I suck.
Just opened google reader. So not pretty. Made me want to cry.
Of course *not* keeping up with blogs is not the only thing I've *not* been doing. In fact, I've pretty much *not* been doing anything of interest.
And therefore have nothing to blog about.
So why am I here? Good question. No good answer.
I've been in a school planning/prep frenzy. Of interest to no one, I'm sure.
Also trying to get more done on this house. But honestly it sometimes seems a two steps forward, one step back sort of thing. (Really more like a two steps forward, two steps back sort of thing, but that just sounds too utterly depressing.) Our appliances were delivered Sunday. Yay! The gas line was installed yesterday morning. Yay! But it turns out that we now also need to have a new electrical outlet installed. And not just a simple switch-out, so Rich likely won't be doing it himself.
*sigh*
I thought that was a big enough damper on things yesterday. But the powers that be apparently didn't. Gray came up to go to the bathroom at 12:30 last night. I was finally drifting off to a much-needed (after having less than three hours worth the night before) but somewhat elusive sleep. He called in our bedroom to tell me that there was a wet spot on the basement floor. And it wasn't a small one. (I'm guessing that was his way of saying that Baker had not peed on the floor.) Rich heard Gray's announcement as well, and we headed down together to investigate.
Enormously less pretty than even the state of my google reader. Pipes leading from the shower drain had come apart. Yep, just totally separated. Annie, who is not known for her economical water use, had taken a shower about 11:00. And all that water, soap, shampoo...you guessed it--now flooding the basement floor.
Good news being that Gray discovered it when he did. Otherwise, Rich and I would have gotten up and showered this morning before realizing what had happened.
Other good news being that this was a home repair job that Rich could handle. And has.
Yes, our charming little fixer-upper needs ever more fixing-up by the day.
I'm still trying to get the basement dried out.
And still trying to get ready for this school year.
And not doing a damn thing of interest.
Showing posts with label dreaming of our dream house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dreaming of our dream house. Show all posts
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
today will see...
...this area a few steps down the road to becoming our garden:
...this area become our new compost area:
...this area have the greenery cut down (yes, I know I should wait a bit but I'm overly eager), the cement painted, and sunflower seeds planted:
...the first chapter of this book read:
...and this shipping pallet that we found out in the yard at least one step closer to being a fence for hiding our gargage can:
...this area become our new compost area:
...this area have the greenery cut down (yes, I know I should wait a bit but I'm overly eager), the cement painted, and sunflower seeds planted:
...the first chapter of this book read:
...and this shipping pallet that we found out in the yard at least one step closer to being a fence for hiding our gargage can:
Thursday, May 17, 2012
WIP weekly round-up...week 1...
Okay, so there's lot of different WIP Wednesdays and whatnot around the blog world--there are ones for knitting, and for quilting, and for, well probably for just about anything you could ever imagine. Now I could have just joined in the fun with one of those...if not for two simple facts: 1.) I can't shake the ridiculous "I'd be butting in because I don't know any of these people and therefore will just remain a lurker" thing, and 2.) I completely lack the focus to settle down to any one area of interest--I'm not a book blogger or a craft blogger or a mommy blogger or a...--in other words, I excel at nothing yet enjoy it all. :D
So anyway. Just for my own personal enjoyment (and as a really bad excuse for avoiding some school stuff I should be doing at the moment), I've decided to do a Work-in-Progress collection post each week. Okay, if we're being truthful here, due to that whole lacking focus issue combined with that whole lacking follow-through issue I have, this will likely only last for a week or two or three, and then will fall to the wayside along with all the other things I thought sounded like fun when I started them. :P
On the crafting front:
My current crocheted work-in-progress is an afghan that I started making for a friend. However, I'm having second thoughts as to whether said friend would really like it. So now I'm waffling, and it may just end up staying here in our family room. Who knows.
I also have a scrapbook project in progress, but as it will eventually count for a happiness project accomplishment, I'll just save it for another post instead of boring you twice with it.
Ditto a photography project in progress.
