roots of the mountains

Exercise routine

2011-11-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

Freak October Snow Videos

2011-11-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

How to Make Applesauce

2011-09-30T12:04:00.001-07:00

First, taste the apples to make sure that they're good.

Next, wash the apples. Yes, tasting should alway come before washing!

Check and see which apples still are dirty. Count them, if you want to.

Supervise the apple peeling. Try turning the crank a little but only with Mommy's help.

Tasting the cinnamon stick is essential to the best applesauce. Once you've tasted, add it to the pot.

Stir.

Let it cook for a while and ask Mommy to mash it up later.
(Note: I decided to add in the peels because the peeler I was using took off a lot of the flesh with it. I later had to fish them all out. And I forgot to take a picture of the final product.)

Birthday videos

2011-09-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

At my baby shower, a friend recommended taking a video of E. talking on her birthday every year. I forgot last year but here's this year. And yes, that is her dog's name that she says at the end.

And here's her opening a gift. I really enjoy her excitement. Sorry about the background noise; we had the windows open and you can hear neighbors' music as well as some traffic. Aah, Bushwick on a summer day.

Time for some adorable sleep pictures

2011-08-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

Someone still loves her big girl bed, though she has a lot more books on her "nightstand" than I do.

Yes, in the middle of the summer it's very important to keep your head warm.

I'm growing

2011-07-23T14:25:00.001-07:00

Last summer, I was just getting into pigtails and was as big as the yellow dog.

This year, I'm almost as big as the pink bunny and I decide which type of pigtails or braids I want. But I still love dresses and I still have a great sandal tan!

Finished Vintage Mystery Challenge!

2011-05-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

While I still have one more on my list, I am officially finished since I read a total of 16 vintage mysteries. Along the way, I learned a lot about myself as a mystery reader. I prefer mysteries that have well-developed characters, are not overly formulaic, and tell a good story. If I would enjoy the characters and story without the murder, that's usually a good sign. Sometimes a mystery is only interesting because you want to find out who did it or who else will die. I admit that I like those types occasionally, as a quick read while traveling, for example. But after reading so many mysteries by several different authors, I think I will be skipping the quick read types for a while! On the plus side, I have had my appetite whetted to read more of several new authors.

My final reviews in order read, with most recent last:

Detection Unlimited: Humorous, great characterization, witty detective--almost perfect! I do think Heyer made it a little too clear that there was going to be a murder on the day of the tennis matches because of the detail with which she described the location and everyone's movements. Other than that, I really enjoyed this "English countryside" murder mystery. Besides the cunning plot, I appreciated the allusions to the post-WWII situation: ration cards, sons lost, other sons reporting for military service, and the challenges of maintaining a country estate. Heyer also did an excellent job keeping all the characters/suspects distinct. I never found myself flipping back to figure out who was who again. Plus another reader had carefully written in the names of the residents near their houses on the map of the village on the first page.

Black Orchids and The Silent Speaker: This was my first foray into Nero Wolfe mysteries and I have to say, I enjoyed it! Nero Wolfe is a wealthy, overweight agoraphobic who loves orchids. He spends his days inside his Manhattan apartment, with set appointments to care for his orchids and takes occasional breaks for detecting, which is how he earns his money. The stories are narrated by Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's muscleman/detective/secretary who does most of his legwork for him. One of the introductions to the two (really three) mysteries, mentioned that he enjoyed the mood and humor of the stories and characters and read the novels for that, not so much for the mysteries themselves. I have to agree--both Black Orchids and The Silent Speaker contained well-plotted, intricate mysteries but I enjoyed watching Wolfe manipulate everyone around him and listening to Archie's attitude, as well as his apt summing up of other characters.

The Old Man in the Corner: Not really a novel--a series of very short mysteries told by an old man in a cafe to a young female reporter. The framing device was her listening to him recount the stories of and his deductions about infamous unsolved mysteries while he played with a string. He was supposed to be someone who annoyed her but that wasn't very convincing since neither character was developed well. Basically a series of puzzles, most of which depended on mistaken identity or hoaxes on the part of the criminal. Slightly interesting twist at the end with the old man's character but not that interesting overall and a slow read.

Singing in the Shrouds: I really enjoyed this mystery and agree with the book reviews that she's better than Agatha Christie. The story takes place on board a cruise ship and the detective, Inspector Alleyn is incognito as he hunts for a serial killer who may be on board. Of course, at the time they weren't called serial killers and the psychological profiles for serial killers weren't really developed like you'd see on a crime show today. I think that's part of what made it so interesting. Also, Alleyn writes up his "casebook" in a letter to his wife and indicates pretty early on that he has a good idea who the killer is, though he doesn't let us know until the end. Excellent setting and character development as well.

The Big Clock: Not entirely sure how I feel about this book. Is it really a mystery if you know who the murderer is? I suppose the mysterious part is watching the main character lead a manhunt for himself (the last one to see the murdered girl alive) on behalf of his boss who was the murderer. The characters were mostly unlikeable which bothers me but the twist on the nature of a mystery did make it more interesting. I was curious about why the police seemed to drop their investigation at the end.

Also, for the edition I read, I wish that the introduction hadn't given away the ending!

1. ~~Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham~~
2. ~~Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers~~
3. ~~The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers~~
4. ~~Detection Unlimited by Georgette Heyer~~
5. ~~The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin~~
6. The King is Dead by Ellery Queen (if it ever comes from the library)
7. ~~Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler~~
8. ~~Singing in the Shrouds by Ngaio Marsh~~
9. ~~Black Orchids by Rex Stout~~
10. ~~The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout~~
11. ~~The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor~~
12. ~~The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing~~
13. ~~The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy~~
14. ~~The High Window by Raymond Chandler~~
15. ~~The Lady in the Lake by Chandler~~
16. ~~The Little Sister by Chandler~~
17. ~~The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler~~

Roof Gardening Part 2

2011-04-25T13:53:00.001-07:00

My gardening success/failure rate seems about on par with my homemade yogurt rate. I've made four batches of the latter and two were great and two were broken, slimy, and quick to spoil. I'm taking a break from that for a while and now trying to improve my garden.

Last week, I moved all the seedlings outside which seems to be my big mistake. The lettuce is thriving and I've had to thin it a bit. One tomato pot has some seedlings left, with several drooping or dead. The herbs are also kind of iffy. So, we reseeded the tomatoes in one pot, and I restarted some herbs and marigolds separately in yogurt containers. Just noticed the irony--I'm using up my yogurt containers for the garden instead of making new yogurt.

Lettuce in front and invisible herb sprouts behind. The thing on the side of the picture is the edge of the fire escape stairs from the apartment above us.

Tomato pot with a few sprouty looking things.

Unsuspecting mom leaves lettuce seeds in child's room during naptime. With the above result: a well-seeded chair.

Roof Gardening Part 1

2011-04-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

We live on the second floor and our building continues out past our apartment on the first floor only. This gives us a bit of roof access through E's bedroom window. So, I decided to try a bit more gardening this year. Last year we grew tomatoes in a pot from a plant purchased at the green grocers.

Anyway, we bought some basil, thyme, rosemary, marigold, lettuce, and grape tomato seeds. We planted all of them on April 8th and put the lettuce directly outside. Everything else went on our kitchen shelves (see below). E. of course enjoyed all of this immensely, especially the scooping up and dumping in of dirt. At one point, she was digging in pots I had already seeded, which led to this often repeated (by her) comment, "Enough enough of dirt!"

She didn't actually like the feeling of dirt on her hands, so our after photo is relatively neat.

Here our seeds are all "sleeping."

