Christmas 2010

We had a good Christmas.  BT and I actually had to wake Bub up though I suspect he was already awake.  We saw him just standing at the baby gate to his hallway staring.  When I went over to him, he said "There's something in my stocking" in a whisper.  He needed his clothes changed so while we were doing that he said again, "There's something in my stocking" *pause* "There's something in your stocking too."  It was precious.  Once he had on clean clothes, he ran out and begin going through his stocking.  He got a kid camera, a MobiGo, an Iron Man (which seems to be his favorite thing), some Play-Doh, some other toys and clothes.  I got a Weekender bag that I had been wanting, a String-Ring (which is really cool), and MySims Sky Heroes.  So that was everything I really wanted. 

This is my parent's year for Christmas so BT made a gumbo and potato salad and we had that for dinner along with a whole lot of dessert.  We opened more presents over there and ate a bunch and just hung out.  It was cold and rainy out so we stayed indoors all day.  I'm glad that the weather was wintry for Christmas.  I hate it when it is warm.  But it was a very nice Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

I hope all your days are merry and bright.  Wishing you a lovely holiday! 

This week

This week has been pretty busy.  Monday I finished up my shopping and Tuesday I took my sister who has a broken foot shopping.  Wednesday I cleaned the house really good and Thursday I did absolutely nothing but read and watch TV.  It's been a good week but now I'm excited for Christmas.  Bub is excited and really knows what is going on and it is going to be fun!

Library Christmas Party

Today was the "office" Christmas Party and it was very nice.  I always enjoy it though the last two years I've had to sit with people I don't have much to talk about with.  But this year I endeavored to sit with people I like.  I had my new assistant sit by me and made a pact with the account because she was worried about the same thing.  And one of the reference librarians who I guess is my friend sat there too.  So it worked out.  The only thing was my really awkward part-time assistant was like attached to my hip or something because I couldn't shake him off and he sat with us.  But he doesn't say much (which is part of the reason he is awkward) and so it was alright.  The food was good and it was a nice time regardless. 

We play this Secret Santa stealing game and it is fun but I'm too nice to steal from anyone so I always end up with some random thing I don't really like.  Next year I'm doing nothing but stealing.  I'm getting something good next year.  But it doesn't matter, the point is just to play and have fun.  I just need to figure out what I'm going to do with the gift I ended up with.  Regifting?

Christmas cake

Last weekend I decided to make a Christmas cake to go with my new cake plate.  I ended up coloring a white cake red and green with white frosting.  It was pretty good.

On the occasion of my son's 4th Birthday

ub is 4 years old today.  I can hardly believe it in a way.  We looked at some newborn pictures of him last night and it seems both so far behind us and yet so very close.  He is just so big and so talkative and bossy and loud and silly and funny and sweet and sassy and about a million other things I never imagined when I was pregnant.  It's funny, you know, when you are pregnant and you spend hours wondering who the baby is inside of you and yet you know somehow.  I knew who he was before I even meet him.  And, yet, he has turned out so much more wonderful than that despite our frustrating moments.  I love him so very much and I am in awe of this person we have created.  My beautiful sweet four year old boy. 

BIG Photo Challenge - Theme: Reflections

I took this picture at a recent zoo event, Safari of Lights and I thought it would be a good picture for this theme.

Christmas decorations

The weekend after Thanksgiving we did our tree.  We have an artifical pre-lit tree that we add red lights too.  And I'm a big fan of ribbon on trees.  This year is a "candy cane" or "red and white" year.  All my paper is red and white.  I'm big on matching.

 

BT's family has these matching elf stocking and his grandmother made extras for their spouses and children so we have matching stocking and we have our own stocking hangers.  BT has snowman, I have an angel, and Bub has a Christmas tree.  I usually put our Mr. Bingles up along with a Christmas tree on the mantel.

 

I also collect Tigger ornaments and I have so many that I put up a little tree with all of them.  I even have a Tigger tree topper.

 

And then outside we string lights around the house and put up our inflatable Santa in a helicopter.   This is the first year that Bub is really appreciating everything.  Last year he knew more of what was going on but he seems to be more into the idea of Santa and decorating and everything.

Christmasy

Adori Graphics put this, well, adorable free Christmas theme up for her Freebie Friday and I thought it was so freaking cute and a fun way to add a bit of Christmas to my blog.