On the reading front:
These are the books I'm reading on a daily or nearly daily basis this week. This might be a slightly optimistic statement, but I think there's actually a chance that three of these will be finished and off the pile by next week. The Search for Wondla is the book I'm *still* reading with Max, but we're almost done...will be both happy and sad when that happens. I'm enjoying the heck out The Fifties, which I'm reading for Annie's history class. But it will remain on the pile for quite a while yet, as we are reading other things mixed in. Not to mention it's just plain long. Garbology was one of those books I picked up and started reading in the bookstore and then couldn't bear to leave the store without it. Great read, but mighty disturbing. Am almost done with Fables: The Good Prince...and will immediately start on the next one upon finishing. And finally, Life in Cold Blood, reading this one for Gray's science class and am almost done with it as well.
On the home front:
Outside, my main focus the past few days has been the front flower garden. Trying to get it weeded, plant some perennials, and do something with the window boxes. Not a terribly exciting picture, but I hope over the next few springs and summers, we really bring this area to life. I couldn't for the life of me decide what I wanted to do with the window boxes. Still haven't really. I did plant some strawberry plants in them, but I want to add some color as well...but I'm just so darn finicky when it comes to flowers.
Thought I would have an inside project as well, but really what I've been focusing on this past week is getting some of the boxes out of the "pantry" room that belong in various other rooms and unpacking them. Hoping this weekend, we can whip the pantry into shape.
So anyone else care to share pics of their works-in-progress? Anyone? You know, 'cause I'm nosy.
So anyway. Just for my own personal enjoyment (and as a really bad excuse for avoiding some school stuff I should be doing at the moment), I've decided to do a Work-in-Progress collection post each week. Okay, if we're being truthful here, due to that whole lacking focus issue combined with that whole lacking follow-through issue I have, this will likely only last for a week or two or three, and then will fall to the wayside along with all the other things I thought sounded like fun when I started them. :P
On the crafting front:
I also have a scrapbook project in progress, but as it will eventually count for a happiness project accomplishment, I'll just save it for another post instead of boring you twice with it.
Ditto a photography project in progress.
On the reading front:
On the home front:
Thought I would have an inside project as well, but really what I've been focusing on this past week is getting some of the boxes out of the "pantry" room that belong in various other rooms and unpacking them. Hoping this weekend, we can whip the pantry into shape.
So anyone else care to share pics of their works-in-progress? Anyone? You know, 'cause I'm nosy.
Friday, May 11, 2012
a little of this, a little of that...
To be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure how it compares taste-wise to those prepackaged little packets, because I used it in a recipe I'd never made before. But I can say the recipe was a huge success (I figured it would be a battle to even get the boys to try it, but Max had three helpings!), so the seasoning couldn't have stunk, right? I do have the impression that this seasoning was a little hotter, spicy-wise, than the packaged stuff, and in this house, that's a good thing.
A happy aside: The taco casserole finished up my very first 50x50 list (#15--Try 50 new recipes)!!! Seriously, I can't believe I *finally* finished one!!! Now let's just hope it won't be another year and a half until the next one's completed, 'cause at that rate I'll be dead loooooong before I make it through.
*****
I went outside to take a few pictures of the new place yesterday afternoon. But then I got distracted and started taking pictures Max and Rich tossing the football instead. And then the camera battery died. So pictures of the house will just have to wait. Instead, here's a picture of Max.
And here's just a couple of shots of our peaceful little swamp.
Have a wonderful relaxing oh-so-happy weekend, everyone!!!!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
it's a start...
Pat and Jean, these are for you. :)
Yep, house pics. Boring pics. "Before" pics of the rooms we've got unpacked. I can't wait to have "after" pics...but once we've *finally* unfinished the unpacking, I am giving myself a few, maybe several, months off before I start on the enormous list of things we want to change. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos--but I figure that will just make "after" photos look all the better. :P
The bathroom. Yep, I said "the," meaning we really do only have one. This is probably the room I'll deal with first, just because we don't intend to change much, and the things we do intend to change are fairly easy to deal with.