Less Thrilling Mysteries

2011-04-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, my latest two mysteries were much less thrilling and interesting than past ones. I guess I shouldn't compare everyone to Chandler but these two at least didn't seem to stand alone as good writing but merely fit the bill as a "good read" in the mystery category.

The Case of the Gilded Fly was almost a three star but it was enjoyable and a quick read so I won't go that low. Too many literary allusions--like Lord Peter Wimsey on a really bad day. Especially since the book ends on a quote that's only alluded to and not spelled out at all. I tried hunting for the reference in the novel and also online but to no avail. Oh well, not that interested to know anyway, unfortunately. Other than that, I enjoyed the story. Kind of a locked room mystery. Not told from the perspective of the "detective", an Oxford literary scholar, but mostly from that of one of his former students who was one of the few with a solid alibi. I kind of liked it that detective was rather annoying to most people and had some personality flaws. It made him more amusing and took away from the excessive allusions.

The Cape Cod Mystery, however, I did call a three star. This is the first in the Asey Mayo series that I think all take place in Cape Cod. Asey Mayo is a handyman and is billed as a typical Cape Cod local, complete with odd speech patterns and incredible insight into human beings. That being said, I found it kind of boring. Too much conversation and not enough character development to help me keep track of who the various characters were. You know it's a bad sign when you have to remind yourself to take special note of who is speaking and stretch to remember if she's the young, pretty one or the older, overweight one. Mayo employed Miss Marple's technique of people reminding her of people she knew and their actions not straying from their type. This did make me wonder whether Agatha Christie stole this idea from Taylor but the characterization issues made this a little hard to buy. One point of interest was the historical details--the vacation house had electricity which was novel and a major point of the plot hinged on the bathing house and its key.

1. ~~Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham~~
2. ~~Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers~~
3. ~~The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers~~
4. Detection Unlimited by Georgette Heyer
5. ~~The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin~~
6. something by Ellery Queen
7. ~~Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler~~
8. Singing in the Shrouds by Ngaio Marsh
9. Black Orchids by Rex Stout
10. The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout
11. ~~The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor~~
12. The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing
13. The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy
14. ~~The High Window by Raymond Chandler~~
15. ~~The Lady in the Lake by Chandler~~
16. ~~The Little Sister by Chandler~~
17. ~~The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler~~

A little mid-afternoon silliness

2011-04-07T14:54:00.001-07:00

Her only comment was, "This is not your hat. It's Daddy's hat."

Unlikely pairing

2011-03-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

I probably shouldn't have read a Charlie Chan mystery so shortly after having finished all my Raymond Chandler novels. It just didn't hold up nearly as well as it might have without Marlowe breathing down my neck. Plus, I'd read the essays and letters that were in my Chandler collection and he definitely was a snob about mysteries. I don't think he's ruined the genre for me but he did make me realize that some of the "greats" were really about puzzles and not true to life in the least.

Anyway, I never saw any of the Charlie Chan movies so now I might have to so that I fully understand them. Nevertheless, The Chinese Parrot was amusing. It was very funny and, though predictable, I enjoyed watching all the pieces fall into place. My 21st century self at first thought it was a bit racist but then I realized how often Charlie Chan was able to use his race to an advantage to find out more about the crime so I decided it wasn't. Also, Biggers clearly points out how racist some of the other characters are and does not praise them for it, so I suppose it was pretty advanced for the 1920s. At times I wondered if these novels were written with the hopes that they would become movies since there was almost too much dialogue.

Since Sergio pointed out to me that I had the cut-off date for the Vintage Mystery Challenge wrong, I can now include The Long Goodbye. It could be subtitled, "Marlowe Makes a Friend and Gets Used." Or, "How to Make a Gimlet the Right Way." But I did really like it, don't get me wrong. Lots of turns and confusion and a real love-interest this time, though he doesn't seem to find her that attractive at first, at least not compared to the beautiful woman he has to fight off in one scene. Lots of hidden identities too.

1. ~~Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham~~
2. ~~Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers~~
3. ~~The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers~~
4. Detection Unlimited by Georgette Heyer
5. The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin
6. something by Ellery Queen
7. ~~Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler~~
8. Singing in the Shrouds by Ngaio Marsh
9. Black Orchids by Rex Stout
10. The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout
11. The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
12. The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing
13. The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy
14. ~~The High Window by Raymond Chandler~~
15. ~~The Lady in the Lake by Chandler~~
16. ~~The Little Sister by Chandler~~
17. ~~The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler~~
Half-way there!

Raymond Chandler obsession

2011-03-03T11:51:00.000-08:00

Who knew that I would develop such a Raymond Chandler obsession through my reading for the Vintage Mystery Challenge? I tend to read British mysteries more often and I almost never read anything set in LA but here I am, still going. And I'll probably add extras on to my list, since I have the Library of America collection of his later novels checked out from the library right now.

Anyway, I enjoyed The Lady in the Lake because it took Marlowe out of the city a bit and had a more appealing member of law enforcement--Sheriff Jim Patton. He put up with Marlowe breaking into a suspect's house very well and didn't seem so bitter against private eyes. Maybe it had something to do with his age and his rural location. He even had a card on his car that said, "Voters, Attention! Keep Jim Patton Constable. He is too old to go to work." But he still proved to be a surprisingly good shot. Add to this the twisted plot that I thought I had an early insight into and then it seemed to be wrong but then turned out to be true but twisted way worse than I imagined--great stuff.

The Little Sister was a little tougher. Marlowe seems to have reached his low point in this novel--several times he says to himself, "You're not human tonight, Marlowe." He appears to be done with LA--he describes how he used to like it, before it became a "neon-lighted slum." Also, "Real cities have something else, some individual bony structure under the muck. Los Angeles has Hollywood--and hates it. It ought to consider itself damn lucky. Without Hollywood it would be a mail-order city. Everything in the catalogue you could get better somewhere else." I wonder what he would think of it today--is it just more of the same?

I found it interesting that the female character he seemed closest to in this novel wasn't the girl next door type this time but the hard, desperate, blonde movie star. One character even hinted that he was in love with her but it's so hard to tell with Marlowe--maybe that's why I keep reading more!

~~1. Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham~~
~~2. Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers~~
3. The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers
4. Detection Unlimited by Georgette Heyer
5. The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin
6. something by Ellery Queen
~~7. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler~~
8. Singing in the Shrouds by Ngaio Marsh
9. Black Orchids by Rex Stout
10. The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout
11. The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
12. The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing
13. The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy
14. ~~The High Window by Raymond Chandler~~
15. ~~The Lady in the Lake by Chandler~~
16. ~~The Little Sister by Chandler~~
17. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler (won't count for challenge because written in 1953)

Big Girl Bed

2011-02-23T13:46:00.001-08:00

This is the closest to napping E. has come recently. This bed is too fun for resting except at night time!

"I'm about to jump, Mommy! Take my picture quick!"
Doesn't Ariel look like she was caught in the act? I had just called her name, so here is proof that she does know her name, though she may deny it later.

A Room of Her Own

2011-02-23T13:30:00.001-08:00

While she's had this room since we moved in in June, it's only recently that it's become fully hers. E. now loves to run in there, close the door and do her own thing. And I've finally organized things a bit more so she can do just that. So, here we go! When you enter, on your right is the kitchen, now with storage for all the food and accessories:

Above the kitchen are some cute framed posters from my mom's house that E. loves. Other artwork is visible in the big girl bed post.