End of November

Well, that's it.  Done with another November.  I almost succeeded in blogging everyday and so that was good.  It was a pretty good month, but I'm happy to be moving on to December where there is lots to do and, even better, a 2 week holiday break from work for me!

Safari of Lights at the Zoo

Late night shopping

I failed at posting over the holiday.  To be fair I didn't have my own computer and didn't feel like blogging on my mother-in-law's.  But it was a nice holiday with lots of food and lots of naps.  I went to Toy 'R Us late Thursday night with my sister-in-law.  And it was crazy.  I grossly underestimated the amount of people who would be there.  I don't know why.  But it was a lot.  It only took a 1/2 hour to get into the store, but it was a 2 1/2 hour wait to check out.  I got everything I wanted to get and I've done all my son's shopping.  My sister-in-law wasn't so lucky and couldn't find a couple of things she wanted.  But all in all it was worth it and I would do it again.  Except maybe with a daiquiri in hand.

Black Friday

I've never done Black Friday before.  It's not something that seemed liked fun and I don't really like crowds (who does?).  BUT this year I've decided, like a crazy person, to brave the world of shopping and go to Toy 'R Us for their sales.  They are staring this year at 10 p.m. so I'm going there.  We shall see.  There is nothing I want or need to have so much except a camera for Bub.  That's about it.  My youngest sister-in-law is suppose to go with me and possibly my mother-in-law.  As long as someone goes with me I'll be fine.  I don't know if I could go by myself.  Wish me luck though!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to my US readers!  I'm at my in-laws eating like a mad woman and regretting it later.

I am thankful for my wonderful husband and our beautiful and sweet little boy.  I am thankful for the rest of my family for being so fabulous.   And I am thankful for my job, my friends, both in real life and the ones I've made through my blog.  I hope you have a happy and delicious day.  Gobble, gobble.

Almost done

ust have today left and then 4 glorious days off.  Most of it will be at my in-laws but it should be pretty good.  I'm leaving work early but I haven't decided what time yet.  I am so ready for a break even a small one.  And when I get back from the in-laws, the zoo is having their Christmas light members preview on Sunday and my sister will be in town so that will be fun!

A new workout

I've been doing a lot of cardio lately.  I know to lose weight I need to do more aerobic type exercises so I've been working on that.  And last week I barely made it out of bed, much less to excerise so what I did do was all cardio.  That's fine.  I just wish I would have done it for more than 3 days, but sometimes I just can't.

But this week I'm not letting it go.  Monday I tried to do a video I got from the library and it was terrible so I felt like it didn't do so much.  Today I did, I admit a little embarrassed, Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease.  It was actually fun!  Not really very aerobic because I did the warm-up and then the instruction for routine 1 and then the full run through for that routine.  There was a little more standing around then was really good.  But I imagine once I learn both routines I can do the warm-up and then the 2 routines more.  It really was pretty cool and Carmen Electra seems really nice and she does a good job explaining.  It's not a workout that really gets a good sweat up or anything but something fun for when exercising seems like a huge burden.

Grief

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the loss of my uncle.  I thought I post some of my favorite quotes about grief today.  There are so many that touch me and express the thing that I have a hard time putting into words.  I still miss my uncle a lot and three years later I am still a little teary over him.

"It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things."
— Lemony Snicket (Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid)  

"Grief, a type of sadness that most often occurs when you have lost someone you love, is a sneaky think, because it can disappear for a long time, and then pop back up when you least expect it."
— Lemony Snicket (Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid) 

"Life is full of grief, to exactly the degree we allow ourselves to love other people."
— Orson Scott Card 

"And no matter what anybody says about grief and about time healing all wounds, the truth is, there are certain sorrows that never fade away until the heart stops beating and the last breath is taken."
— Tiffanie DeBartolo 

"It's like when someone dies, the initial stages of grief seem to be the worst. But in some ways, it's sadder as time goes by and you consider how much they've missed in your life. In the world."
— Emily Giffin (Something Borrowed)

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow Part I

I actually had the good fortune to see Deathly Hallows on Wednesday night.  This is the first time in my life I've ever had the opportunity to see a movie before it is released and what a great movie for such an opportunity.

