still residing in the land of disorganization

Can't quite figure out where I'm going wrong this summer. Or maybe things aren't really going wrong so much as there's just not going as I'd envisioned. So little reading getting done. Actually that's not even true. It's more like so many books are being read, but so few are being finished. I'll get there eventually.

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I have managed to do a little scrapbooking. :D This makes me happy.

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And speaking of making me happy:



I LOVE THIS!!!! It's by Gustavo Aimar, an Argentinian artist. Isn't it gorgeous?!!

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So what have I been doing with my summer thus far? Lots and lots of school stuff. As usual.

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But also working a bit around the house. YAY! I finally got the bathroom painted. And mostly "redone." Just a couple more little projects to do, and I shall call it good. Maybe I'll even share a couple pictures, because there's a few things we did that I totally love. Yeah, I'm sure you're all just dying to see pictures of our bathroom. ;)

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One goal of this summer was a major decluttering of the whole abode. If I plan to finish, I'd better step up the pace. Did the bathroom, of course. Have done half of the boys' closet. Gotten through half of one movie cabinet. (Which means, Kara, if you want them, I've got a box of videos/DVDs for the little guy.) And I've started on the library. Yeah, not getting far, am I? But see, the library part is where it gets interesting. I'm trying very hard to be ruthless! We are overflowing with books. There is no shelf space left, and books are being piled on the floor, the coffee table, etc. So I must weed! Okay, I've only managed to get through a few shelves so far, but I have pulled out three or four books. Which, when I ever get my act together (in other words, don't hold your breath), I plan to give away. Some are used books, and some are brand spanking new. Books that hopefully someone will enjoy. In fact, probably books I would enjoy...but I'm trying to be realistic about just how much I can actually get read in my lifetime.

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This dusting/weeding task of mine led to an interesting discovery. And it leads me to a question for you all. What's your opinion on dust covers? Like them? Hate them? Don't really think about them? Leave them on? Get rid of them? Take them off but save them?

As for me, I hate them. Not sure why, but I do. And yet I leave them on. I was talking to Rich last night and discovered he hated them, too. We just like the look of books better without them. I'm trying to decide if I should just go with my heart and ditch them all.

Oh, but that interesting discovery made while dusting and rearranging books.

As you can see, this is Lisey's Story. With its bright red dust jacket.



Now, I have no problem with red. In fact, it's my very favorite color in the world. But for whatever reason, I happened to lift off the dust jacket and found one of the most beautiful book covers I'd ever laid my eyes on!



Yes, I realize that admitting that I only just now discovered this strengthens the argument that I must live in a cave. That's okay. Because it just totally brightened my already happy evening last night.

just curious

Don't Miss Out! Go get yourself registered for BBAW (Book Blogger Appreciation Week)!

(How Amy pulls this all together is beyond me!!!)

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A "just curious" question: How many books do you generally have going at once?

I miss the days when I only read one book at a time, and yet I can't seem to go back.

a quick question for you all

Concerning book reviews. Which in my case, I don't even call "reviews" but instead opt for the term "book babble." Reason being that I don't ever have anything intelligent enough or insightful enough to say to actually call it a review. (Please do NOT try to be sweet and argue with me on this point! I mean it, that is so not the point of this post!) It's just that I like to talk about books, and it's my blog so I should be able to talk about them however I want, right? Okay, so why do I stress myself out over writing my little book babbles then? And believe me, I seriously do stress myself out. It takes me forever to write a book babble post, and even so I'm never happy with them. Yes, I realize it's just not one of my talents, and that's perfectly okay...I do have other things I'm good at so it's not the end of the world. But I have to admit that I sometimes feel guilty posting them at all, when everyone else's reviews seem so effortless and intelligent and well-written.

So I'm just curious...what is writing a book review like for you? How long do spend writing a review? Is it effortless, or do you perfect, perfect, perfect? Does writing reviews stress you out, or is it just a fun and easy exercise to you? Yep, just curious.

Just Curious...

Our kids still have 4 weeks left of school at this point. So while the weather is finally cooperating, it still just doesn't seem like "summer" yet. For me, summer just doesn't begin until the school doors are closed.

Just curious...
How about you? When does summer "start" for you? Is the weather? Is it Memorial Day weekend? What signals the beginning for you?


I have to say that I am sooooo anxious for school to be over! I need a break!!! Of course, I'll have to start preparing for next year, but it won't be the same kind of pressure. I've got so much to get finished up in the next couple weeks. Hmmm...and yet here I sit blogging instead.

a little of this, a little of that

*Wow. I can't believe how many people's kids have needed braces! Almost sounds like the norm. I don't remember many people wearing braces when I was a kid. Not that it was uncommon, but I don't think there was more than a handful of kids in my class that wore them. Maybe I'm just not remembering correctly. I didn't have them, though I certainly could have benefited. My teeth aren't overly crooked or anything, but I do have a nice big gap between my front teeth. Anyway, I'm just curious...

Did you wear braces as a kid? Are they more common today, or is that just my imagination?

*We've altered our plans for the weekend a bit. Instead of hitting both Fort Ticonderoga and Saratoga, we've decided to just focus on Saratoga. For one thing, we didn't realize it would be so expensive to go to Fort Ticonderoga. And for another, if we get home before 1:00pm on Sunday, we won't have to pay an extra $30 to the kennel. And it looks like there's plenty to do at Saratoga alone...along with the visitors center and the battlefield tour, it looks like they've got at least one nice hiking trail (we can't ever seem to pass up a hiking trail). So I think that's going to give a full day of fun right there.

