needing a quick dose of good stuff...

Never in my life has the Christmas season been this totally out of hand. (Scheduling the end of a school quarter for this time of year was definitely a HUMUNGOUS mistake!) I seriously feel on the verge of a breakdown. And what does that call for? Yep, a look at all the good stuff of the past week.

*SNOW!!! 19 inches in the past 48 hrs., with another 12+ called for in the next day and a half! So even if a warm front appears out of nowhere, we should still have a buttload left to make sure it's a white Christmas. :)

*Annie finished her first college class! She should find out her grade in the next few days. (Unless she totally blew her final project, she'll probably receive an A- or B+.) So proud of her for giving it a try and for facing the challenges with a smile.

*Jean! Not only did she send me two cards that put huge smiles on my face, she also sent me A Taste of Earth and Other Legends of Vietnam by Thich Nhat Hanh. It looks wonderful! Thank you, Jean!

*Zanna's Gift by Orson Scott Card arrived in the mail while we were away for the day yesterday. I simply had to order it after reading Chris's wonderful review.

*Finally finished all the Christmas baking, and Annie delivered tins of cookies to all the neighbors on Friday.

I hate so very much that I haven't had time to visit everyone's blogs to see how everyone else is fairing. I miss you all so very much! Hope each and every one of you is having a beautiful holiday season!!!

bookish odds 'n ends

If I stick with the "schedule" idea I've set up for myself, Tuesdays will be for book-related stuff. Not reviews...well, because for one thing, you actually have to finish a book now and then to write a review, right? ;)

Raidergirl3's It's Tuesday--Where Are You?" just had to get worked into the "schedule" because I think it's so fun, hence we have Tuesday's theme. So, where am I today? I've traveled back to nineteenth century London, and am currently in a churchyard looking in an empty coffin. (Dracula) And I've traveled back a bit more, into early seventeenth century, where I've just been summoned (oh, okay, it's Galileo who has actually been summoned) to Florence. (The Scientists) And this evening I shall travel back to the current day, but I know not exactly where I will be. "My editor asked me to name the town where the Floods live, but I won't, because you might feel safe and secure knowing they don't live near you--and we wouldn't want that, would we? And if you do live in their town, you might start bothering them and get yourself turned into a toad, and then your parents might sue me, unless being a toad is an improvement on what you are now." (The Floods: Good Neighbors, p. 9)

*****

Laying blame also falls under misc. book stuff. And I've got a pile of points to pass out today. I sort of went on a used book buying spree...



The Graveyard Book, of course, was not part of that spree...it was a gift from Jean. Bet you all wish you had a cousin-in-law that sweet, don't you?

Anyway, many in this pile are point earners:

*2 points for Nymeth. She is responsible for both Fire and Hemlock and The Magic City. (Her review of The Enchanted Castle was what led me to pick up The Magic City. And well, if you know Nymeth, you know how much she loves Fire and Hemlock.)
*1 point for Becky. I place sole blame for Iris, Messenger on her for her great review last fall.
*1 point for Rhinoa. This review left me no choice but to buy Nightmares & Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Time.
*1 point for Dewey. (Though frankly, she probably should get more, because I think part of this used book buying spree was the totally irrational rationalization that many of these books would be good for the read-a-thon!) Anyway, this "Book Coveting" post of hers forced me to order Good Reading.
*1 point for Carl. I've wanted Mary Modern ever since he posted his wonderful review last year.
*1 point for Eva. She has a way of making me want to read soooo many different non-fiction books. Here's the review that made me buy King Leopold's Ghost.
*And finally, last but most certainly not least, 1 point for JP. His review of The Chrysalids left me intrigued, and I finally could resist no longer.

*****

Misc. book stuff day is probably as good a day as any to ask if anyone would like any of these books. I've got three gently used books here for anyone who might want them. Just let me know which one(s) in the comments by next Tuesday. (If more than one person requests one, I'll do the old hat thing.)