The family room. This house is so weirdly set up--to get to the family room, you have to go down to the basement, walk through the unfinished part of said basement and into the rest of the basement. Forgive the view out the sliding glass doors--that's some cabinetry my Dad pulled out of the unfinished part of the basement that we need to get rid of. Also forgive the kitty box--it will find a new home through that white door once we set it up and Rich installs a cat door.
Gray's room. Which is really part of the same space that the family room occupies. The back of the bookcases in this picture are going to have painted sheets of plywood added to them to create more of a "wall." It's not an ideal situation, but we're making it work the best we can. Gray really likes it, so that counts for a lot.
Our bedroom. My favorite part--having a reading chair right by the window. I love looking out at the swamp. :) My least favorite part--that stencil around the ceiling. So can't wait to paint over that!
The dining room. I love the built-into-the-wall pantry.
And the kitchen. I love the kitchen layout, but dang, I can't wait to paint it all!
Annie's and Maxidoodle's rooms are also pretty well unpacked and set up, but I was too lazy to go upstairs to take photos, so I'll share those once we finish setting up the rest of the house. Anyway, home, sweet home gets a little sweeter with each passing day. :)
Yep, house pics. Boring pics. "Before" pics of the rooms we've got unpacked. I can't wait to have "after" pics...but once we've *finally* unfinished the unpacking, I am giving myself a few, maybe several, months off before I start on the enormous list of things we want to change. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos--but I figure that will just make "after" photos look all the better. :P
Annie's and Maxidoodle's rooms are also pretty well unpacked and set up, but I was too lazy to go upstairs to take photos, so I'll share those once we finish setting up the rest of the house. Anyway, home, sweet home gets a little sweeter with each passing day. :)
Monday, May 7, 2012
just some start of week babbling...
*I have been forced to lower my expectations for the day. In the first 20 minutes of semi-awakedness, I cleaned up a nasty pile of dog vomit, stubbed my toe, and poured coffee in my lap. Just has that feel of one of those days that will be filled with minor annoyances. That's okay though--it also feels like one of those days where I'll be able to laugh at them all, instead of one of those days where they'll turn me into one cranky, pissy human being.
*Despite how much we get done around this house, it always seems like there's so much more to do. You know, kinda like life in general. :P But this weekend we did finally manage to get the family room put together. Including, much to the delight of the young lads, setting up the wii. (Though it was such a gloriously beautiful weekend, that thankfully they spent it playing outside instead. Just the knowledge that they *could* play the wii if they wanted to made them happy.) Like all the other rooms in the house, I have many, many plans for redecorating in the future. In fact, I've been having a good time redoing my Home Projects page and dreaming of how things will look once all the projects are complete. You know, ten years from now. :P
*Sigh. I am off to a pathetic start in Trish's Pin It and Do It Challenge. Zero done so far. Yep, nada. BUT...I did buy yarn this weekend to start one project.
Okay, technically I bought the yarn to make an afghan for the family room, but first I'm going to steal a little of it to make a Christmas gift for Annie.
*I'm increasingly happy that I finished The Hobbit last week, as it's beginning to seem as if it will be the only book I finish this month. :P And it's not that I haven't been doing any reading. As usual, I guess I just have too many books going at once to feel like I'm making progress in any of them. After being "misplaced" for a many weeks, I finally found The Search for Wondla, so Max and I have been imbibing nearly nightly now for the past week...we *are* making progress, but it's a long book. Reading Polio: An American Story for Annie's history class...it's really good, but despite the amount of time I've spent reading it, I just don't seem to be moving along very quickly. Also reading The Fifties for Annie's history class, but have set that aside until I finish the polio book. Reading Life in Cold Blood for Gray's science unit on herps. And just for me, I'm reading Fables 9: Sons of Empire. But obviously I need to go to bed earlier--you know you're dog-tired when you can only manage to stay awake for a couple of pages in Fables!
*Rich told me this morning that the rascally little rabbits seem to be nibbling on our blackberry plants. I so hope they don't kill them before they have a chance to grow. :(
*I'm doing a damn fine job of procrastinating getting started on school stuff for the day. I suppose I should put an end to that...