Anyway, I loved Deathly Hallows.  When I first heard it was being broken up into two movies, I wasn't sure how I felt about that.  But having seen Part I,  I"m glad they did.  It enabled to keep so much more in line with the books which has always been a problem in the other movies.  So many details tend to lost.  But Deathly Hallows kept quite in line with the book, though some details that got taken out of the other movies were inserted, like Bill and Fleur, to make it make a little more sense.  I think the movie did a great job of building the tension of the book  The sense of waiting and waiting for something to happen was definitely there.  And the bang!  There it was.  The group dynamic was really great between the trio and they did a nice job with the Hermione and Ron relationship. I can't say I'd really change anything about it.  I can't wait for the next movie though!

cross posted with The Little Bookworm

This weekend

This weekend should be busy.  Bub has a birthday party for one of his preschool friends.  I'm looking forward to it because I never get to see him play with his friends and I bet it is precious.  Also the boy is having his party at the same place I've booked for Bub so I can see how many of their friends show up.  Although Bub's party is at 10 am so that might make a difference.  I don't know.

Then Sunday a local neighborhood is doing their annual Christmas party and we like to go to that.  They have games and a Santa and a "train" to ride and it is really fun.  I like to take Bub to do as many things as I can.  And he enjoys it.  I also need to do some more shopping, though this time just grocery.  And I have to figure out what to get the in-laws for Christmas.  BT is never any help with that.

Late night movies

So last night I had the opportunity to see the new Harry Potter movie early before it was released and I jumped on it.   Of course I did!  And it was really great and I'll write more about it after it is released.  But today, consequently, I am so very tired.  I was already tired yesterday so I just added more lack of sleep on top of that.  But I do not regret it at all because it was totally worth it.  I didn't even get up to workout this morning even though I should have.  It might have helped me wake up.  But anyway, hopefully I can go to bed early tonight.

My history of reading

read a lot.  Like a lot a lot.  I have always read a lot.  My mom read to us for as long as I can remember and then I took over from her, reading everything I can.  I can remember checking out all the Nancy Drews from the library and I read Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley and some series about dancing.  I read the Narnia books over and over and The Neverending Story and countless others.

 When I got older, I read much the same, loving series and reading everything by whatever author I was focused on that I could.  I went through an Agatha Christie phase around 15 and read as many as I could.  I read Harlequins and Judith Krantz and many books that were probably too old for me, but I was reading and my mom did little to censor me.  She just liked that I read.  And then I went to college and did very little reading for four years.  When I was done with my bachelors, I picked up the habit again and read for two more years.  Then I went to graduate school and reading became defined to textbooks and sneaking in pleasure reading at odd times and holidays yet again.  And then I was done and free to read and read.

At some point during this I switched from "adult" fiction to Young Adult or Teen fiction.  That genre of fiction that wasn't really available or at least termed that way when I was actually a young adult.  This actually served me well since my first librarian job was at a public library.  I was the Reference Librarian, true, but I made that job what I wanted and incorporated some teen programming, something that was sorely lacking at that library.  (Sadly, after I left, it fizzled out with nobody willing to pick up that slack.)

Now I now longer with teens, but college-aged students and their goals and questions put to me when I work at the Reference Desk are not about fiction, but assignments.  But to fill the void, I guess, I started a book blog that was, at first, meant only for me, but I've gained some followers and made myself a nice niche in a section of the book blogging world and I've enjoyed it for the most part.  It's given me lots to read and joining challenges has helped to pull me out of my normal reading and gotten me to explore some other genres.

I still read a lot.  And I read to my little boy every night, trying to instill in him the same love of reading that my mother did for me.

Not a good morning

Let me lead you through my mornings.  I get up somewhere between 5:25 and 5:45 (on a bad day) and workout, two of my least favorite things to do but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.  Then I fix Bub some oatmeal and juice and set it on the TV tray in the living room and put on whatever show he likes watching at the time.  For a while it was Micky Mouse Clubhouse, but he likes Timmy Time right now.  I don't really care.  I use to get him dressed in bed and then let him eat cereal in the car on the way to daycare, but now I let him watch TV.  Anyway, I very nicely turn on his lamp so his room isn't too bright first thing and then tell him to wake up, that Timmy Time (or whatever) is on.  Most of the time he will get up and go into the living room.  I pick out his clothes and bring them into the living room and then them.  I then go get dressed myself hoping he will eat while I'm doing that.  Then, ideally, I go and get him dressed or help him dressed himself, fix my lunch if I need to and off we go.