*Baker went to the vet yesterday. He needed to have another blood test to see how his thyroid meds are doing. The good news...he'd lost 2.2 pounds in the last 3 weeks. Of course, we're a little worried about how he's losing the weight...after about a week on the meds, he went on a hunger strike. He used to act like he was starving to death all the time, and now you have to cajole him to eat just a few bites. But it is good that he's losing weight...and the meds seem to have done wonders for his energy level, too. He's like a puppy again! He chases the kids around the back yard, and he doesn't sleep for 20 hours a day anymore.



*I'm beginning to wonder if the potty issues will ever end with the Maxidoodle. Don't get me wrong...I'm still incredibly grateful that he started using the potty at all. And apart from occasionally peeing his pants at preschool, because he's nervous about using the potty there, he's doing very well with that end of things. The "other" issue however, is a whole 'nother story! He's had problems with constipation since he was 6 weeks old. Of course, they always say breast-fed babies don't have such problems. WRONG. Anyway, he's been on medication for years. Thought things were finally straightening themselves out, until the whole "using the potty" thing came up. We expected problems. We dealt with problems. We thought all problems had been resolved. But all of a sudden, after doing fine for a month or so, the problems are back. Several "accidents" a day caused by trying to hold it instead of just going to the bathroom. He knows that we're getting a bit frustrated with this behavior, and with the constant cleaning out of poopy underwear. So, last evening, being the big can-do kind of boy that he is, he tried to deal with the mess himself. When we discovered him in the bathroom, he was clad only in a t-shirt, had poop smeared across the counter, and was standing there holding his dripping wet Lightning McQueen underwear over the toilet. Bless his sweet little heart, he had tried clean up his own mess and wash out his underwear in the toilet. Of course, the resulting mess to both the bathroom (which I had cleaned a mere 3 hours earlier) and to himself was a hundred times worse than if he had just called for help to start with. But I tried to look at the bright side...he was trying to be a helpful big boy.

Well, now that I've left everyone with those unsavory images, I suppose I should be off. Need to pack for our little jaunt, and Annie and I are running behind on our schooling for the week as it is. Hope everyone has a truly wonderful weekend!

Just Curious...

I'm a list-maker. Of the obsessive variety. I make lists for everything.

There's the daily to-dos. The weekly to-dos. The seasonal to-dos. Items from the seasonal and weekly eventually work their way down to the daily.

There's shopping lists. The always running grocery list (which is augmented with meal fixins before the actual trip to the grocery store). The upcoming holiday/birthday gifts. The always running Target list.

There's lists of cards that need to be made. Layouts I want to remember to do. Ideas for gifts to make.

There's to gargantuan list of tasks I need to do for homeschooling.

Before we go on a trip...my first step is to make a list of all the lists I need to make (medicines/toiletries, clothes by person, food, etc.)

There's a seemingly never-ending supply of oddball lists. Like the list of ruby and forest green dishes I still need. Like the list of books, etc. I might want to buy for next year's homeschooling. Like the list things to look for next time we hit the thrift store.

I have a stack of approximately 10 tablets, going back as many years, that contain the list of every Christmas present we bought for each person. (The supposed purpose of this is to not repeat gifts, but I rarely ever look at them.)

Sometimes I wonder how much more I could actually accomplish if I spent less time making lists and instead used that time to do the things I'm putting on the lists. But I don't think my mind could possibly keep track of all the "necessaries", let alone the "extras".

So anyway, just curious...
...are you a list maker? Of the normal or of the obsessive variety?

Just Curious...

I am simply boggled by the amount of dirty laundry this family generates. It seems that with the addition of each child the amount of laundry to be done each week increased exponentially. I remember a time in the distant past when I did laundry once a week. Those were the days! Now it is a daily chore. During the summer, I average 11-12 loads of laundry and during the winter, about 14. Granted, we are a family of 5. But still.

Just curious...
...how many loads of laundry do you do per week for how many people? And how often do you have to do it?

Just Curious...

Rich is taking Annie and one of her friends to see Bridge to Terabithia tonight. Annie loves to go to the movies. And whenever a movie is made based on a book she has read, we like to reward her with a trip to the theater to see it. Being the voracious reader she is, she gets to see nearly all of those based-on-a-book movies.

But it is always Rich who has to take her. I hope this doesn't make me a bad mommy, but I simply cannot watch a movie at the theater. Don't get me wrong, I love movies. I just have to watch them in the comfort of my own home. Which essentially means, I need to watch them where I can be doing something else at the same time. Used to always be some form of crafting, but these days it's often working on homeschool prep. Anyway, I cannot just sit. My hands need to be doing something. Sitting in a movie theater seems about on par with Chinese water torture. Simply cannot do it.

Just curious...
...do you like to see movies in the theater? And if you do, do you prefer the theater to viewing at home?

Just Curious...

Annie and I somehow got on the subject of reading and TV watching. We agreed that although we enjoy reading and TV viewing, if forced to choose between the two, without question we'd say goodbye to the TV. I would probably miss TV more than Annie (she watches next to none as it is), but I would still find it easier to get rid of the old boob-tube than to give up books.

Just curious...
...which would you give up if forced to choose?