*Wishing you all have a fun-filled, joyous, and productive week!!!! (The "productive" part is optional.)
*Despite how much we get done around this house, it always seems like there's so much more to do. You know, kinda like life in general. :P But this weekend we did finally manage to get the family room put together. Including, much to the delight of the young lads, setting up the wii. (Though it was such a gloriously beautiful weekend, that thankfully they spent it playing outside instead. Just the knowledge that they *could* play the wii if they wanted to made them happy.) Like all the other rooms in the house, I have many, many plans for redecorating in the future. In fact, I've been having a good time redoing my Home Projects page and dreaming of how things will look once all the projects are complete. You know, ten years from now. :P
*Sigh. I am off to a pathetic start in Trish's Pin It and Do It Challenge. Zero done so far. Yep, nada. BUT...I did buy yarn this weekend to start one project.
*I'm increasingly happy that I finished The Hobbit last week, as it's beginning to seem as if it will be the only book I finish this month. :P And it's not that I haven't been doing any reading. As usual, I guess I just have too many books going at once to feel like I'm making progress in any of them. After being "misplaced" for a many weeks, I finally found The Search for Wondla, so Max and I have been imbibing nearly nightly now for the past week...we *are* making progress, but it's a long book. Reading Polio: An American Story for Annie's history class...it's really good, but despite the amount of time I've spent reading it, I just don't seem to be moving along very quickly. Also reading The Fifties for Annie's history class, but have set that aside until I finish the polio book. Reading Life in Cold Blood for Gray's science unit on herps. And just for me, I'm reading Fables 9: Sons of Empire. But obviously I need to go to bed earlier--you know you're dog-tired when you can only manage to stay awake for a couple of pages in Fables!
*Rich told me this morning that the rascally little rabbits seem to be nibbling on our blackberry plants. I so hope they don't kill them before they have a chance to grow. :(
*I'm doing a damn fine job of procrastinating getting started on school stuff for the day. I suppose I should put an end to that...
*Wishing you all have a fun-filled, joyous, and productive week!!!! (The "productive" part is optional.)
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
it hasn't been all bad...
So, does it feel like I've done nothing but whine and complain lately? Yeah, that would probably be because I've done nothing but whine and complain lately. :P I'm not going to go back and try to pretend that this has been an easy year so far, but you know what, it hasn't been all bad either.
Bits of happy from the past couple weeks:
*Oh my gosh, you guys. My little girl turned fifteen. Fifteen. Seriously, fif-teen.
*For all that has gone awry with this move, one very important thing went incredibly well. Like beyond my wildest dreams kind of well. Max loves loves loves his new school. (And I do not say those words lightly.) It really is an awesome place.
(Waiting for the bus on the first day.)
*My parents have been up twice already, for a few days each time. They are just so amazingly generous and helpful and honestly, I don't know what we would have done without them. It would be impossible to even mention all the things they accomplished around here. I wouldn't be nearly as far along in the cleaning and unpacking arenas as I am if not for my Mom. And my Dad, home repair guru, has saved us so much money it's not even funny. Electrical, plumbing, demolition...you name it. And on top of that, they brought up their rototiller which saved Rich hours upon hours of breaking in the ground for our eventual garden *and* they brought us blackberry plants!
(Max and Papa planting the blackberry plants.)
*I get to wake up to birds singing every morning and go to sleep with frogs calling every night. Ahhhh.
*Annie's wasn't the only birthday we celebrated this month; my beautiful Mom had her birthday as well.
(I hope she doesn't kill me for posting this, but I just love this photo.)
*The view out our bedroom window, looking out over our pond/swamp, just makes me feel so content every time I see it. And yesterday morning, I awoke to the biggest treat--my first glimpse of it with snow.
*Just another pretty look at yesterday's springtime snow.