Lately he has been giving me so much trouble.  This morning, as an example, he didn't want to get out of bed and then he finally did. I told him to eat.  When I peeked out he wasn't eating, so I told him that the TV would be going off if he didn't eat.  He took a bite.  When next I looked he was just laying there.  No.  So I went and turned the TV off and tried to make him get dressed.  He didn't want.  Frustrated, I said to get dressed now and then the TV can come back on.  Finally he did with tears.  Then he didn't want to eat.  I told him no oatmeal tomorrow.  I'm done wasting food on someone who won't eat it.  Crying.  But it's too late, we have to go.  This kid has 1, maybe 2 things to do in the morning.  Eat his food which I fixed for him and get dressed.  I don't even require the latter.  It would just be nice.  Tomorrow we are going to start fixing his behavior.  TV is not a right and certainly not first thing in the morning.  I am just being nice.  Really I'm a pick-your-battles kind of mom.  And we are about to go to war over the morning routine.

Five things laying around my computer.

1. My coffee cup from which I drink my morning drink of VIA and Ovaltine.

2.  My squeeze man who I use for stress relief.

3.  My book that I am currently reading: The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes

4.  My hand sanitizer

5.  My water bottle so I can stay hydrated.

Randomness about milk

I love Starbucks Via.  I mixed it every  morning with Ovaltine, hot in the winter, cold in the summer.  And it is delicious!  I can't drink regular milk because I'm lactose intolerant but I found Land O'Lakes Dairy Ease which is so great and actually tastes like milk.  I tried Lactaid but it tastes chalky to me.  Bleh!  So I switched to soy which is fine especially the vanilla and the plain light.  But I need the calcium so I stumbled onto the Dairy Ease and decided to give it a try.  We have to buy two milks at my house, one for me and then regular milk for Bub.  But the nice thing about Dairy Ease is that I can cook with it and it doesn't leave an aftertaste like soy.  The bad thing is that I've only found it in one store in my city so far.  But still worth going over there to get it.

This weekend

We don't do much on the weekends.  I get off early on Fridays and so the house is cleaned that day so that I can have the weekend and it is easier to clean without the little boy around.  Occasionally we have visitors but mostly it is just us.  BT always works one day during the weekend and so I have Bub most of the time alone.  Often we head over to my parent's the days he works and hang out there.  It's very domestic and quiet which  most of the time I don't mind.

This weekend I'm thinking of doing a little Christmas shopping one day and picking up a toy for a birthday party that Bub has coming up for one of his preschool friends.  Other than that I would like to do some reading.  I have a lot on my to-be-read list and I need to par it down.  I have several reading challenges that I'm trying to finish up soon and so I need to read those books.  I also got some movies from the library for us to watch.  And that is about it.

Candy Corn cupcakes

I made what was suppose to be candy corn striped cupcakes for Halloween. They didn't come out striped like I wanted but still pretty cute.

Working out

ast year around this time I decided to lose weight and get healthy.  There were a variety of reason, but the actual beginning came from this thought: I will not be able to have another baby, gain the 30 lbs or so that comes with that and not end up with gestational diabetes or something.  For Bub I was borderline diabetic and I just know somehow that I would definitely have it if I didn't do something.  So it was the thought of my unborn, imaginary second child that did it.  I was always able to eat healthy and exercise when I was pregnant.  I didn't want to be responsible for doing something wrong that could negatively effect my baby.  I was really good.  I swam a couple times of week and ate right (most of the time) and did all the right things.  I think the worst thing I did was drink a mini-Coke everyday because I craved the taste.  And then I had Bub and never lost the weight.  I think I gained about 10 lbs more from my pre-pregnancy weight in fact.  But I let all this slide for a long time.

But now Bub weighs about 30 lbs and carrying him is a strain.  So the extra 30 lbs that I would not be able to put down worried me.  I got a pedometer for Christmas last year and walked and tried to attain 10,000 steps a day.  I did alright.  And then it got hot and I stopped.  I wasn't comfortable walking around my library, with all the students around and it was much too hot to go outside and sweat.  So I just let it fade off.