In the center, is the glider/rocking chair, with the small closet and roof/fire escape/tomato growing space in view out the window. Oh, and yes, that is a mini-grocery cart in the corner near the growth chart. (Thanks Nonna & Pawpaw!)
In the left corner, is a skinny bookshelf with books for when she's older, art supplies, and our internet router!
Below that, and next to the chair, you can see the packed (both sides of the top are filled) bookshelf, my keyboard, the table and chairs from when I was little, the new animal bin (pink-spotted), and the foot of her new big girl bed. More of that in the next post! Please note that the bookshelf is usually half-empty with Curious George books especially spread all over the floor. My dad & step-mom get the credit for that obsession.

I just realized that I didn't take a picture of her dresser which is on the same wall as the door. Oh well, it's not that interesting. Hopefully, this gives those who haven't seen it in person an idea of what E's room looks like. While small, it is a great space for her and we're so grateful to have it!

Ridiculousness

2011-02-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

The other day after naptime, E. announced that her name was Giraffe. When I asked her, "Is your name GIraffe?", she answered, "Yah." She also answered, "Giraffe" to the question of what her name was.

Then yesterday at church she addressed a young woman she knows as Bunny Rabbit. Chelsea thought maybe E. had forgotten her name but then E. said, "Chelsea is Bunny Rabbit."

Today's ridiculous moment came when she was dumping out buttons from the button box. She announced that they were catnip and started rolling in them. When I asked what she was doing, she said, "Rolling up the catnip." So silly.

More Vintage Mysteries

2011-02-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

Again I seem to be reading these two types of mysteries back to back--noblemen as detectives and noir crime novels. For this post, it's Margery Allingham's Sweet Danger and The High Window, another Raymond Chandler.

I have to admit I found the former really close to the edge of too dry in terms of wit and too subtle in terms of overall writing style. I think I had to restart it at least three times before I got into it. Perhaps that was due to the beginning that seemed a bit too much like Agatha Christie's later novels about all the mysterious forces and political currents which are trying to be spy novels but aren't really succeeding all that well. But after that, I enjoyed it much more. Campion is an interesting twist on the nobleman detective since he deliberately walks around with idiotic looks on his face to throw everyone off. I also enjoyed the mysterious kingdom of Averna and the hunt for the lost heirs--very fun

The High Window was sadder and somehow more unresolved than Farewell, My Lovely. Only some of the killers were brought to justice and not all the really evil characters got what was coming to them which was a bit disappointing. He made me laugh in the "reveal" scene because one of the "villains" made fun of the typical detective story: "Now you're going to tell me how it all happened and include some detail you've been holding back that makes it all clear."

I always end up hoping for Marlowe to have a relationship with the sweet girl in each story because I can see he cares for each of them and wants to protect them but I know in the back of my head that it won't happen. I read in the biographical notes that Chandler rewrote Double Indemnity for the screen based on someone else's writing. I wonder if he wrote part of Chinatown too because it definitely has that same noir LA feel. I realize that this is more a review of the mood of the novels than the plot but I can't help it. That's what sticks with me.
~~1. Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham~~
~~2. Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers~~
3. The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers
4. Detection Unlimited by Georgette Heyer
5. The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin
6. something by Ellery Queen
~~7. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler~~
8. Singing in the Shrouds by Ngaio Marsh
9. Black Orchids by Rex Stout
10. The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout
11. The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
12. The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing
13. The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy
14. ~~The High Window by Raymond Chandler~~
15. The Lady in the Lake by Chandler
16. The Little Sister by Chandler

Vintage Mysteries #1 & 2

2011-01-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

I've now read two out of my 16 for the Vintage Mystery Challenge.

Busman's Honeymoon I think I've read before when I was trying to read all the Dorothy Sayers I could find. It was a great read, humorous, entertaining and full of insight into married life as well as into murder. I especially liked how Sayers didn't end the novel with the solution of the crime but showed Lord Peter's full response to the trial and the execution of the criminal--he actually asked the murderer to forgive him and took responsibility for his family members. I enjoyed the quotations back and forth between Harriet Vane (now Wimsey) and Lord W. but I wondered if people really ever talked that way or if our society is too undereducated at this point. I could have done without all the French, however.

Farewell, My Lovely made the previous novel seem light and fluffy in comparison, though I think it did deal seriously with death, especially death in your own home. But Raymond Chandler's writing is the epitome of the noir murder mystery. Lots of gloom, alcohol, and dangerous dames. He's also very funny but very dry. I was left wondering with one of the women why Philip Marlowe does it--his private detection doesn't pay well, gets him knocked out several times, and usually doesn't seem to lead to actual justice for the crime, though it may change a few things for a short while.

1. Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham
~~2. Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers~~
3. The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers
4. Detection Unlimited by Georgette Heyer
5. The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin
6. something by Ellery Queen
~~7. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler~~
8. Singing in the Shrouds by Ngaio Marsh
9. Black Orchids by Rex Stout
10. The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout
11. The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
12. The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing
13. The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy
14. The High Window by Raymond Chandler
15.
16.

Everything's Coming Up Ducks

2011-01-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

Here E. is singing and jumping/dancing to a new favorite song from the library. The words are "5 little ducks went out to play, over the hills and far away. Mama Duck said, 'Quack quack quack quack,' but only 4 little ducks came back." And so on.

A few days later, she made her first watercolor painting. Her comments, if you can't decipher them were:

"Don't fall off." She's telling herself to be careful on the chair.

"Wookit that big duck!" All the ducks had to be green, which is her new favorite.

Last Year's Blizzard

2011-01-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

Check out the snowman--he was gone by the next day--destroyed, not melted.
Seems as if someone wasn't nearly as traumatized as I was by our recent blizzard experience of getting stuck overnight in our car. The very next day, she was happily exploring, testing out her new boots and sampling the freshly fallen flavor!

Medieval & Chunkster Challenge Wrap-Up

2010-12-31T06:21:00.000-08:00

Way back in January and February, I signed up for the Tournament of Reading and the Chunkster challenge. I've since completed both but haven't posted until now--procrastination, I know. For the former, I signed up for the King level, or 9 books, including two from each category (history, historical fiction, literature from the Middle Ages). Along the way, I discovered/rediscovered Margaret Frazer's Dame Frevisse mysteries and Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael mysteries--tons more medieval fun!

History: A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman*

History of the Medieval World by Susan Wise Bauer (also my last chunkster)

Wow, this took me a long time! It was definitely enjoyable, just a bit of a slog, partly due to my own distractions. Anyway, I learned a ton about a time period that I realize now I knew very little about. A repeated and global theme seemed to be how loose nomadic tribes grew into nations with a shared history, language, and religion. Also, how those nations used or misused their varied religions for political ends. I have to admit that the Asian and South Asian sections were less interesting to me, perhaps because I found the names hard to keep track of, even within the chapter, let alone across chapters. Maybe I should reread those sections. I'm also curious as to how the author arrived at her definition of medieval as spanning the years from 312-1129.

The Discarded Image by C. S. Lewis (history/literary criticism)

Historical Fiction: Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset*

Morality Play by Barry Unsworth*

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi

Since I was reading this with a child I tutor, I wasn't quite in the full flow of the narrative. Nevertheless, it was an engaging book, with some predictability. I enjoyed the way the main character changed throughout the novel and I thought Avi did a good job conveying the medieval setting as well.

Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

An intriguing read, confusing at times in terms of genre--not sure if she wanted to be historical fiction or some sort of fantasy/supernatural thing, maybe a bit of both. I ended up feeling like I mostly liked the characters. A bit like Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" because they started gradually dying off. In some ways I'd like to read it again and pick up some more clues and make connections between events but I'm not sure it's a book to reread in terms of holding my interest. Excellent as far as historical detail goes, however.