*And last, but oh my gosh, so not least, there's you guys. You've not only put up with all the aforementioned whining and complaining, you've been so unbelievably supportive and helpful and kind to boot. I'm incapable of putting into words how much it means to me--suffice it say that my head, my heart, and my sanity THANK YOU. Times a bazillion.
Bits of happy from the past couple weeks:
*Oh my gosh, you guys. My little girl turned fifteen. Fifteen. Seriously, fif-teen.
*For all that has gone awry with this move, one very important thing went incredibly well. Like beyond my wildest dreams kind of well. Max loves loves loves his new school. (And I do not say those words lightly.) It really is an awesome place.
*My parents have been up twice already, for a few days each time. They are just so amazingly generous and helpful and honestly, I don't know what we would have done without them. It would be impossible to even mention all the things they accomplished around here. I wouldn't be nearly as far along in the cleaning and unpacking arenas as I am if not for my Mom. And my Dad, home repair guru, has saved us so much money it's not even funny. Electrical, plumbing, demolition...you name it. And on top of that, they brought up their rototiller which saved Rich hours upon hours of breaking in the ground for our eventual garden *and* they brought us blackberry plants!
*I get to wake up to birds singing every morning and go to sleep with frogs calling every night. Ahhhh.
*Annie's wasn't the only birthday we celebrated this month; my beautiful Mom had her birthday as well.
*The view out our bedroom window, looking out over our pond/swamp, just makes me feel so content every time I see it. And yesterday morning, I awoke to the biggest treat--my first glimpse of it with snow.
*Just another pretty look at yesterday's springtime snow.
*And last, but oh my gosh, so not least, there's you guys. You've not only put up with all the aforementioned whining and complaining, you've been so unbelievably supportive and helpful and kind to boot. I'm incapable of putting into words how much it means to me--suffice it say that my head, my heart, and my sanity THANK YOU. Times a bazillion.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
slowly, slowly...
...progress is being made around here. My state of mind has definitely improved, even if the overwhelming amount of things to be done is...well, still overwhelming. I'm simply trying to change that dialogue in my head, those conversations I have with myself about how I'm failing at everything.
"I am doing the best I can. I am doing the best I can. I am doing the best I can. I am doing the best I can." New message. True message. And as long as I keep focusing on the fact that it's true, I seem to be doing better.
Yes, it's true that this place is still nowhere near cleaned up, it's true that I'm ridiculously behind on home school planning, it's true that there unpacked boxes stacked nearly ceiling high in places and that we have a small storage unit full that we haven't even moved over yet, it's true that my body is in such a painful state of rebellion that it literally takes me almost three minutes to climb a flight of stairs these past few days...but it is also true that I *am* doing the best I can. And remembering that makes a world of difference.
Rich and the munchkins left yesterday afternoon for a few days of camping. The peace and quiet has already been conducive for "brain" work--I finished Annie's and Gray's quarterly reports. :) I hope to further take advantage of the lack of interruptions by diving into planning/prep for our last quarter. But I also promised Rich that I would take one full day to just relax. To read, to crochet, to catch up on blogs. But yikes! When I opened google reader this morning and saw just how far behind I was, it turned into a stress thing instead of relaxing thing in my mind. So yep, "mark all as read"...again. :( So I've decided to make today home school day and tomorrow relax day because tomorrow there will be a manageable amount of blog posts to read. That said, can I ask a favor? If there's any posts I've missed in the past few weeks that you think I should read, or any posts you think I'd love to read, could you just mention them in the comments so I can check them out. Thank you!!!
I'm almost embarrassed to show these. "These" being before pics of the state of this house when we first walked in. I swear the previous owners not only never lifted a finger to clean anything after they got our offer on the house, but they must have gone out of their way to make things worse. Seriously, who the hell effing lives like this?!! :/
Pics of kitchen drawers and cupboards. And yes, that is mouse shit.
The floors everywhere were just left like this, with not only dust and dirt, but all kinds of crap they just didn't bother to pick up (golf tees, bobby pins, beads, plastic bags, bottle caps, etc. etc. etc.).
And then there were the places on the floor that were even worse. We've no idea *what* this was (spilled corn syrup? dog vomit? something even more disgusting?) but there were a couple places just like this.