And then around August, I saw that Netflix streamed workout videos and this seemed like a sign.  My sister-in-law had asked me to be in her wedding and I was worrying about being the fat girl in the wedding and I was still worried about the weight gain of the second child that I keep planning.  I had lost about 10 lbs and then stalled because I had changed my eating but wasn't burning anything off.  I can't work out when I get home.  Bub is too whiny and too needy and he won't let me exercise so my only choice was to get up in the morning.  I am not good at mornings.  But I hauled my ass out of bed at the beginning of August at 5:30 and started exercising.  I was very proud of myself.  Look at me!  One of those working out people.  Like all healthy! And surprising I have kept it up and lost another 10 lbs.  I've had some bad weeks where I barely did anything at all, mostly because of sickness.  And I jumped around between videos (I have to do videos because I can't leave the house) a whole lot.  But I've finally figured out a good routine, doing mostly aerobic exercise(to burn fat) with alterations of strength training (to build muscle) and Pilate's (to lengthen and tone) and it's working well for me and I'm feeling pretty good.

He wants a sister

never thought I'd get pressure to have a second baby from my 3 year old.  But he has been pressing hard for a little sister for a couple of months now.  I don't think he knows what he is asking for.  When asked where we are going to get this little sister store, the response is "from the store."  Aw, no, I explain.  Mommies grow babies in their tummies so you have to wait for mommy to get a baby in her tummy.  He counters that he can just grow the baby in his tummy since it is his little sister.  Well, I response, it will be my baby so I should be the one to grow her.  Now? he asks.  No, after your aunt's wedding next year.
Wedding?  Getting married?  Who's getting married?  Are you?
No, I am already married.  Aunt Katy is going to marry Uncle John (he already calls sister-in-law's fiancé uncle, but they have been together as long as Bub has been alive).  Yeah, the concept of marriage is a hard one for a 3 year old.  That's ok, I tell him, I'll let you know when the time comes.  You can be the first to know.  So I'm hoping for a little sister which will make everyone happy, our mothers, our sisters and apparently Bub.  But he still has to wait.

The Holidays

eople seem to be posting about the holidays now.  I guess since we have successfully made it to November, everyone is getting anxious for the big show of the year.  My family, unlike my husband's family, has very little in the way of big traditions.  For Thanksgiving, we sometimes spent it at our house and sometimes we drove to my aunt and uncle's house.  It just depended.  On what I really don't know.  But my parents had it worked out and I really didn't care.  We always had turkey and all the fixings.  For Christmas, we decorated the tree after Thanksgiving and we got to open one present a piece Christmas Eve and then we woke up the next day and opened the rest.  There was very little ceremony to the whole thing.  And sometimes we stayed home and sometimes we went to my aunt and uncle's.  We had ham and all the fixings and the day was spent playing with our new stuff.  But we always spent it together.

Once BT and I moved in together, things began changing.  I think the first year we lived together we spent Christmas apart with our families or maybe that was Thanksgiving.  I know we did Thanksgiving apart for a few years.  And then we started spending Christmas Eve at his parent's house and then driving Christmas day to my parent's house.  It started to become too much.  BT never wanted to leave his parent's and I was anxious to see my family and it was overwhelming.  I decided that there was no way I was going to do all this driving when we had kids because then it really would be too much.  So at some point we instituted an alternating pattern.  One year we did Thanksgiving with his family and Christmas with mine and then the next year we switched: Christmas with his family and Thanksgiving with mine.  And it has worked out for us.  I don't know how our parents like it.  They accepted it anyway.  And they get a full holiday with their grandson instead of just a half a day otherwise.  I could not even imagine trying to drag Bub away on Christmas Day to go to someone else's house.  My brother-in-law and his wife seem to have fallen into our pattern as well so some holidays my mother-in-law gets to have all her children and grandchildren at her house which she loves.  And my sister comes down when it is my parent's Christmas so then my mom gets to have her daughters and grandson as well.

So far I think this has worked out for everybody or at least no one has complained to my face.  I think it takes the pressure off of the holidays for the families and it just makes it so much easier.

Sweet Dreams

The other night I had a dream.  Maybe it was one long dream or just the same dream twice.  I'm not sure how that works.  But anyway.  The first dream had me and my sister-in-law's fiancé in New Orleans going to a dance class, but then we just ended up wandering around the city talking about life and their upcoming nuptials.  We were holding hands through part of it.  I remember because I was surprised.  Then I had the same dream again, same scenario and everything only my sister-in-law was the one I was with.  Same conversation, same hand holding, but she was a little girl.  It was so strange.