Medieval Literature: The Book of Margery Kempe*

Dream Visions and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer

I really enjoyed The Parliament of Fowls and The Legends of Good Women. The first was very humorous and the second was a nice defense of womanhood against courtly love and exploiting men. My edition also had critical essays and background sources. The sources were interesting and a few of the essays were but some of them really got on my nerves. Over all, I enjoyed reading the Middle English because it's pretty similar to modern English but different enough that it was like reading a foreign language at times--a fun challenge.

*already reviewed previously

100 Books in 2010

2010-12-29T06:53:00.001-08:00

I've finished 100 books! It felt like it was going to be close in November when I had 20 more books to go in two months but I did it for a grand total of 34,777 pages, according to Goodreads! Some of my books were a bit of "filler" to get me to the end, probably because I read some big ones at the beginning of the year. The top genres (in order, though some books overlap) were: fiction, series, mystery, medieval, escapist, historical fiction, ya fiction, thriller, and audio.

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2. The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne

3. The Wreath by Sigrid Undset

4. The Wife by Sigrid Undset

5. The Book of Margery Kempe

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

7. Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne

8. The Cross by Sigrid Undset

9. Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti

10. The Discarded Image by C. S. Lewis

11. Nothing is Quite Forgotten in Brooklyn by Alice Mattison

12. Washington Square by Henry James

13. An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell

14. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

15. The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

16. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope

17. Hot Water by P. G. Wodehouse

18. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

19. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

20. East Wind: West Wind by Pearl S. Buck

21. Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell

22. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara Tuchman

23. The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

24. My Life in France by Julia Child

25. Lives 2 by Plutarch

26. The History of the Ancient World by Susan Wise Bauer

27. Morality Play by Barry Unsworth

28. Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

29. Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell

30. The Heretic's Apprentice by Ellis Peters

31. The Potter's Field by Ellis Peters

32. Dr. Thorne by Anthony Trollope

33. The Summer of the Danes by Ellis Peters

34. Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant

35. The Associate by John Grisham

36. Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi

37. Scientific Progress Goes "Boink" by Bill Watterson

38. Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie

39. The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie

40. Aunt Dimity, Vampire Hunter by Nancy Atherton

41. Zapped by Carol Higgins Clark

42. The Apostate's Tale by Margaret Frazer

43. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

44. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffnegger

45. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowlin

46. Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope

47. Three by Flannery O'Connor

48. The Maiden's Tale by Margaret Frazer

49. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

50. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters

51. Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark

52. The Brethren by John Grisham

53. The Clicking of Cuthbert by P. G. Wodehouse

54. The Girl on the Boat by P. G. Wodehouse

55. The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope

56. The Naming by Alison Croggon

57. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

58. So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger

59. The Reeve's Tale by Margaret Frazer

60. The Riddle by Alison Croggon

61. One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters

62. The Valley of Vision by Arthur G. Bennett

63. Runaway by Alice Munro

64. The Squire's Tale by Margaret Frazer

65. A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George

66. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

67. The Unvarnished New Testament by Andy Gaus

68. The Crow by Alison Croggon

69. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

70. Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon

71. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

72. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

73. The Clerk's Tale by Margaret Frazer

74. The History of the Medieval World by Susan Wise Bauer

75. The Mating Season by P. G. Wodehouse

76. Summer Lightning by P. G. Wodehouse

77. The Singing by Alison Croggon

78. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

79. How to Really Love Your Angry Child by D. Ross Campbell

80. Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life by Richard Meryman

81. Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George

82. Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters

83. River Teeth by David James Duncan

84. The Bastard's Tale by Margaret Frazer

85. Little Bee by Chris Cleave

86. No Talking by Andrew Clements

87. Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

88. Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic

89. The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro

90. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

91. Dream Visions and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer

92. March by Geraldine Brooks

93. Miracles by C. S. Lewis

94. St. Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters

95. Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

96. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

97. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

98. Well-Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George

99. Country Wives by Rebecca Shaw

100. America for Sale by Jerome R. Corsi

Shakespeare for 2011

2010-12-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

I guess I should officially sign up for the reading challenge I'm hosting for next year, huh? Anyway, I am going to read at the Henry V level which means one play a month for the whole year. I'll be reading a lot of history plays because I'm reading chronologically based on my Riverside Shakespeare. My plan is to read:

1. 1 Henry VI
2. 2 Henry VI
3. 3 Henry VI
4. Richard III
5. The Comedy of Errors
6. Titus Andronicus
7. The Taming of the Shrew
8. The Two Gentlemen of Verona
9. Love's Labor's Lost
10. King John
11. Richard II
12. Romeo and Juliet

That makes 6 histories, 4 comedies, and 2 tragedies. I've read Richard III and both tragedies but none of the comedies, though I've seen the Shrew as well as 10 Things I Hate About You. I hated Titus the first time I read it and didn't want to see the movie version so I'm a little wary of reading it again. I guess I'll either have a greater appreciation of the British royals or hate them all by the end of the year. We'll see.

New Reading Challenge for 2011

2010-11-29T11:59:00.000-08:00

I realize that I haven't finished all of this year's challenges yet--I still have 10 books to go for the 100 books challenge, I'm on my last medieval book, and I have finished but haven't posted about the chunksters--but it's time to sign up for new ones for 2011.

So, the first one I'm signing up for is the Vintage Mystery Challenge. I've read a few of the authors listed but am interested in reading more. My particular challenge will be twofold--to read 16+ (Take 'Em to Trial level) and to find them all at the library! My list so far is:

1. Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham
2. something by Dorothy Sayers
3. The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers
4. Detection Unlimited by Georgette Heyer
5. The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin
6. something by Ellery Queen
7. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
8. Singing in the Shrouds by Ngaio Marsh
9. Black Orchids by Rex Stout
10. The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout
11. The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
12. The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing
13. The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy
14.
15.
16.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T06:38:00.000-08:00

This year I'm thankful for a new apartment (with all of its challenges) and silly songs. The silly singer is thankful for trains. Almost every night after I pray for her, she says, "Thank you God trains. Thank you God big train. Thank you God L train," and so forth.

Summer Project Roundup

2010-11-13T12:06:00.001-08:00

The following two rugs have been worn-in for a while now but I finally got around to taking some pictures. I worked on them both this summer, doing the bathmat first. Since they are knit rag rugs, I also got to enjoy the cathartic exercise of ripping up old sheets!

This could have had some fringe but I ran out of sheet.
The cable on this was done with a chopstick for a cable needle. Pretty ridiculous but fun.
This one was made from two twin flannel sheets, so it's very soft for flopping on. E. has done a lot of lying on her stomach to look at things on this rug.
Close up view.

Last CSA Goodies: A Fall Still Life

2010-11-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

Can it be over a week ago now that we collected our last bunch of vegetables? It was such a weekly ritual--going to the pickup site, seeing a three-year old friend, visiting the yarn store, and coming home with a heavy bag. This last time was probably the best because it was our turn to "babysit" the veggies and we brought home lots of extras. We still have almost as many sweet potatoes but we're down to only one pumpkin! My first project was to make the puree that was enjoyed below:
Notice how she's looking longingly at the bowl. My design had been to bake together and to have her do the dumping and some of the mixing. However, when I handed her the full cup of pumpkin, her gut instinct was to taste it so I did the dumping and she got her own bowl. Of course, had it been dinner time, the pumpkin would have been ignored. She did help mix after eating plenty of pumpkin and flour, though I had to keep removing little fingers from the bowl.