The drawers and cabinets throughout the garage.
And a lovely pile of shit they left that we now have to deal with--you know what a pain it is to dispose of paint (either open them and let the paint all harden or wait for one of the rare days when they have a hazardous materials disposal, the paint isn't even usable so we donate it to a drama club for their sets or anything) and it's going to cost us about $70 to dispose of the old air conditioner they left. That cupboard in the left of the photo--also filled with paint cans.
But anyway. As I said, we're slowly, slowly making the house livable. Making the house home. As utterly exhausted as it's made me and as hard as it's been on my body, I do think that after we're finally settled in, I'll be taking a few months off before I begin the painting and other projects I have floating around in my brain. After all, we have gardens to get in soon, too! :)
"I am doing the best I can. I am doing the best I can. I am doing the best I can. I am doing the best I can." New message. True message. And as long as I keep focusing on the fact that it's true, I seem to be doing better.
Yes, it's true that this place is still nowhere near cleaned up, it's true that I'm ridiculously behind on home school planning, it's true that there unpacked boxes stacked nearly ceiling high in places and that we have a small storage unit full that we haven't even moved over yet, it's true that my body is in such a painful state of rebellion that it literally takes me almost three minutes to climb a flight of stairs these past few days...but it is also true that I *am* doing the best I can. And remembering that makes a world of difference.
Rich and the munchkins left yesterday afternoon for a few days of camping. The peace and quiet has already been conducive for "brain" work--I finished Annie's and Gray's quarterly reports. :) I hope to further take advantage of the lack of interruptions by diving into planning/prep for our last quarter. But I also promised Rich that I would take one full day to just relax. To read, to crochet, to catch up on blogs. But yikes! When I opened google reader this morning and saw just how far behind I was, it turned into a stress thing instead of relaxing thing in my mind. So yep, "mark all as read"...again. :( So I've decided to make today home school day and tomorrow relax day because tomorrow there will be a manageable amount of blog posts to read. That said, can I ask a favor? If there's any posts I've missed in the past few weeks that you think I should read, or any posts you think I'd love to read, could you just mention them in the comments so I can check them out. Thank you!!!
I'm almost embarrassed to show these. "These" being before pics of the state of this house when we first walked in. I swear the previous owners not only never lifted a finger to clean anything after they got our offer on the house, but they must have gone out of their way to make things worse. Seriously, who the hell effing lives like this?!! :/
Pics of kitchen drawers and cupboards. And yes, that is mouse shit.
The floors everywhere were just left like this, with not only dust and dirt, but all kinds of crap they just didn't bother to pick up (golf tees, bobby pins, beads, plastic bags, bottle caps, etc. etc. etc.).
And then there were the places on the floor that were even worse. We've no idea *what* this was (spilled corn syrup? dog vomit? something even more disgusting?) but there were a couple places just like this.
The drawers and cabinets throughout the garage.
And a lovely pile of shit they left that we now have to deal with--you know what a pain it is to dispose of paint (either open them and let the paint all harden or wait for one of the rare days when they have a hazardous materials disposal, the paint isn't even usable so we donate it to a drama club for their sets or anything) and it's going to cost us about $70 to dispose of the old air conditioner they left. That cupboard in the left of the photo--also filled with paint cans.
But anyway. As I said, we're slowly, slowly making the house livable. Making the house home. As utterly exhausted as it's made me and as hard as it's been on my body, I do think that after we're finally settled in, I'll be taking a few months off before I begin the painting and other projects I have floating around in my brain. After all, we have gardens to get in soon, too! :)
Friday, April 6, 2012
mini random thoughts on the month's reads...March 2012...
Sooooo...only a week after we were supposed to have internet, we actually do have internet. What I still don't have, however, is any time to use it. We are making progress in this house though! About half-way through with the cleaning of the inside. (Yes, it really was that bad--I'll post some pictures later.) In the meantime, I can finally post this draft I had going of my March reads.
