Projects that aren't mine but become mine

You KNOW how much I love those. 

another post about reading

“This can be a quick one. Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.”

1. Through a Glass Darkly


2. Book Thief (I wept.  I laughed.  I wept some more.)


3. Thirteenth Tale


4. Books of Rachel


5. Neverwhere


6. Fairy Haven & the Quest for the Wand - the first long chapter book I read Munchkin


7. Goodnight Moon


8. The Hobbit


9. Lord of the Rings (trilogy)


10. Book of a Thousand Days


11. The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch (the way she has to totally rebuild her life after the sudden death of her husband rang so familiar)


12. Breathing Room (although this is a silly chick-lit novel, it was perfectly timed with events happening in my life)


13. Eve: a Novel of the First Woman


14. The Witching Hour


15. A Clockwork Orange (not because I enjoyed it but because of the controversy it caused in my household)

 

Is there a book that you wish you could “unread”? One that  you disliked so thoroughly you wish you could just forget that you ever read it?

Pillars of the Earth.  I hated it.  absolutely HATED it.  Threw it in the kitchen trash.  I have NEVER thrown away a book.  If it wasn't against fire code, I would have BURNED it. 

a post about reading

Reading something frivolous? Or something serious?

Depends on my mood.  I'm currently reading The History of Love by Nicole Krauss and it's touching and beautiful and poignant.  It is laced with a lot of humor but it's not the side-splitting "har har" stuff... 

Paperbacks? Or hardcovers?

doesn't matter

Fiction? Or Nonfiction?

fiction - definitely.  non-fiction generally loses me somewhere after the lengthy acknowledgements... *yawn*

Poetry? Or Prose?

Prose

Biographies? Or Autobiographies?

biographies - generally somebody on the outside looking in is not as defensive

History? Or Historical Fiction?

historical fiction

Series? Or Stand-alones?

You know, that's a funny one because I say it doesn't matter but then find myself REALLY disappointed to come to the end of a WONDERFUL read only to realize that's it... 

Classics? Or best-sellers?

Best sellers.  I find the classics demand a more dedicated pursuit than I am able to commit most of the time.

Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose?

fruity, baby!  I like the juicy details that paint the picture for me.  Stark prose doesn't pull as much. 

Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness?

definitely plots.  stream of consciousness makes me dizzy. 

Long books? Or Short?

depends on how good it is.  You know what I mean by this too - good books you want to go on forever.  Bad books, you're thankful when they are short. 

Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated?

I love the trend toward the graphic novel.  Affirms those pictures in my head. 

Borrowed? Or Owned?

Owned.  I dread loaning my books out (even though I do it all the time) and am terrible about becoming attached to a story or characters and assimiliating a really good find into my collection.  As a result, I very rarely borrow.

New? Or Used?

doesn't matter AS LONG as they aren't written in.  I can't STAND writing in books!!!!  (yes, I've done it but it makes my heart ache to deface a book; even if it's mine and it's a wonderful non-fiction resource)

taking this into consideration

I've made no secret that I want a new couch.  I looked enviously at my brother and sister-in-law's new leather couches.  The kittehs make a VERY good point.  I think I will reconsider leather.

Hmmm....

WOW! Post

Read THIS POST by my friend, Sarah, on Weekly Family Meetings, then come back over here.  Definitely worth a read for moms and dads. 

 

Coach & I remarked LAST NIGHT how frazzled we feel.  We constantly run 600 miles per hour and in 1000 different directions.  With football and school for him, Munchkin's gymnastics and now her part in the THS play and my involvement in the show at the Civic theater, we've noticed a sharp decline in the amount of quality time we're spending together as a family. 

This is a critical time for our family because we are still all adjusting to this wonderful new family thing and those opportunities to spend time together and just "be" together are really important.  While I'm greatly enjoying the show at TCT (I can do so few), it sucks up a lot of my time.  The good news is the show will open in three weeks, run for two weekends and be finished.  I won't do another one for at least another year so my nightly time drain will be gone.

weathering the storms

Jesus Calms the Storm (Matthew 8:23-28)

 ²³Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

 ²⁶He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

 ²⁷The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

 

"Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" (Mark 4:38b)

You know, I was thinking about this story this morning.  Oftentimes, I think Jesus allows the waves to nearly overwhelm our fragile little boats, just to remind us 1. how powerful the world HE created is and 2. that we MUST have faith in his promises.  It seems perfectly apparent to us the waves are going to crash over the sides of our boat and we will drown in the world's problems, illnesses, financial problems, family crisis - you name it.  But, just like in this story, we are like the disciples who forget that the Creator of the Universe is in the boat with us. 

So, when those waves that occasionally rise up and threaten to crash our little boat perhaps, instead of freaking out and running to Jesus asking if he cares if we drown, we should stop and look for the learning opportunity - perhaps God has allowed this storm to come up because, in our pride, we've become overconfident and cocky in our approach to life.  Perhaps it is a way for God to get our attention and remind us we are not capable of steering the ship into anything but rocks (or a watery grave).  It's my hope that whether Jesus calms the wind and waves surrounding our little boat or not, He'll always be with us - with us as we weather the storm.  (Hebrews 11:1) 

 

update

it's raining.

Know what?

...I'm hungry

Know what else?  I'm sleepy.

Ok, that is all.

return to the blogosphere

Life gets so busy, sometimes it's hard to find time to put two words together (that aren't related somehow to work). 

Life in Crazyville is good.  Busy, but very good.  Some days I feel totally covered up by all the obligations that claim my time but, in the midst, is a quiet happy that surrounds our little family. 

I think we're beginning to settle into a routine of family and, while it is very busy all. the. time, we enjoy the time we have together immensely and there is a lot of laughter. 

Munchkin has begun acting like an "OMGosh, Mooooooooooom" age girl.  She's very independent and opinionated and, while that's the kind of strength that will help her later in life, it's pretty teeth-gritting right now.  Molding that strong will promises to be a challenge but certainly one I'm up for. 

She is a delight (when she's not rolling her eyes).  She's reading and she loves school.  Her teacher is young and lively but she's got a lot of experience.  I love her.  She's firm without being harsh and I think Munchkin's in love with her.  (which makes life oh-so-much-easier)

Ah, work.  Work is good.  NUTZO - all. the. time.  You know, I like job security but somedays it's a bit much even for me.  Don't get me wrong - we're making incredible progress and I love my job.  Really.  I do have one of the coolest jobs in the district; if I say so myself. 

Well, the coolest job in the district summons me.  Back to it. 

later, gators.