2. I've decided to take desperate measures. A blogging break. They seem to be quite popular these days. And I think there's good reason for that. Even something we love so much can become stressful when we can't achieve some sort of balance. And that's what I'm off to work on. I just want to focus on getting through this last 6-ish weeks of school and get this house de-cluttered to a state where I don't feel stressed by the mile long list of projects nagging at me. Then I will try tackle that seemingly always out of reach goal of "balance." Homeschool. Family. Housework. Reading. Creating. Socializing/blogging. Being still. There has to be a way to make them all fit.
3. And while I will be gone for the most part from this blog, I will try to visit you all when I can. I think I might perish from sadness if I couldn't touch base with my friends, after all. (And I will probably post my monthly wrap-up, as I just add to my draft as I finish something anyway. It's my personal way of keeping track of what I'm reading and how my challenges are going. The whole list thing, you know. What can I say, I'm an addict.)
4. Before I go AWOL, I thought I ought to get updated on the blame game. So, here's my loot from Mother's Day:
Well, most of my loot. I forgot to put the tin of my favorite cinnamon tea in the picture. And the most awesomely cool bookmark in the world. Gray made it for me, but I'm already using it so I forgot to stick it in the picture. And Annie made me that coyote figurine. Don't you just love it?!! Okay, maybe you don't. When she made it at her art class, all the other kids made fun of her. But I'm completely in love with it...I think it looks like a really cool piece of folk art and it will be forever proudly displayed in our home! And they also gave me Neko Case's Middle Cyclone and Great Lake Swimmers' Lost Channels CDs. And all the rest is books! Books, books, books. With lots of blame to be dished out.
*The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories by Carson McCullers (Eva's fault!)
*Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang (Eva's fault!)
*Nocturnes by John Connolly (Somer's fault!)
*The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (Trish's fault!)
*Kockroach by Tyler Knox (Dewey's fault!)
*The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (Nymeth's fault!)
*Songbook by Nick Hornby (Nymeth's fault!)
*Mirabilis by Susann Coral (Chris's fault!)
*Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Chris's fault!)
*Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest (Chris's fault!)
*The Upright Man by Michael Marshall (someone may be owed blame for this, but I have no clue who...I have no recollection whatsoever of adding this to my wishlist)
*Does Anything Eat Wasps? by NewScientist
*One Day the Soldiers Came: Voices of Children in War by Charles London
*Jerusalem 1913: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Amy Dockser Marcus
*Eternally Bad: Goddesses with Attitude by Trina Robbins
*Fables: Homelands by Bill Willingham
*Fables: Arabian Nights (And Days) by Bill Willingham
*Fables: Wolves by Bill Willingham
*Troll's Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
*The New Weird edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer
5. Okay, I'm sort of having a hard time signing off here, knowing that I won't really be back for so long. But there's no point in dragging it out, is there? See you next month. I'll miss you!
26 comments:
Wow that's a lot of loot!! Have fun with that pile, it looks wonderful.
If you're homeschooling, that makes me even more impressed you have time to blog. I couldn't handle that. You deserve a break, and we'll all be here when you get back. :)
I'll miss you so much :( Mind if I pester you via e-mail?
You got some AWESOME books! And two wonderful CDs! Also, the figurine Annie made you is just lovely :) Is there anything that girl can't do?
Have a good break. :D
Have a good break. You deserve it - we will all still be here when you get back.
Amanda,
I'm truly spoiled, aren't I?
Nymeth,
You couldn't pester me if you tried!!! Believe me, I have every intention of keeping in touch with you and Chris via e-mail! I'd go bonkers otherwise!
You know, you really ought to be getting blame points for the CDs, too. Seriously. It was through links at Twitter that I fell in love with a couple of songs from them. I'd say you were a bad influence, but it's really quite the opposite...I think you're a truly wonderful influence!
Renay,
Thanks. :D
I'll miss you, and will probably still check in here just in case you break your fast and come back with a thought or two. I hope the break helps you get your head above water and feel less frazzled. Now stop reading comments and get started. With me, now. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
Scrap Girl,
Thank you!
