random babblery

*How can it possibly be the last day of January already?!! I started a couple of new projects this year. One is the graphic-novel-a-week, an idea enthusiastically borrowed from Chris, who enthusiastically borrowed it from Lu. The other is picture-a-day family scrapbook, using last year's Project Life kit. I am doing nothing fancy with it at all. Simple, simple, simple. Pictures and journaling. Period. Anyway, just one month into the year...and I'm already behind on *both* projects. :( With such a poor start, I considered abandoning them. But then I realized that was pure craziness--I'm enjoying the hell out of both of them, so why quit simply because I'm behind, right?

These are weeks 2 and 3 of our Project Life album. (I didn't post week 1 because it had a picture of Gray and his therapist, and I obviously don't want to post anyone's picture without their permission.) Like I said, nothing fancy. I do miss having time to spend scrapbooking, but until that time exists again, I'm thrilled to have this simple way to record our daily memories.

*I have a loaf of Italian Herb Break baking...it smells so freakin' good that I just can't stop drooling. Pretty sure I have overactive salivary glands. Not making that up.

*The whole gang played Scattergories for about two hours yesterday afternoon. So fun!!! I just love that the munchkins are all old enough now that we can do that sort of thing. :D

*Somewhere along the line, I have acquired a mini obsession with old Pyrex dishes. So when Rich and I were out at a thrift store Saturday afternoon, and I saw these two adorable little critters, I just had to have them. I mean despite the fact that I definitely do *not* need any more mugs, how could I pass them up for just 49 cents each.

I also have a slightly larger obsession with glass refrigerator containers. And last weekend, I got the best one ever added to my mini collection. Not because it's the prettiest one I own, but because it used to be my Grandma's. She always used to make Jello in it...so yep, I remember being served food from it in days before some of you were even born! :D (Thank you again, Mom!!!)

*Oh my gosh!!!! I'm so glad that I've left this draft up on my computer, just adding to it as I got a few minutes throughout the day. Because if I had already hit publish, I couldn't show you what the mailman just brought me! (Well, duh, I guess I could have made another post, but whatever.) Anyway, just look at this:

Is it not just beautiful?!! Oh Jason, whatever am I going to do with you?!! See, he posted a picture of his own little project box one day, and I, of course, fell in love with it and told him so. And now look---he made me my very own for an early birthday gift. Oh Jason, thank you so very, very much!!! I positively adore it, and I now must go start a new project so I can use it! :D (Not that I don't have plenty of projects going, but none of them are of the small-in-size variety.) Seriously, Jason, you are far too kind to me!!! Thank you. So very much.

Okay, I suppose it is time for me to finally shut up, isn't it? :P

simple beauty

this week between the pages...

The good news--I actually finished a book. Really I did! Yes, it was for school...but it was one I was excited to read. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I knew this book was loved by many, but I really didn't have a good feel for what this book was about. If you happen to be in that same boat, well, I'm afraid I'm going to leave you there. I seriously wouldn't know where to begin in describing it...it is so very different from anything I've ever read. But just because I can't explain it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it to pieces. And "magical realism"...still couldn't really explain that term either, but at least now I'm a little more confident in the fact that I know it when I see it.

I'm still reading Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse. The fact that I've already been reading it for more than a week is not indicative of how I feel about it, I promise. This book is so damn good. So. Damn. Good. Seriously, this book just has so much to say, and it is truly breaking my heart.

Finally, last night I read the first chapter in our next school read. Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino. Honestly, all I can say at this point is that I think I'm in for an interesting ride. Whether interesting equates with enjoyable in this case remains to be seen. :P Not that I'm *not* enjoying it...I'm just a little unsure thus far.

I know, not a lot of reading for one week...but who's counting, right?

and off we go...

Blogging. I'm blogging again. :) Yesterday, I woke up excited about posting something. And as I was going through the morning routine, I even came up with an idea about what I was going to post about. My favorite pasta primavera recipe. As I was planning on whipping up a huge batch, I figured I could even include pictures and everything. Well, you know that whole best-laid plans thing...