Those two little orange pumpkins in the first photo yielded this yogurt container's worth of puree which has become pumpkin muffins and pumpkin waffles and I still have two more cups in the fridge.

To continue the orange theme, I also made sweet potato gnocchi and a pumpkin and lentil salad with goat cheese and some of the CSA spinach which is not pictured. These items were rejected by my little baker at dinner, though she loves the pumpkin muffins.

Learning from the Munchkin

2010-10-31T18:51:00.000-07:00

Well, the first thing I've been learning is that my shoes look best on her. And this is probably my favorite of her silly faces.

The second thing is that anything can become a song. She adds verses to The Wheels on the Bus like "the tiger on the bus goes rah, rah, rah." Then there's the drop it song, based, I think, on me saying "I'm gonna get you, I'm gonna get you." She sings, "I wanna drop it, I'm gonna drop it" usually about some object that she insisted on bringing in the stroller and I really don't want to lose like that library book last week.

She also taught me just today to look up at the sky more often. We were at a playground near R's Long Island studio and she was going on the slides. I climbed up the plastic "rock" wall to this giant slide and enjoyed that even though I exceeded the 5-12 age recommendation. When she saw me, she insisted that I slide next to her on the smaller double slide so I obeyed. At the bottom, I stood up to go somewhere else when I noticed that she had lain back down on the slide and was staring up at the sky. I copied her and was amazed at how calm and quiet everything felt. I wish I had taken a picture of the blue sky, the clouds, and the colorful leaves. Too often I think of the playground visits as boring or a chance for her to exercise and have fun while I have a semi-adult conversation with a parent I might know a little bit. But it can be a moment of worship. These moments seem like they are harder to find in Bushwick but that might not be the case.

Finally, E. has taught me that singing at the doctor's office is not only acceptable but soothing for both of us. A few weeks ago we spent way too long waiting to see the pediatrician and by the time we were finally out of the waiting room (though still waiting), I was really frustrated and feeling like a negligent mom for not bringing snacks or extra milk. E. was whining off and on but then she requested the "Bible song" aka "Jesus Loves Me" At first I said no, not being a real public singer but she asked again and I sang it a few times to her quietly. Somehow, she knew what we both needed to hear at that moment. We both were completely calm and collected by the time the doctor came in and the whole visit went well.

CSA Fun

2010-09-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

I've been having a lot of fun cooking up my CSA veggies recently and taking pictures of them. It all started with this penguin:

who was almost too cute to cut up into ratatouille:

which cooked down a ton and was very yummy!

Here's a cabbage and potato soup I made with yellow potatoes. It smelled delicious--bacon, caraway seeds, and cabbage sauteed together. But I think the recipe called for too much stock because it didn't taste nearly as mouthwateringly yummy as it smelled.

This pizza earned a great compliment. I was asked by the man of the house, "Why did you buy pizza?" My reply was, "Thank you." The sauce and the basil were from the CSA and a friend's garden. The dough was homemade but everything else came from the store. Gone in a day, of course.

Cranberry beans are so beautiful but mysterious. Where do the colors go when they cook? These went into a more flavorful cabbage and pork stew that was less photogenic, however, so not included.

Freak Storm

2010-09-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

There was a brief and wild storm yesterday evening that did some major damage to the beautiful old trees in the park across the street. E. and I were looking out the window at the gathering storm, when suddenly I noticed that the trees were whipping around like hurricane shots on the news. I ran to check windows and found papers blowing around in the front room and lots of rain pouring in. I didn't see anything come down but R. saw a tree get uprooted almost in front of his car. Below are some shots I took of the park this morning, which oddly enough seems to be damaged mostly on three of the four sides. It's still closed right now and as a mom of a toddler, I'm sure hoping it's open as soon as possible.

Notice the roots sticking up out of the ground!

The playground is usually only a little bit green and the equipment visible.

Broken fences.

Oblivious! Her comment was, "Leaves. Sheep. Baa."

100th Post--took long enough!

2010-09-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

For my 100th post, I thought I'd do a little summer in review, starting with some fun dining moments. And, yes, contrary to evidence here, E. does wear full sets of clothing most of the time.

"Big box." This was soon to become a common refrain as we packed up 12 years worth of stuff!
Her own box was crucial to the packing process.
Our second big summer project! She's holding the portable potty, on the edge of our new kitchen. All photos from here on are in the new apartment.
This height chart was made by my Grandma Dot for me when I was E's age.
"Off to conquer in my pretty dress."

Note: these photos of "Daddy Cereal" make it look like she snuck some while he wasn't looking. This is a regular routine.
Post-bath baby is always my favorite photo genre.

Two More Chunksters & a Broken Resolution

2010-07-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

I've recently realized that I missed June entirely on the blog but I do have moving & settling in to our Brooklyn apartment as a good excuse. So, here are two more chunkster book reviews which gets me closer to finishing my first reading challenge of the year.

Plutarch's Lives, volume 2:

I particularly enjoyed the lives of Caesar, Anthony, Pompey, and Brutus, as they gave multiple views on the events surrounding the Ides of March and beyond, though Plutarch definitely was not sympathetic to some of them. I could also see Shakespeare's plays more clearly--one member of my Great Conversation book group noted how he almost completely lifted his description of Cleopatra on her boat from Plutarch.

The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope (spoiler alert!)

This has definitely been my favorite Trollope book yet. He takes the typical story of two sisters' romances and turns it on its head. One is engaged right away and jilted and the other rejects the ideal suitor for a penniless one. Lily Dale in particular is great as is John Eames, for whom this is a coming of age story as well. I also liked how he didn't make Crosbie a flat character but made the jilting a temptation to him and then continues his storyline, rather than leaving him simply as a villain. The only negative thing is the edition(Nonsuch Publishing)--very poorly copyedited--unclear paragraphing in dialogue and typos galore.

Funny Words

2010-05-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

Recently E. has been singing along to some of her favorite songs--Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; Holy, Holy, Holy; Baa Baa Black Sheep. She changes pitch and rhythm at the right points but her version of the words can be pretty funny. For example--people people little star or hoey hoey hoey (said very fast), yesshur.

Also, she likes to play "peekapoo" and she enjoyed sampling my chocolate chip keycoes.

She keeps me smiling, to say the least. Especially when she gets excited for yunch and says a big yes when I ask if I can eat her up for lunch.

Morality Play

2010-05-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

I've recently finished reading another medieval book, Morality Play by Barry Unsworth. This brings me up to five--four more to go to be a King!

This was a great mystery and after having read A Distant Mirror, I could tell that it clearly fit into the 14th century with the 100 years war as background, as well as the Black Death. I especially liked how the main character struggled with the philosophical/theological implications of being a player rather than a priest. Also, I hadn't thought about how a play about a specific current event would be so different to medieval audiences who were used to plays from the Scriptures or from accepted moral stories. The implications of who gets to make meaning out of circumstances are huge.

Another Medieval Book/First Chunkster

2010-04-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

I've (finally) finished reading A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara Tuchman. Here's my review from Goodreads:

Tuchman disabused me of several misconceptions about the Middle Ages--most learned people thought the earth was round, noblewomen were more educated than noblemen, and chivalry was not all it was cracked up to be. In fact, she demonstrates how chivalry ultimately cost France autonomy and allowed the Turks to remain in Europe, leading to the fall of Constantinople. Also very interesting read for all the details of everyday life, though quite dismal at times.

