Christmas? Really? Are You Sure?

1 Comment / Daily Dose, Day to Day /

If it weren’t for the Christmas card rolling in (thanks, y’all) and all of the packages being delivered by UPS, FEDEX and on rare occasions by the US Postal Service, I wouldn’t believe it was Christmas time.

The only decoration in the house is the snowman plumber that TW bought in hopes of scaring Buster butt enough that he would stop going into the bathroom and eating all of the things. That worked for about two days and then he just carried the snowman plumber into the living room so he could drink almond oil and eat used tissues in peace.

I looked at the calendar an hour ago and realized that Michelle and Chris will be here in 9 days. NINE DAYS. I’m looking forward to that but I’m so not ready. I guess the gift shopping is done — and if it’s not, someone will find a box of dollar bills or something to make up for the lack of thoughtful gifting (good things all of the kids like money, right?)

I need to make a serious to do list and get some SHIT done. I would probably have more success with that if I stopped watching videos about organizing your calendar, organizing your Filofax and and organizing your life. Less snow would also help.

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Snowflakes, Sunbursts, and Stars

2013, Art, Books in Bed, Non-Fiction /

Jenna tweeted me about Snowflakes, Sunbursts, and Stars so I had to reserve it at the library. What she doesn’t know is that I’m a horrible quiller and an almost equally bad origami and kirigami person. I love all of the papercrafts but I’m not meticulous enough for them and I get frustrated. I also have problems understanding written origami directions. TELL me which fold to make and I’m good — show me in diagrams and I’m probably going to screw it up 15 times.

This book is GORGEOUS. Every single star, sunburst and snowflake. I wanted them all and I loved the project ideas in the back. It was almost gorgeous enough to make me want to try a few projects. Thankfully a good night’s sleep was enough to knock that idea out of my head. However, I think Elly might be game to give a few a try so I’m going to try and find my papers and see if I can convince her to make me one for Christmas…

Wish me (her? us?) luck — we’re going to need it through no fault of the book, which is really really beautiful.

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And All The Stars

1 Comment / 2013, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I decided to go ahead and buy And All the Stars since I finished the book I took to the hospital on Sunday and was book-less. (Though I’m guessing I’d have broken down and bought it eventually because I really don’t like leaving my Cybils shortlist unfinished.) And now… I’m officially done with this year’s Cybils Shortlist challenge. Yay.

And All the Stars is an Australian book and I find Australian books to be odd, in general. There’s just something about the voice… I guess maybe it’s an Australian voice? hah. I dunno. Just odd. And when it’s SciFi or Fantasy, it’s even odder.

This one was pretty odd. Aliens and blue skin with stars vs green skin people and weird powers and just mayhem. A bunch of kids save the world, which was fun. There’s also some gender stuff in there and some strong female characters.

Overall, I liked it. Not my favorite of all of the Cybils but I certainly didn’t hate it.

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Coming Or Going

1 Comment / Daily Dose, Day to Day /

I don’t know which I’m doing. Mostly just sitting around wondering what the hell?

Packages keep arriving, quite often with things I forgot I ordered (even though I remembered ordering them once I opened them.) Other packages have not arrived but at this point that could be because I didn’t actually remember to order them.

I can’t seem to get the present closet cleaned out and inventoried because there’s too much other shit to do.

It’s cold, really cold, and neither of us have any winter clothes out. PEople keep telling TW not to stress about that — that the winter clothes will be there when we have time to find them. Those folks aren’t banging down our door to shovel us out of the snow in 1F (with a windchill that I don’t even want to think about) which makes me kind of want to tell them all to #suckit. We absolutely ARE correct to be stressing over the lack of winter clothes. Shoveling the snow in tshirts and long sleeved tshirts and light weight jeans in 12F was bad enough. Gah. So yea, I’ll be up early tomorrow looking for something warmer to get us through another day until we can find the REAL winter clothes boxes.

At least I got my library book back in time today — that’s a big deal since I keep accruing fines when I’m normally a stickler for getting my books back on time. Let’s call today a win, for that reason alone.

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The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays

2 Comments / 2013, Books in Bed, cookbooks, Favorites /

I wasn’t in the mood to start a new book on Sunday morning (which turned out to be a good thing since we ended up at the ER) and The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays was due back at the library soon so I figured I’d just relax with that for awhile til I was ready to start something else. Very good choice since it was the perfect thing to enjoy last night after the ER exhaustion.

The thing about Ree’s books … they always make me want to cook, which is ridiculous since I never want to cook. I also tend to say things like “mmmmm, I want to eat that right now” which leads TW to say “but you don’t like…” and I have to say “yes I do” which leads us to argue about the foods I do and don’t like.

Anyway. That’s what happened here. I want black-eyed peas salsa and alllllllll of the potato skins and allllllll of the different french toast casseroles and I want the red velvet pancakes even though TW hates that idea and I want grilled corn in eleventy different ways.

Yum.

PS. The photos in the book are also awesome. Gosh the kids are getting so big. How did that happen (which is what we said when we saw them in person earlier this year. Kids should not grow so quickly, should they?)

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Relish

2013, Books in Bed, Comics & Graphic Novels, Non-Fiction, Women /

I grabbed Relish to take to the hospital yesterday when we took TW’s mom to the ER — and I finished it before the doctor had even made his way in to see her. It’s a super fast read, as graphic novels often are.

I liked it, though not as much as I’d hoped — based on whatever reviews or reading list I read that caused me to reserve it last week. But, it was good — I just had super, super high expectations.

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Boy21

2013, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

I’m not a fan of “boy” YA and when the boy YA is also sportscentric, I know it’s either going to be a total snoozer for me OR it’s going to be one of the best books ever.

Boy21 — one of the best books ever.

I was worried, particularly at the beginning, but right about the time Finley met “Boy21” I had settled in and was hooked. I read the book straight through after that. Now I’m left wondering what happened to Finley, Erin and Russ. I hope they all three had good, happy lives.

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Mmmm, Pie

Daily Dose, Family Funk, Foodie, Memories /

Funny title, coming from me, isn’t it? I don’t like pie. At least that’s what I usually say.

The only real pie that I love is pumpkin pie and I can eat a whole pumpkin pie all by myself, in just a few days. In fact, I prefer it if I’m the only one eating the pumpkin pie. Let the other people eat the other desserts and just leave me the pumpkin pie.

I’ll eat the bottom crust but I never eat the side crust. Ever. Blech.

Which is why I don’t like pie. I don’t like crust.

I will eat a cherry pie but will leave as much of the crust on the plate as possible, which means I really just like the cherry filling. And please. Do not ever put a top crust on a pie. That just pisses me the hell off.

I’ll actually eat all sorts of pie FILLING. Key lime, lemon meringue, banana cream, apple, peach. I just kind of wish people would make crustless pies more often. That would be wonderful.

But…

Today we went to Bakers Square to pick up a holiday silk pie that I ordered for TW’s mom to take to some social event or another (and I ordered a banana cream pie for me and TW… I’ll eat the filling and leave the crust, duh) and all of the pies in the case looked really appealing. But I know I won’t like them. I’ll just like the filling. Seems dumb to buy a pie just for the filling, doesn’t it?

That visit to Bakers Square reminded me of going to Shoney’s when I was a kid and picking up a Strawberry Pie, on special occasions. It didn’t happen often but when it did, oh boy was that awesome. I miss those pies.

Well the filling. And the whipped cream on top.

I’d give pretty much anything for a good ole’ Shoney’s Strawberry Pie right now. Hell, as nostalgic as I’m feeling, I might even eat the crust.

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