And guys, thank you. Seriously--thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your very kind comments on my last post. I felt so warm and happy and loved when I read them all this morning. Thank you.
The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon.
Now perhaps it seems like overkill for Gray and I to have read this book when we just read Mission Planet Earth, which was also about global warming. But for one thing, I'm not sure one can read too much about such an important topic. And for another, these are two very different books. This book was totally awesome. Written in a bit more laid-back style, but quite informative just the same. And really quite fun visually.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare.
I've been wanting to read this book for years and years. Choosing it as a read for homeschooling ensured that I finally would. :) I expected to love this book, and I did! But truth be told, this was a very different book than I was expecting it to be. Yes, it was a tad predictable, but that didn't in the slightest take away from its charm for me. It's a story of love in many forms, a story of standing by one's friends no matter the consequences, a story of growth and change all the while staying true to one's self.
Carrie by Stephen King.
I read this because I decided that I want to reread all the Stephen King books I've read in the past, and then catch up on all of his books that I haven't. I'm not in any hurry, mind you--I fully expect to spend years and years at this. Anyway, this is at least the third time I've read Carrie, though it's been many, many years since my last reading. As in about 25-ish. I have to say, while I still found it quite fun to read, I don't think I actually like the book as much as I used to. Honestly, I think book bloggers have generally made me think more critically while reading than I used to. And believe me, it's still not that I really try. But I find myself far less likely to pass by the things that give me twinges, if you know what I mean. You probably don't, do you? I think the things I say make far more sense in my head than they do in the real world. :P
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz.
Since I already talked about how much I adored this book, I guess there's no need to add anything here. Even though I really wouldn't mind mentioning again how much I really did love this book...
Cane Toads and Other Rogue Species edited by Karl Weber.
I originally bought the book simply because it interested me, but finally started reading it so that I could choose a few essays to assign Gray during our envi sci unit. There were so many good ones, it was sort of hard to weed it down. :) Anyway, it's collection of essays, all of which in one way or another, relate to the topic of invasive species...important stuff considering the fact that invasive species are one of the biggest threats to biodiversity. And with the exception of a very few essays, I thought it was an excellent collection.
What You Wish For: Stories and Poems for Darfur by various authors.
What You Wish For is a collection of stories put together to benefit literacy and education programs for Darfuri refugees. While every story and poem contained in the collection revolves around the idea of wishes, the stories themselves were quite varied. And I must admit that my feelings about the stories were quite varied as well. Honestly, I'm not in love with this collection...but I'm still happy that I bought it, you know, good cause. Plus there were a couple of stories I did love--a Cinderella retelling called "The Stepsister" by Cynthia Voight and a story called "The Rules for Wishing" by Francisco X. Stork that I wish he would turn into a novel because I'd love to know more of the story, along with a couple of others.
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.
This was actually a reread for me. And I loved it as much this time around as I did the first. Though I'm not sure I would have guessed it a few years back, I've found that I really enjoy books written in free verse (as this one obviously is or I wouldn't have brought it up :P ). Add to that, it's about the dust bowl. Top it off with a main character I can't help but love. Yep, pure win for me.
(Project progress: 2012 unofficial-for-me reading challenges, Immigrant Stories Challenge [The Witch of Blackbird Pond], Read Your Name Challenge "D" [Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming], Historical Fiction Reading Challenge [The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Out of the Dust], Non-Fiction Non-Memoir Reading Challenge [Cane Toads and Other Rogue Species], What an Animal Reading Challenge 5 [The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Cane Toads and Other Rogue Species]
AND 50x50, #43--Read 50 award-winning books [The Witch of Blackbird Pond], #40--Read a book set in each of the 50 states [Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe--Texas, Out of the Dust--Oklahoma], #44--Read 50 science/nature books [Cane Toads and Other Rogue Species], #45--Read 50 short story or essay collections [What You Wish For: Stories and Poems for Darfur]
AND read Stephen King [Carrie]
AND read the Dewey Decimal system [Cane Toads and Other Rogue Species]
AND Read (or reread) the Top Ten Lists from The Ultimate Teen Book Guide, Historical Fiction Top Ten [Out of the Dust])
And guys, thank you. Seriously--thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your very kind comments on my last post. I felt so warm and happy and loved when I read them all this morning. Thank you.