I had the pasta cooking, and realized I needed to finish washing up the dishes in the sink so I'd be able to drain and cool the pasta. Reaching into the sudsy water, I grabbed a hold of a glass, having no idea it had broken in the sink. Yep, sliced my index finger but good, right down near where it joins my hand. Stupid sucker would not stop bleeding. And while I did have the presence of mind to turn off the stove, that pasta was stuck sitting there in the pot of hot water. So, yeah, by the time I'd finally got my finger patched up nearly half an hour later (did I mention that it did not want to stop bleeding?), that pasta was not looking so great. And I really didn't think that showing off my bloated rotini was really the way I wanted to kick things off...you know, despite the fact that that is the reality of my life. :P

So here we are, another new day. A fresh chance to babble away. And strongly on my mind these days--homeschooling. Most immediately because I just finished Annie's second quarterly report for the year. Which yes, I admit, every time I finish one I sort of have this overwhelming feeling that a true celebration is in order. :D

But there's also the fact that Annie started a new semester of classes at the community college this week...and I'm sort of jealous. Okay, so I don't really want to take her German class. (I'd be pretty darn lost seeing how I haven't taken German 101.) However, I really wouldn't mind taking Intermediate Algebra course with her. I've never been a huge math geek, but I have to admit that I always really loved algebra. But most of all, I really want to take her Evolution class (taught by none other than Rich--and normally she wouldn't take a class taught by her dad, but since he's the only one who teaches it, there wasn't any choice).

I mean, come on, the textbook is by Carl Zimmer! Other required reading--Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation by Michael Keller and The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins. Yes, I've read the graphic novel and I'm in the process of slowly reading the Dawkins book, but come on, doesn't this class just sound awesome?!! (Or has Rich just finally managed to warp my brain with his science geekery? :P )

But even more than these two things, there's the fact that a couple weeks ago, we finally made the decision about homeschooling Gray next school year. And its a GO! I'm so overwhelmingly excited about this, I can't even express it!!! Honestly, at this point, I think it's the best gift we could give this kiddo. But you know, much of my excitement is purely selfish. I'm going to get to spend all this wonderful time with this incredible, unique, funny, creative person!!!

The rational portion of brain keeps trying to remind me about some of the realities of this situation. There have been times when I thought all the work I had to do in homeschooling Annie would just kill me, and now I'm taking on homeschooling for two. And Gray is so very emotional and so very sensitive, and to be honest, it's sometimes very challenging. Probably more so because I'm so much like him. And despite the fact that Max does not want to be homeschooled (he wants nothing more than get old enough to get to middle school so he can play on every sports team possible--where did he come from anyway?!! :P ), I can see the potential for occasional trouble looming when he has to get on the bus and his brother doesn't. But you know, all the reminders in the world just can't dampen my excitement right now. And that's okay--there's plenty enough time for reality later, right?

Hmmmm...it appears that I have not lost my knack for babbling one iota, have I?

I've missed blogging...

Okay, so I haven't really been away from it for that long. Maybe a couple of months, though it feels much longer. I think I figured out part of that "much longer" feeling, thanks to my dear friend Ana. I was talking to her about all these thoughts about missing blogging, and about how I just felt sort of lost and frustrated because I could never quite figure out what I wanted my blog to be. And she said something that really hit home. She said that to her, it seemed as if I'd sort of lost my footing when I quit writing at "nothing of importance." And there it was. So simple. She was absolutely right.

I quit writing at "nothing of importance" for a multitude of reasons. Second-guessing that decision now is pointless. I'm not sure why things went haywire after that though. I started new blogs, hoping to make some sort of better new home for myself. One of those situations where you're desperately searching for what's right in front of you.

So here we go again...yep, I'm back, still with nothing of importance to say. :) And this time around, I've made a few promises to myself:

*I can talk about whatever the hell I want to talk about.
*Said another way, I not going to try to make myself fit into any neat category.
*I do not have to make my way through my reader before I'm allowed to post myself.
*And similarly, I am not going to feel guilty when the dreaded "mark all as read" button needs to be used. There will be times in life, such as now, when that happens more frequently than I'd like...but I must learn to deal with it.
*This is it--no starting any new blogs. If I can't make this work for me, then I just need to stop trying.

Home sweet home...I hope this is it.