She Plays What She Knows or Imitation is the Finest Form of Flattery

2010-04-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

So for a while now, E. has been imitating me in her play. First it was using the sponge to make the cabinets clean or rinsing her hands while I washed dishes. Then she moved on to "sorting" and "folding" socks and washcloths. Now, she loves to play sleep by lying down and saying "shhh." She also loves to push a doll stroller around the playground and spends several seconds moving the safety harness around before she says "oush" or "out." Oh and I almost forgot--her first imaginative play was pretend eating. But that's hardly a surprise, as it's one of her favorite activities. Most recently, she's started offering her sippy cup to her toys and to the cat. No one's taken her up on it yet, but I'm waiting for the day when she offers it to a real baby.

A Glimpse of Summer

2010-03-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

E. and I just returned from a lovely trip to visit R's family in New Orleans. The sun was bright every single day and I spent every naptime soaking in the sun and reading books. And here are just a few of the things E. enjoyed:

February Book Reviews

2010-02-28T19:38:00.001-08:00

Here are the books I've read in February, with brief reviews. I've skipped a few that I reviewed earlier in the month for the Tournament of Reading.

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Once again, a very satisfying, fun read, though sad, of course.

7. Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne: This one was still fun but not quite as fun, for whatever reason. Plus it seemed way too name-droppy--all the tv shows and stores in NYC (Duane Reade, for crying out loud!). Maybe the other one was like that too and I didn't realize since I've never lived in London. And also, could there be just a little less talk about shopping?

8. The Cross by Sigrid Undset

9. Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti: It was funny and insightful at times but not that exciting/memorable. It does make me wonder what's up with my Scandinavian bent recently. I didn't even know it was Swedish until I got it home from the library.

10. The Discarded Image by C. S. Lewis

11. Nothing is Quite Forgotten in Brooklyn by Alice Mattison: Pretty interesting--about mothers and daughters and friendship. I mostly liked that it switched back and forth between two different years but sometimes the clues that we were in a different time felt a little forced. A little too much of dropping in the newspaper headlines, etc. But it was an interesting piecing together of family history.

12. Washington Square by Henry James: eptively simple and brief, this novel about an heiress and a fortune-hunter surpassed my expectations. James conveyed with feeling how difficult it was emotionally for Catherine to disobey her father and how much her father had underestimated her as a person.

13. An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell: Fun, a quick read. Seems to fit into whatever mold there is for British chicklit--mentions TV shows, check. mentions movie stars, check. mentions shopping, check. funny and filled with Britishisms, check. Not that I won't read more by the same author when I'm next in the mood.

14. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl: Great fun and it made me hungry! It was a nice peek into the restaurant world again, though I'm sure so much has changed. The Windows on the World chapter felt a little creepy. I'm sure she had to make a decision about whether or not to address 9/11 and since her memoir took place prior to 2001, it makes sense that she didn't say anything about it but it was one of the ghosts, like in the last chapter.

Toddler Lexicon

2010-02-26T19:00:00.000-08:00

Can you match E's animal sounds to the correct animal? Answers will be at the bottom of the lexicon entries.

1. baa 2. riis riis 3. mehh 4. ruff ruff 5. rarrrr 6. cheep cheep

7. nee 8. ssss 9. boo

animals: snake, frog, sheep, goat, cow, chick, lion, dog, horse

Commonly used words, with her pronunciation if different in parantheses.

ball (baa)

bowl (bow)

box (bah)

bye

call (caw)-refers to phone

car (caw)

clean (key)

cold (cole)

comb (coe)

da daa

dog (not sure but she says something close)

dressed (dess--as in let's get dressed)

eat (ee + baby sign--fingers to her mouth)

eye

ear (EEuh)

go (emphatic g sound)

juice (deuce with lots of excitement & sometimes a dance)

kitty (key)

maa maa

Max (mask with deliberateness in the sounds) *from Max & Ruby but it was also supposed to be her name if she was a boy

mouth (meh)

neck (neh)

night night (nigh nigh)

nose (d'oh or doo)

shoe (doo)

teeth (tee)

that (dah with pointing)

tickle tickle tickle (ticka ticka ticka)

train (tai)

tree (tee)

yum (eyuh)

Other:

ashes ashes (more or less- means she wants Ring a Round a Rosy)

ee ha

ei ei (Old McDonald request)

gock ee

gud-eh-gud-eh-gud

Animal answers: 1. sheep 2. frog 3. goat 4. dog 5. lion 6. chick 7. horse 8. snake 9. cow

I'm sure there are more words that I'm missing or that she's just now working on. So fun!

Walking Outside

2010-02-26T18:55:00.001-08:00

E. did a little more walking in the last big snow. This time she was more interested at looking at things in the snow, including her mitten!
She's actually standing in a snowdrift in the street.
This was E's first trip to the playground after she started walking, in January. She spent most of the time walking in big circles.

And yet one more reading challenge

2010-02-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

I was just clicking through some things online and I found one more that I have to join. It's called the Chunkster Challenge--450 pages or more counts as a chunkster. And, since I'm already reading one (Plutarch) and have at least 2 more on my to be read shelves, I figured I'd join up. And I'll restrain myself a little bit and only sign up at the middle level: Do These Books Make My Butt Look Big? which signs me up for four chunksters this year. Unfortunately it started this month so Kristin Lavransdatter won't count. Oh well.

Now I'm a Peasant

2010-02-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

I've finally read three medieval books (in any category--history, historical fiction, medieval writing) for the Tournament of Reading Book Challenge.

Here's my review of C. S. Lewis' The Discarded Image:

This is based on a lecture series that Lewis gave several times while a don at Oxford. It's a great introduction both to Medieval Literature and to the medieval worldview or "model" as he names it. There were so many interesting parts to this book--it's hard to summarize. He presents a different interpretation of the Great Chain of Being and the Ptolemaic view of the universe. The sun and the spheres revolved around the earth not because the earth was so important but because the earth was so humble and small--at the bottom and on the outside of this great dance. Throughout he looks at language and how writers of the time were tremendously influenced by all that they read, even when they misread things. He goes through the seven scholarly disciplines, the various types of souls, and the complexions of people. Complexions in this case meant more like characteristics or humours. One idea that I found particularly interesting was that because medieval artists lacked perspective, this was an issue in writing as well. For example, a giant might not be consistently the same size in relationship to a man, a barn, or a field. I'm excited to read more medieval literature now and then maybe I'll come back and reread this again--I'm sure there's so much that I've missed on the first go round.

The Young Artist at Work

2010-02-10T17:25:00.000-08:00

Strange Interests

2010-02-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

Recently E. has developed two very strange interests, combined with a new word, "doo." No, it has nothing to do with dogs or any other animals. She loves to touch my elbow or my feet and say "doo" very happily. Sometimes she'll even rub her nose back and forth against my elbow. And the feet fascination gets even weirder--she'll grab onto them in the shower and squeal or if she sees them on the floor, she'll get down to their level and squish her face on them. My sister would not understand, but it looks like I've finally found someone who appreciates my (large) feet.

Almost a Peasant

2010-02-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

Review of Kristen Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset

Overall this was an enjoyable, though long read. I guess a trilogy in one volume sort of guarantees that. Anyway, I preferred the first and third books (The Wreath and The Cross) to the second one (The Wife), probably because the second book seemed to zoom out a bit--years passed between chapters, etc. Also, there was more political detail in the second book that I didn't have a good handle on and I didn't feel like researching beyond the end notes.

Undset did a good job of setting the historical scene and keeping her characters within it while at the same time not making them inaccessible. For example, there was a great scene in the cloister dining hall in which Kristin was trying to daintily serve herself with three fingers and cut meat with her knife but ended up cutting her finger and shooting her portion onto the floor. I also loved the details about the clothes, dwelling places, and mystical creatures. The author managed to make this all seem real, not like a reenactment of any kind.