Now perhaps it seems like overkill for Gray and I to have read this book when we just read Mission Planet Earth, which was also about global warming. But for one thing, I'm not sure one can read too much about such an important topic. And for another, these are two very different books. This book was totally awesome. Written in a bit more laid-back style, but quite informative just the same. And really quite fun visually.
I've been wanting to read this book for years and years. Choosing it as a read for homeschooling ensured that I finally would. :) I expected to love this book, and I did! But truth be told, this was a very different book than I was expecting it to be. Yes, it was a tad predictable, but that didn't in the slightest take away from its charm for me. It's a story of love in many forms, a story of standing by one's friends no matter the consequences, a story of growth and change all the while staying true to one's self.
I read this because I decided that I want to reread all the Stephen King books I've read in the past, and then catch up on all of his books that I haven't. I'm not in any hurry, mind you--I fully expect to spend years and years at this. Anyway, this is at least the third time I've read Carrie, though it's been many, many years since my last reading. As in about 25-ish. I have to say, while I still found it quite fun to read, I don't think I actually like the book as much as I used to. Honestly, I think book bloggers have generally made me think more critically while reading than I used to. And believe me, it's still not that I really try. But I find myself far less likely to pass by the things that give me twinges, if you know what I mean. You probably don't, do you? I think the things I say make far more sense in my head than they do in the real world. :P
Since I already talked about how much I adored this book, I guess there's no need to add anything here. Even though I really wouldn't mind mentioning again how much I really did love this book...
I originally bought the book simply because it interested me, but finally started reading it so that I could choose a few essays to assign Gray during our envi sci unit. There were so many good ones, it was sort of hard to weed it down. :) Anyway, it's collection of essays, all of which in one way or another, relate to the topic of invasive species...important stuff considering the fact that invasive species are one of the biggest threats to biodiversity. And with the exception of a very few essays, I thought it was an excellent collection.
What You Wish For is a collection of stories put together to benefit literacy and education programs for Darfuri refugees. While every story and poem contained in the collection revolves around the idea of wishes, the stories themselves were quite varied. And I must admit that my feelings about the stories were quite varied as well. Honestly, I'm not in love with this collection...but I'm still happy that I bought it, you know, good cause. Plus there were a couple of stories I did love--a Cinderella retelling called "The Stepsister" by Cynthia Voight and a story called "The Rules for Wishing" by Francisco X. Stork that I wish he would turn into a novel because I'd love to know more of the story, along with a couple of others.
This was actually a reread for me. And I loved it as much this time around as I did the first. Though I'm not sure I would have guessed it a few years back, I've found that I really enjoy books written in free verse (as this one obviously is or I wouldn't have brought it up :P ). Add to that, it's about the dust bowl. Top it off with a main character I can't help but love. Yep, pure win for me.
(Project progress: 2012 unofficial-for-me reading challenges, Immigrant Stories Challenge [The Witch of Blackbird Pond], Read Your Name Challenge "D" [Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming], Historical Fiction Reading Challenge [The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Out of the Dust], Non-Fiction Non-Memoir Reading Challenge [Cane Toads and Other Rogue Species], What an Animal Reading Challenge 5 [The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Cane Toads and Other Rogue Species]
AND 50x50, #43--Read 50 award-winning books [The Witch of Blackbird Pond], #40--Read a book set in each of the 50 states [Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe--Texas, Out of the Dust--Oklahoma], #44--Read 50 science/nature books [Cane Toads and Other Rogue Species], #45--Read 50 short story or essay collections [What You Wish For: Stories and Poems for Darfur]
AND read Stephen King [Carrie]
AND read the Dewey Decimal system [Cane Toads and Other Rogue Species]
AND Read (or reread) the Top Ten Lists from The Ultimate Teen Book Guide, Historical Fiction Top Ten [Out of the Dust])
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