So onto the dream dictionary:

To dream that your own grown children are still very young, indicates that you still see them as young and dependent.
So she is not my own child, but I have known her since she was 12 and now she is almost 24 so that's half her life.  But she is getting married and growing up.

To dream that you are holding hands with someone, represent love, affection and your connection with that person. Your dream may also reflect anxieties about losing touch with him/her or that you are drifting apart.
True, true.  I do love them both very much and we have been hanging out more since she came home from grad school.  As for drifting apart, I don't know.  Maybe they will move away and we won't see them as much.  And I think part of this is the realization the other day that we have only seen our nephew like 3 or 4 times and I wish that we could see BT's brother and his family more.  And so I'm afraid that we won't see my sister-in-law and her husband much or something.

To dream that you are walking with ease, signifies a slow, but steady progress toward your goals. You are moving through life in a confident manner. Consider your destination.
They are moving towards their goal of getting married and becoming their own family.  I am moving toward the goal of completing my family when I have a second child.   I've sort of hinged my pregnancy timeline on their wedding.  Once it is over, then we are going to start trying for our next kid.

Interesting what dreams can reveal.

Time Change

I am insanely tired today.  A lot comes from the book sale this weekend and working all day Saturday.  But then the time change and that threw me off.  This is actually my favorite time change.  It is so much easier than the spring one where we gain an hour.  But still when you forget to change your alarm clock and end up getting up at 4:30 am rather than 5:30, it can be a bad thing.  Bub doesn't get up till 6:15/6:30, depending and he is hard to wake up in general, but I think he is getting sick or at least he has this cough and he was not happy about waking up this morning at all.  In fact he screamed at me to go back to bed and then threw an epic tantrum, just refusing to get out of bed.  And then when I walked out of his room, he got up and closed the door and went back to bed so I had to go back in and talked him into to getting up and watching a little TV before he got dressed. 

I got up and did a short work-out and then saw the time and did about 10 more minutes of exercise and then played on the computer for a bit and watched a little TV.  Then I got dressed and started doing my usual stuff.  So at least I sort of used my time wisely.  I think maybe everyone is going to bed extra early tonight though.

Stickers

use to collect stickers.  It was a big thing when I was younger.  We had sticker books that we pasted them in.  In fact, my mom still has mine.  And now my son loves stickers.  Like a whole lot!  He puts them on his hand, his face, his feet, his stomach, chest, bottom.  He loves stickers!  He pretty much always has since he was around 1 1/2.  I find stickers everywhere, especially all of the floor.  One time, his aunt asked if Bub had been sleeping in her bed and my mother-in-law asked how she knew.  And she said because there were stickers all over her bed!  So funny.  He definitely leaves a trail where ever he goes.

Ramblings about my book sale

Part of my job is to run my library's book sale.  This is the first library that I know of that has the staff run the "Friends" book sale.  Most other libraries have the friends themselves do the book sale.  But there is not a strong friends organization here to do that and so it falls to my position since I am also in charge of book donations.  I am not a huge fan of this part of my job.  I mean I don't mind doing gifts.  I don't even mind doing the sale itself.  It's all the prep work involved and getting people to get their butts out of their chairs and help me.  I do get some very good volunteers from the staff who help and I really appreciate it.  My old staff is enthusiastic and ready to work, but it takes more than 3 people and even with my 2 new people, it still not enough.  And no one wants to work the Friday afternoon and the Saturday so, of course, I do it.  It's fine.  I can read and straighten up.

It's funny to see what people buy and how happy they are to get good and cheap deals on books.  And they buy stuff that I wouldn't think anyone was interested in.  And, in the process, we make money for my library which desperately needs money to buy books since the state keeps taking all of ours.  But that's a different topic.

Zoo Pictures

We went to the zoo recently and I got some nice pictures of the animals.

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?

I've been afraid of the dark most of my life.  I have no idea where it came from, but I slept with a light on for a very long time and a nightlight till I was 16.  I still have nights where I am afraid and will make my husband come lay down with me, if he is still up, so I can go to sleep.  I have an overactive imagination and if I read something upsetting or scary or see something on TV, I tend to take it to bed with me.  Plus I've always been a night owl.  My mom says that since I was very little, she would wake up and find me playing with my toys, quiet as can be.  Part of that was probably fear of the dark and of going to sleep.  I used to have really bad nightmares all the time.  One that I can remember involved rhinoceros that broke into the house...yeah, I don't know why either.