The central relationship between Kristin and her husband was also quite compelling. It seemed true to married life that because she'd had to forgive him for big things, she had trouble forgiving him for the smaller, daily sins.

I would highly recommend this book. It gave me an unprecedented view into family life in medieval Norway.

January Book Reviews/First Medieval Book Finished

2010-02-01T11:55:00.001-08:00

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: ** spoiler alert ** I think this was a 2nd or third reading for me. I've been gradually collecting the series in paperback and while I like a lot about this story, I still get annoyed with how whiny Harry is in this book. Especially since he doesn't seem so whiny/upset in the next one even though Sirius has died. But there are some really hilarious moments--especially Harry & Ron's conversation about Divination class--"Even if the tea leaves say 'Die, Ron, die' I'll still chuck them in the bin."

2. The Little Lady Agency: This was fun, page-turning, and just what I needed on a cold winter's day. It did feel a bit dated (when did men wear red jeans??) but it was nice to have a somewhat wholesome chicklit main character for once.

3. The Wreath by Sigrid Undset: I'll review this when I finish the trilogy

4. The Wife by Sigrid Undset: see above

5. The Book of Margery Kempe: At times Margery reminded me of pentecostals that I've known--very convinced that she has a true revelation from God and that everyone else should hear it. This was especially evident when she mentioned a few times that priests and other clergy responded "meekly" to her sobbing and screaming during church.

I also ended up feeling rather sorry for her husband and children (14, though maybe not all alive). She convinced him to agree to a "chaste" marriage and they lived apart until he was in his sixties and suffered a serious head injury at which point she returned to care for him. I'm sure that's not what he signed up for when he said his wedding vows!

I found some of her reflections helpful but overall I wondered if Christ would not have been better served in her daily, real life and loving of others than in her constant pilgrimages and "roaring" during worship services.

Baby in a box

2010-01-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a little video of E. having fun in the box my new winter coat came in. At one point she had a ball, a small car, a toy dog, and a toy tiger in there with her. She'd pick one up, look at it, and then put it back in the same spot.

One more reading challenge

2010-01-20T10:12:00.000-08:00

Ok, I couldn't resist: 100 books in a year. And hey, I've already finished two, though both a little more on the fluffy side. I can't count Plutarch because I started him before January. I'm pretty sure I can do it, I just need to keep track. So, this and Goodreads will help me. . .

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2. The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne

3. The Wreath by Sigrid Undset (I'm reading the trilogy for my medieval book challenge and I'll count it here as three separate books as originally published even though my version has all three under the title Kristn Lavransdatter).

4. The Wife by Sigrid Undset

5. The Book of Margery Kempe

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

7. Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne

8. The Cross by Sigrid Undset

9. Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti

10. The Discarded Image by C. S. Lewis

11. Nothing is Quite Forgotten in Brooklyn by Alice Mattison

12. Washington Square by Henry James

13. An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell

Resolutions

2010-01-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I think I've figured out why I always start major projects in January (such as getting back on track with my blog, reading all of Calvin's Institutes, cleaning my wooden furniture etc). It must be some latent New Year's resolutions in me that I don't write down. Anyway, I do want to write more--let's try for at least once a month, minimum.

I also just found out about these online reading challenges--how have I not known about them to this point?? Anyway, I'm signing up for a Medieval Reading Challenge and of course I'm going to jump in all the way at the King level. I think I'll start with some Chaucer that I got for Christmas last year. And I may even blog about it.

PS I know I need to post some E. Christmas pics and I will.

New word

2009-10-01T09:27:00.001-07:00

So, we have "ball" on record as the first one, though it doesn't come into play very often. And a very clear, if very long, Dada (dadadadadaaa). And the occasional Mama (when she needs something). And she usually gestures and say something resembling "that." Which I take to mean either she wants "that" or she's wondering what it's called. Of course, she understands much more than she says.

Well, anyway, yesterday, E. was peering at me across the coffee table, where she was holding on, when she saw a container of Cheerios I'd removed from the diaper bag. Enunciating very clearly, she pointed at them and said, "Good." I'd heard this sound from her before but wasn't sure it was a word until that moment. And what a word--good, meaning yummy, I want some, please give it to me and so forth. R's comment was, "Very biblical of her."

Future Psycho on the Swings?

2009-09-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

I've never taken it as a good sign when a child consistently has no expression on her face. For example, today at the playground, two girls around 8 or 9, definitely sisters and probably twins, were hogging the two baby swings. There was at least one of three regular swings available. I asked them to let me have one for E. They complied but then started twisting their baby swing and hanging on it. I requested that they stop so they didn't hit her. They did and one climbed into the swing and demanded that her sister push her. Then she made her twist the swing and let go and the whole time her face was expressionless. No sense of "whee, this is fun," nothing. And no recognition that she was doing what I'd asked her not to.

Her sister asked for a turn and she refused, said her turn wasn't long enough, the regular kid stuff. Clearly she was the dominant twin or sister because the other girl said nothing, just kept doing what she was told.

Later, when we were leaving the playground, I saw the same (dominant) sister stalking pigeons. It was creepy enough that I stood there for a few minutes, ignoring E's complaints. She had a stick or a thick piece of bark in her hand and she was slowly walking up behind the birds and throwing her missile at them. I couldn't tell if she hit any of them--they kept flying away--but she continued to follow them around the playground, again with no expression on her face. I looked around to see if her parent or anyone else was watching but I didn't see anyone. And I didn't see her sister either. She came close enough that I was able to ask, "Is your mom here? Does she know that you're throwing things at birds?"

She responded, "I like to chase them."

I said, "But you're not chasing them, are you? You're throwing things at them." She didn't say anything.

Now I am not a lover of pigeons. And I know they are disgusting birds. I saw a little kid running around, actually chasing pigeons and being delighted to see them fly away. But this girl was creepy and old enough to know better. If it had just been her annoying behavior on the swing, I would probably not have thought about her for another second. But add the pigeon stuff and I have to wonder--is she a future criminal psychopath?

The Year in Pictures

2009-09-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

While looking through pictures to make this slideshow I realized that I don't remember what it was like holding E. before she could hold her head up. I saw pictures of R. holding her on his forearm and it seemed so strange. I'll post some birthday pictures later but for now, here's her first year, month by month.

Recent Developments

2009-07-25T05:33:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, E. has started crawling! Not very fast but she does get on all fours and go places, rather than scooting around on her bum. She also has spent at least one nap time sitting up and playing in her crib instead of sleeping. I thought these new skills were supposed to make her more tired!

She's also become a bit more persnickety about her food. I made some delicious pear zucchini soup the other day (sounds strange, maybe but it's delicious). We had it for lunch and she liked the first few bites but then refused to eat it from the spoon. Refused to the point of flinging the full spoon off the high chair. So, I put some pieces of bread in the soup and she happily ate those herself, very messily. I then got the bright idea to clean up her mess while she was eating and she leaned over and grabbed my hair with her soupy fingers!

I think I'm learning from all of this that I can't get too comfortable with any one way of doing things because soon enough she'll change on me. The reverse is also true--if I don't like how things are going, I just need to wait a bit and they'll change by necessity. For example, when E. was first born, I had trouble cooking because she always needed to eat or be held or changed or something. Later, she was happy to be in the swing while I cooked. But then that didn't work so I had to have her on the kitchen floor. Next, she would only stay in her high chair while I cooked. Now, she's liable to wreck havoc wherever I put her in the kitchen so I'm not sure how to cook. But I guess that will change too at some point.

