naturally, I had to head to the bookstore and order it. Then, I had to buy this awesome song on ITunes. The last thing I bought on ITunes didn't impress Lindsey, but this did, so I think we're back to even. Maybe.

So here's your challenge for the week: six word memoirs. GO!!!! We're counting this as a 5 thingies post, even if it's really 5+1.

PS Apologies to Geri, fabulous Paris Swap partner, as there are no pictures yet of her stupendous treats. However, I will remedy this soon, I promise.

Things I'll be doing soon.

Friends, I'm going to make one of these. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and then I'll have it forever. Isn't that exciting?

Do you remember having quote books? They were all the rage in high school. Mine was in a journal my dance teacher gave me, and I suppose it still exists somewhere at the parents' house.

I have some chipboard covers, and old cool stuff that should just get stuck on a page. I like the idea of not permanently binding it, so you can add more pages & doodles & cool stuff. I definitely like cool stuff, particularly if it's old. Having Midwestern roots is usually a good thing, but ever practical, my relatives didn't do things like save every receipt from every purchase they ever made, so I end up having to buy old billing invoices and things like that.

(Funny story - at the big 50th anniversary blast in Florida - my great uncle had the receipt from their honeymoon night - $13 in downtown Chicago at the Conrad Hilton. Isn't that funny?)

(Funny story 2 - our pastor always calls us "friends" in her sermons, which I figured was part of kindler, gentler Methodism, since she's only a bit older than we are. Her husband (also a Methodist minister) preached last Sunday (they traded churches - funny), and he called us "brothers and sisters," which I definitely haven't heard in many moons. I just chalked it up to him being from AlaBAma.)

Tomorrow is Friday. Phew. I hope I make it through.

+ & -

Pluses for today:
*My new banner arrived from the Celebrate! banner swap! Mary, my lovely partner, is blogless, but made me a gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous banner, and I will show it to you soon. She also sent some additional goodies. Now, she is being very patient because I am STILL waiting on some supplies to finish her banner. However, if the supplies do not arrive tomorrow (hmpf), I have a contingency plan in place!
*Visit to Charis Books, where I found several books I'd been coveting. (And heavens to Betsy, please don't buy those from Amazon, should I inspire you. And you should know that while I don't agree with everything that bookstore stands for, I do admire (in a big way) their desire to effect change in the world & make our planet & country better. Further, I'd like you to notice my use of "effect" as a verb, which is something I like to do just to show off. Sorry. It's true.)
*Visit to Abbadabba's, in Little 5, where I found two pairs of new summer flip flops on sale WITH tax for less than the price of one new pair BEFORE tax.
*Dinner at La Fonda Latina, where you can get all sorts of yummy things, and because it's a converted gas station (remember Beebo's, Tulane folks?), there is a big door/window that is open while you eat.
*More yardwork completed.
*Visit to yarn/knitting store where I will be taking my first knitting class tomorrow morning (!) to purchase required yarn & needles.
*Discovery of 10,000 Villages store next door to yarn store!

Minuses for tonight:
*TurboTax hates my guts & somehow converted me to the "deluxe" version so they want an obscene amount of money to file my taxes. As if!!!!!!!!
*Now Lindsey must go & get us the old-fashioned PAPER forms (i.e., stone aged materials, practically) so we can still file on time.
*It is pouring rain, so the windows cannot be open & the house somehow got infested with mosquitoes for the maybe 10 minutes we had the windows open.

All in all, today is ending on the plus side, and I am sticking my tongue out at TurboTax for trying to ruin it.

Happy Friday...

Spring Reading Thing

I am woefully behind on posting my booklist for the Spring Reading Thing at Callapidder Days.

However, sticking to my traditional "better late than never" motto, here you go. Things I'll be reading include:

*Thunderstruck, by Eric Larson
*The Devil in the White City, by Eric Larson (both of those from my brother for Christmas, yikes)
*Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol, by Nell Irvin Painter (for work)
*Invisible Allies, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (you can take the girl out of Russian history class...)
*The View from Clausen's Pier, by Ann Packer
*A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry (even though it was one of Oprah's)

Now, let's see if I can stay on task & read these books, rather than the others I find between now & summer.

Happy Reading!

Snowing...

This week: 70 degrees, then thunderstorms like it was July, now it's snowing. This is the first Atlanta snow I've seen this winter, though, since I've managed to be out of town the three previous time. The flakes are big & pretty. I'll upload some pictures later.