So I shouldn't be surprised that my son has suddenly developed similar fears.  It's common at his age.  I was hoping to avoid it.  I don't want to be like me in this respect.  Recently he's developed a fear of the Big, Bad Wolf.  I have no idea where he knows about the big, bad wolf, probably school.  But it's there.  At first, he seemed calmed by the idea that the dogs were in the living room and would protect him, but it seems to be getting worse.  Now he is afraid of dark rooms in the house and doesn't want his door open if the lights are out.  I'm not sure how to make this better.  Is it something he will outgrow?  Hopefully.  But what can I do for him now?  My mother-in-law used a spray on her children's room.  BT and his brother were afraid of monkeys (freaking jungle animals!) so she had a "monkey spray"  and she used a "sweet dream spray" on my sister-in-law to help alleviate their fears.  Maybe I need a "big bad wolf" spray.  Maybe he needs more nightlights and a flashlight.  I don't know.  But I surely don't want him to be afraid of his own room.

Blog Everyday in November (BEDN)

esterday I decided to post everyday in November in solidarity of my NaNoWriMo people.  I know a few who are doing it from Twitter, my book blog, and in real life.  I used to write a lot when I was younger but somehow the impulse died out in me which makes me a little sad.  Maybe I will start writing again.  I don't know.  Part of me is intrigued by NaNoWriMo.  Like the idea would be solid for me.  I could write a crappy YA novel in a month, sure.  Would anything ever happen after that?  I don't know.  I'm not driven to write like some people and it has never been a big dream of mine to publish anything fictional.  My dreams tend to lead down the academic hallway.  I'm more of a degree-getter than anything else.  But we all have our things.

Anyway, hopefully this will make up for posting almost nothing in September and October.

I want...

ometimes when I am bored or out of sorts, I play a game in my head I call "I want."  I start with something simple.  "I want a coke" and build from there.  Often I find that I can get to the root of my problem. That what I really want will pop up in the middle of the game.  I guess it is like a stream of consciousness type thing.  Where I can't or don't want to admit or don't even really know what is bothering me.  It can sound like an entirely selfish game.  I want, I want, I want.  Sometimes I just want things I don't need or can't have.  I think everyone is like that.  Even completely unselfish people want things for themselves. 

Happy Halloween!

I know I haven't been posting but I hope everyone is having a fun, spooky and safe Halloween.  We went to a local old-fashioned Cajun village and did some fun Halloween activities including treat or treating and then carved pumpkins at our house,  then had treat or treating Saturday night in our town.  So it was a very fun and full day.

"I'm Batman"

Batman pumpkin and Darth Vader pumpkin

Love ya like a biscuit *

Today my husband and I are celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary.  We have been together for 12 years total which is a pretty long time.  I thought that I'd celebrate with some of my favorite quotes on love.

*blog title comes from a restaurant in my town that serves the best biscuits ever

"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."

— Jane Austen (Emma)

I know this love is passing time
Passing through like liquid
I am drunk in my desire...
But I love the way you smile at me
I love the way your hands reach out and hold me near...
I believe...

I believe
This is heaven to no one else but me
And I'll defend it as long as
I can be left here to linger in silence
If I choose to

-Sarah McLachlan ("Elsewhere")

"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction."

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (The Little Prince)

"Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can."

— Alice Hoffman (Practical Magic) 

"Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words "make" and "stay" become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free."

— Tom Robbins (Still Life with Woodpecker)

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."

— Dr. Seuss

Sports

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I don't do sports.  I don't like to be dirty or sweat or really go outside that much.  I started t-ball at 6 and then moved onto softball for a little while.  But I also did gymnastics starting at age 5 and then moved to dance and gymnastics at 6, then I quit gymnastics and danced till I was 13 when I gave it up, something I deeply regretted as soon as I did it.  And my mom wouldn't let me rejoin after we moved to a new town because I had quit.  So out when any interest I had in physical activities.

My husband, on the other hand, loves sports.  He played hockey, soccer, baseball from elementary to middle school and ran track in high school.  He loves sports.  He plays fantasy football every year which leads to him watching lots of games.  We are such a stereotypical couple.