Jean,
Ha, you need worry...after all, I have your e-mail address, so you can't get rid of me all that easily! :D
Ahhhh . . . you will be missed, but you have to do whatever is best for you and your family. I'm sending you thoughts of peace and joy. :)
I had to do that myself. It can get overwhelming for sure! I hope you can accomplish all that you want to!
Wow, you got quite a lovely collection of books there. Oh, those mother's day gifts are the best...especially when they are handmade with love!
I'll be talking to you soon!
take care,
Dawn
Omg! I am so jealous of your loot. It's been months since I bought that many books at one time (or received). The library is a good way to feel like I am getting new books, but it isn't the same, is it?
Enjoy your break! I sort of took one... lol I came up with the idea of Dewey week, though. I came back for that and it was a lot of fun!
Those stacks are AWESOME! And I'm so excited by the books! Nocturnes is incredible (although it opens with a novella that I think is actually my least favourite, just fyi). And of course, the two you're blaming on me are wonderful too! ;)
I shall be pestering you by e-mail as well. :p
I'll miss you Debs :( But of course I'll be emailing you too ;) You're really not getting much of a break, are you? I think I'm going on a break too :/ I have tours scheduled for next thursday and for June 1st, but aside from that I just need a break before I get completely burned out...that and I haven't read a THING in like 4 days....
I'm so so so happy for you with that fantastic pile of book!!! And you got Mirabilis!!!!! Debi, I can't tell you how excited I am about that :D I read it before I started blogging and since I've started I haven't seen anyone else review it. I hope you love it as much as I did! It's very different in it's subject matter from anything else I've read!
I'll miss you, Debi but I definitely understand needing to focus on other things for a while. I hope you'll stop by and see me every so often...
*flails a little* I know not the best order in which to reply! (Therefore, have comments completely out of order in response to what you said.)
I most certainly hope Annie got the last laugh in her art class, as that looks lovely! How mean of the other children, and how very sweet of her to make/give it for/to you!
And you make perfect sense, sweetling. I often feel that way too when I learn other people understand a negative feeling. So you just go and take a blogging break for as long as you need to feel rebalanced, Debi! That's far more important because it'll improve your health and happiness.
Also, you have one amazing Mother's Day loot. (Mine got a day out. ^-~) Enjoy the lot of them on your break! ^-^ *huggles* You'll be missed, though!
I would say "get some rest and relaxation" but having been a mother Iknow better then to say that!
a break now and then does everyone some good and I hope this break helps you somewhat.
I will take a short forced break when I move but I'll catch up with your blog asap!
Wow, what a fantastic Mother's Day haul! I've been a bad blogger for months, and I think I can say I've officially taken a break, too. I hope you will post to Twitter sometimes and keep up!
Enjoy your break debi! Although your presence online will be missed, I can't say I don't understand where you are coming from. Sometimes there are just other priorities that need to come first.
Debi,
Relax and enjoy this well-deserved break!! and that awesome stack of books!!! We'll be here when you get back :)
You have awfully good reasons for taking a bloggy break. And, I love the coyote.
Take it easy, enjoy yourself and we'll be here when you return!
Wahhhhhhhhh!!! :) I'm so sad that you'll be taking a little break, but I completely understand. I go through periods like that as well and May/June will be slow blogging months for me because of work and house hunting! The first sucks but the second is kind of exciting.
I do hope you find balance, Debi. Maybe just stepping away for a bit will help you feel a little less overwhelmed. I know when I'm feeling overwhelmed I can't do ANYTHING! It's like I shut down (which is why I can't scrapbook--too damn overwhelmed). :) Take care of yourself.
And hope you like The Things They Carried-how did you happen on such an old post! It really is an interesting/powerful book.
Awww...I'll miss you lots, Debi! I know exactly how you feel! ;P
And I need to mention that I'm jealous of your loot!!! Enjoy them! :D
MMMmmm, cinnamon tea sounds delightful. Enjoy your break. :)
Rest up and re-charge your batteries. We'll all be here when you get back.
You have a wonderful and amazing blogging break. The stress is definitely a common thing many of us are sharing right now. There is just so much going on and sometimes blogging has to take a back seat. And that is okay. Better that than getting so overwhelmed that one decided to give up on blogging altogether. I hope you and your family has a wonderful last few weeks of school. You'll be missed.
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