Now, though, if you'd like to do something fun & un-wintry....

...you could try the Spring Reading Thing from Callapidder Days. Amy brought it to her readers' attention, and I think it sounds like a good time. I do have a stack of things to read, which often get overlooked for something else, so this is a good challenge for me.

Some of you will be shocked to know I've been up since 7:30. :) Weekend Edition has been really great this morning, including a discussion about the spate of recent faked memoirs. It's funny - when I first heard about this (where a gal claimed to be half White/half Native American, raised by an African-American foster mother in the hood where her foster brothers were in a gang & she sold drugs, etc., etc., etc.), I was instantly skeptical. However, the author hoodwinked a whole bunch of authors, editors, reviewers, and journalists, until her own sister called her out. Turns out she grew up in a tony suburb of L.A. Nice. Appropriating other people's tragedies as your own to sell a book. She claims she was just trying to share their stories, but I don't believe her. (Imagine that....)

Makin' it.

You know that it's important when the Times cares about it, right? Like when my cousin got married.

No, seriously. Etsy made the Times today. It's an interesting article, and a long one (this isn't the Macon Telegraph, after all).

My weekend did not make the Times social page, but did include 2 parties, including one hosted by the owner of my favorite East Atlanta bookshop; the children's Christmas pageant at church (complete with "sheep" covered in polyester pillow stuffing); an unexpected trip to the zoo (in the rain!); and a night of scrapbooking in Decatur. Not bad for 72 hours.

Tomorrow I'm off to Plains - no President this time, though I did see him last Wednesday (whole blog post in the near future) - just in time to experience winter in Southwest Georgia. I know you're jealous.

Happy Monday.

boxes, schmoxes

Why unpack when there is reading to be done? Please. As if books are not the single most important inanimate objects in my world.
Here's a little walk down recent Book Memory Lane. Caro & I hit up Charis Books here in Little Five. Yes, it's your local feminist bookstores, and quite fittingly painted lavender. There, I picked up Crescent, which was oh-so-wonderful until the end. I think, though, that it was still worthwhile, despite my bitter disappointment in the author for what I thought was a cop-out of an ending. It's very to-the-minute, talking about the war in Iraq in a deeply personal way. It's set before Saddam's overthrowing, so it's good for a bit of perspective. (And for those of you who don't know that I'm obsessed with Iran & Iraq, now would be a good time to tell you that I am, in a cultural way, obsessed.)

Last Friday, Lindsey & I went to Decatur, where we were able to visit Little Shop of Stories. Oh. My. Goodness. They are living my dream. They have BOOKS and ICE CREAM. Yep, together. In one store. As in, get a cup of mint chocolate chip AND look at books. (Although, they don't encourage you to get the books sticky, which is probably important from a financial perspective.) We won't even talk about how wonderful the people are who work there, or how many precious families were bringing their kids to get BOOKS (not video games), or how they have Petit Nicholas translated into English, or how they have two whole sections of books for adults. No. Instead we are going to talk about The Penderwicks which may be the best book written for 4th-5th grade girls in the last decade. Or longer. It's up there, for me, with Anastasia Krupnik & everything Beverly Cleary ever wrote. Words cannot describe how beautifully & timelessly it is written, and how magical the plot is. Here's the best part: there is not a wizard in it! So much fiction written since our little lightning-bolt friend started raking in the moola has focused on Fantasy that writers of fantasy-in-the-real-world can't seem to get ahead. It's about girls, but I think boys could be encouraged to enjoy it (there are some male characters who are very important), and there's enough action to keep it moving for reading aloud. I'll hush, but you should read it. Now.

And, finally, the nice postman brought me a box from Amazon, which contained this:
Now, I do stalk Amy Karol's blog. I may in fact be on the verge of becoming a groupie. Nonetheless, this books rocks, and actually has projects in it that I will complete. I know this because I already want to give some of them away, so naturally I need to go & buy the fabric that will let me make them!

So, now you know why IKEA bookshelves are an integral part of our home decor. It's a problem, I'll admit, but it's better than heroin, right?

One final note: my partner for Garboodle's Soup's Vintage Kitchen Swap is Maria, of the Junk Drawer. Check out her cute site & her Etsy link. I'm excited to get shopping!