*Notes from a Small Island: An Affectionate Portrait of Britain by Bill Bryson

*Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School by Rebecca Rupp

*Little Bit & Big Byte: A Day at the Beach by Craig T. Feigh (picture book)

*****

Oh, oh, oh...I'm so excited!!! I just popped over, and found that Jean (yes, the incredible cousin-in-law I mentioned above) had a chance to post about her trip to the National Book Festival. This is the story of incredible generosity to my little girl that I alluded to yesterday. Yes, the Neil Gaiman one. Thanks again, Jean...you're simply the best!

good stuff

*homemade waffles

*hugs from lovable little munchkins

*this card, sent to me by Jean, after one of my posts last week:


Thanks Jean! I can't help but smile every time I see it!

*a wonderful husband who does the grocery shopping for me

*a visit from two of my favorite people in the world...love you Mom and Dad!

*hearing that all is still going well for my dear friend Kara with her pregnancy (last time around she a really, really rough time)

*finally finishing my first book for the month of February

*new books (Gossamer by Lois Lowry and Wastelands: Stories of the Apolcalypse edited by John Joseph Adams)...and no, I'm not even going to try to justify these purchases

For good news from other little households around the globe, visit Melissa's Good News Sunday.

the week in blurbs

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted. Too busy and too boring...that about sums up why. I could live with a little less busy, but have been grateful for the boring.

*First and foremost on my mind is my wonderful husband's return...just one more day to survive! His plane lands shortly after 10:00pm, so if all goes well, he should be walking through the front door by 11:30.

*I have been immensely thankful for the incredibly abnormal January weather we've been having. Only having one 3" snowfall during a two-week stretch on January is simply unheard of. What I did to deserve it I'll never know. The lake effect snow machine is supposed to kick in this afternoon and last for at least several days, but that's just fine with me. As long as I'm not the designated shoveler, I adore snow!

*I had a totally "ick" moment this week. I don't often get those mmmmmmm-type feelings about celebrities. I've been crushing on Joe Sakic (of the Colorado Avalanche) for many years, but recently it's all about Skeet Ulrich. So, where does the "ick" come in? Well, a few days ago the latest TV Guide showed up in the mail. (Now, why we get TV Guide is beyond me...we never ordered it, we never paid for it, heck, we don't even watch much TV...but it just started showing up a couple months ago.) Anyway, Annie starts flipping through it and comes to a picture of the hot Mr. Ulrich. She says, "Mom, isn't this the guy from Jericho? He's cute." I simply said, "Yep, I think so, too." And she says, "No Mom, I think he's really cute!" Hence, the "ick" moment...realizing that I have a celebrity-crush on the same person as my 10-year-old daughter. Something just not quite right about that!

*I got the coolest surprise in the mail this week...a great new book-bag from Jean, my incredibly sweet cousin-in-law whom I've never even met. (Is cousin-in-law really a word?) She made it with a technique called discharging. (Jean, please correct me if I got that wrong...for whatever reason, I keep trying to call it dispatching, but I know that's not right.) She also sent Annie a bag, but I'm too lazy at the moment to go get a picture of it.


*I'm a big, fat liar. I know I said that I wouldn't be buying any new books until at least my birthday. Well... See, B&N just had to send an e-mail flaunting their big clearance sale. So I just popped over for a quick minute. That turned into two minutes, then three... Come on, I know you can relate! Anyway, I came away with this pile of seven books for a mere $25! Hey, I needed something to put in that cool bag, right?

But now I mean it, really...NO MORE book buying until my birthday!

*Annie and I finished up the second quarter of the school year...woohoo! Halfway through 5th grade! I even managed to get her progress report written, which is always a big relief. Now I guess I'd better figure out what we're going to do for the third quarter, huh?

So, as you can see, certainly not an earth-shatteringly exciting week. But in my mind, survival is always a good thing!