But I don't want my child to be one of those kids that never goes outside and doesn't do anything.  So I have signed him up for soccer this fall and will sign him up for t-ball in the spring.  I think this is a good start.  And so far the soccer has gone well.  The first practice or game or whatever went ok.  Bub was nervous and unsure but the second session he did much better and wanted to keep playing beyond the hour session.  This is a good sign for sure.

Hullo

Sorry I've been neglecting this blog.  I thought of a good topic this afternoon that I'm going to try to post on soon.  Little man started soccer on Saturday which was precious and then I got sick with strep that night and am finally feeling better today.  Still I'm tired and I think BT is getting sick.  Better him than Bub, but still.  The weather is gorgeous though which makes the sickness all the more sadder.

New hair

I got my first highlights when I was 19 and I have been highlighting/dyeing my hair ever since.  I usually just put in blond and/or red highlights into my naturally medium brown hair to give it a little lift, but around April or May I dyed it dark red.  I liked it well enough, but recently decided I wanted to do something different.  I've never gone darker only lighter and usually with highlights.  Also I've done home coloring, only gone to a salon.  Well, last night my aunt dyed my hair dark, dark brown out of a box.  I used Revlon Colorsilk Dark Brown.  I liked it.  It smelled nice and it came out great.  It is really dark and will take some getting use to, but I think I'm going to like it.  It will be good for the fall and winter.

In which I complain about my husband losing weight

esterday BT comes up to me with the measuring tape.  He wants to measure his waist; which of course he has to do right in front of me so that I get the maximum impact of how much weight he has lost.  Now I have been working hard exercising for the past few months and even since November of last year trying to change my eating habits.  And Mr. Lose-the-Weight is just dropping it like no problem.  Of course, it is because he has diabetes and his body's response was to start dropping weight off.  But now he is all rubbing it in my face.  Honestly, he doesn't mean to, he is just happy not to be fat anymore.   But still.  Now he is back to the weight he was when we meet.  I wish I was...

Sandcastle

BIG Photo Challenge: Theme - Black and White

Picture taken at the beach recently

And I'm back...

e had a nice time though I'm not sure everyone else did.  Half the family was cranky all weekend long.  I was just trying to get along and enjoy the quiet, the beach, and my drink.  I feel like I succeeded for the most part.  Little man loved the beach specifically the sandy part.  He was a little less enamoured of the water though once he got used to it on both days he had fun in it.  The first day we had a great sandbar right in front of us and he loved that.  The second day his grandfather and one of the family friends that came along made a sandcastle and they had toy knights and soldiers and so Bub spent quite a while playing castle.

The weather was beautiful and not too hot with a nice breeze especially in the mornings.  The water wasn't the best I have seen, too many sea hares and too much seaweed where we were, but it was pleasant outside and nice to be away from home and work.  We went to the beach for two days and then came home on Monday.  We didn't do too much other than that.  Just hung around.  The drive home was ridiculous though.  It's normally a 6 hour drive, but it took us 8.5 hours to get home.  It was insanely back up almost the whole way home.  So we are all super tired today.  Funny how that much driving can wear you out.

The Beach

Mardi Gras 2009

I am not a big fan of the beach in general.  Salt water makes my skin feel weird and it is hot and sticky and sandy and bathing suits are involved.  So yeah not my biggest thing.  But we usually go to my in-laws' condo in Florida for Labor Day.  We didn't last year for some reason, but this year we get to go.  And I need a break from work so bad right now.  So I am actually looking forward to the beach this year.  I've got my cute Lime Ricki swimsuits and I'm ready to get my drink on.  And it is always nice to go with the in-laws since my mother-in-law and youngest sister-in-law (when she is there) will do things for Bub thus taking some of the burden off of me.  And even better he wants them to pay attention to him AND they want to do it so I am not expected to play with him all the time like I am when we are alone and he has some weird separation anxiety and won't let me go.

The last few times we've gone he has been little and he liked the sand but not the ocean so much.  I'm curious to see how this year goes since he doesn't mind too much going underwater but he doesn't want to do it all the time.  And with the waves crashing down and everything, I'm not sure how much he will like it.  But his grandfather has been dying to take him to the beach for a while now so that will be cute.