Bits of Summer

2009-07-22T06:27:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to upload some summer photos but I realized I don't have that many! Note to self--must take more pictures!

Anyway, here's one of Emalyn early in the summer in my old wagon in Stockbridge. She seemed to enjoy being pulled around the driveway, though she kept trying to grab for the wheels.

In other news, she's getting three top teeth at once. She got her first two on the bottom at 5 months and it seems like it's taken 5 more months for these ones to appear. Strangely enough, only one of them is a front tooth--the other two are the incisors next to the front teeth. Snaggletooth!

Also, we've been doing some more swimming. We joined an informal Mommy/Baby swim class at our local pool. She liked it after a while but her first reaction was tears. I think the water was too cold.

We also went to the young children's story hour at the library. Emalyn stared at all the other kids/toddlers and waved her crayons around, tasting them surreptitiously.

Right now she's in bed, hopefully lying down. While she's still not officially crawling, she does like to get into the position. In her crib she especially likes to roll onto her tummy and push herself up so she's sitting. I'm a little afraid that this will be detrimental to nap times but she does seem to get tired and lie back down. Must resist temptation to go check!

Video Update

2009-06-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

There is sound. I was just uploading them on R's computer and he had the sound turned off. As E kept saying yesterday, "Doi, doi, doy."

Corn on the Cob

2009-06-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I introduced E. to corn. I was having it on the cob and I cut off some pieces for her to eat. For some reason, I never thought to just give her the cob. So when we were having some again with some friends and one of them suggested giving it to her, I thought, "Why didn't I think of that?" The cooked kernels aren't a choking hazard and she'd have to work pretty hard with her 2.5 teeth to get anything off but she likes chomping on things. Here she is trying it out in her own unique way:

It's a little dark because we had candles, low overhead lighting, and there was a thunderstorm (what a surprise) outside.

First Swim

2009-06-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

One of R's students hosted us this weekend on Long Island while R was in a plein air painting event. E and I enjoyed their pool and in this video (no audio, sorry) you can see her flapping around in the water for the first time. For some reason I keep making a strange squinty face, so please ignore me!

Who is this Hooligan?

2009-03-06T13:36:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I was talking to a woman on the subway with her 3 year old. (I always talk to people now, thanks to E.). Anyway, she made a comment along the lines of, "Well, at least she's out of the blob stage now."

I didn't really say anything in response but in my head I was thinking, "I kinda liked the blob stage!" E's not fully out of it (i.e. crawling and getting into everything) but she definitely seems to have become a different baby all of a sudden. No more setting her down in her gym and expecting her to be happy automatically. I have to be armed with toys and other distractions and then maybe she'll consider it. And, what's worse, she seems to be exhibiting all the signs of becoming a baby hooligan.

Exhibit A: Caught in the Act (kindly ignore Mom trying to sleep). Not sure what she's doing, maybe just plotting her mischief.

Now for some written evidence.

Yesterday, when I turned my back for just a second to get her a toy, she grabbed for the cat. Now, Ariel was asking for it by sitting just on the edge of E's blanket but still. And she responded as you would expect--with that aggressive paw move that doesn't connect but if it does, it couldn't be her fault.

And the other night, while eating her green beans, which she normally tolerates and/or sings about, E. flung a handful on the wall. How she managed to get a handful is another story. She's now started eating like a piglet. Mommy feeds her with a spoon and she responds by pushing some out of her mouth onto the edge of the high chair tray and chawing on it like it's her trough.

In a previous post, I showed E. eating books. Well, that has risen to a whole new level. She can not be trusted with any written material within grabbing range. At the doctor's, she tried to grab her chart off the desk. (Which makes me think the crying on the table was just a plea for paper). And, she tried to take her lovely doctor's pens and other medical instruments. At church, she's decided that the bulletins were designed for her to crumple and chew. Paper pulp can be created in the blink of an eye.

Finally, she now bites. And without warning. She bats those eyelashes, pulls your finger, or arm, or nose into her mouth and sinks those two little teeth in. Yowza!

To close, here's a final picture of the little bruiser:

Doctor's Visit

2009-03-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

Tuesday was E's 6 month doctor's appointment. She seems to have figured out a lot about going to the doctor. She now cries when she goes on the table scale--she knows she doesn't like to be naked on a table. The nurse had the nerve to ask if she sees many people when we're at home, as if E. was dealing with stranger anxiety rather than doctor visit anxiety! She sees tons of people and little kids at my mommies' group, at the homeschool co-op, at church, on the subway, etc.

Also, she can deal with the doctor examining her in my lap but once she has to go on the table, she cries again. It's just unsettling, I guess. But she doesn't seem to mind her doctor holding her.

The most interesting thing to me is that she seems to remember the shots from last time. They always give her the oral vaccine first and in the past she has just gulped it down. This time, she started crying when she got it. Then she calmed down a bit until the nurse wiped her leg with the alcohol pad. She really started screaming and my guess is that she knew what was coming next. She didn't try to squirm away but the shot was not a surprise to her like it's been in the past.

She had a flu shot this time and it didn't seem to affect her at first. But then Wednesday afternoon, right before I had to leave for tutoring, I noticed that she felt a little warm and her cheeks were pinker than usual. Sure enough, she had a fever. At first I thought I should stay home but then I got all the doctor info and the medicine together and left it for R. and he handled it very well. E. did also, except that she didn't want to eat unless she could put the spoon in her mouth herself. What a time to decide she needed to feed herself!

Tasty Developments

2009-02-25T13:46:00.001-08:00

While she's tasted them a few times when I'm cleaning her up, today was the first time E. tasted her toes on her own. She can't hold them up to her mouth for very long and it only seems to work when she's pantless but she does seem to enjoy taking a lick of those cute little toes! She's tried yanking on her socks a bit and chewing on them as well but they don't seem to satisfy her and she's more likely to fuss if there's no real toe action.

Also, she just grabbed my cheeks (payback for all the times I grab hers?) and held on pretty hard. Then, since my face was trapped, she tasted my nose!

How Far is a Foot?

2009-02-10T17:18:00.001-08:00

To most of us, not that far. A mere 12 inches. But watching E. tonight, it seemed like a foot was a mile! She was having "tummy time" on my bed, crowing away, when all of a sudden she laid her head down and started pushing her butt up in the air with her legs. I thought it was really funny at first and then I realized she was moving. Probably a centimeter or two at a time. But somehow, by doing the butt-push, she managed to make her head and the rest of her body move forward. Keep in mind that she hasn't rolled over yet and can only sit upright with the judicious help of pillows.

I wanted to see how far she would get so I eyed a vertical line on the sheet on Rob's side of the bed. Her head was in the middle of the bed so that was about a foot away. She kept scooting slowing and then I decided to give her a more visible sign of her goal. So, I put my hand on the line and thumped it on the mattress. She thumped her hands back and kept going. After a few more minutes, she was much closer and was able to touch my hand with hers, by stretching out her arm. But that didn't seem good enough for her because she kept at it. She kept putting her head down and pushing hard with her legs to get that heavy diaper bum in the air.

Finally, the top of her head touched my fingers and in one more scoot, she was able to put my finger in her mouth. That was her reward. And my reward, besides mommy pride? A bite mark from her new tooth! Mommyhood is filled with mixed blessings, I'm learning.

Reading and Eating

2009-01-24T15:26:00.001-08:00

So I've been having lots of fun pureeing food recently. I started with squash (acorn and butternut). Yesterday was sweet potato. She's also been eating banana but that doesn't require a food processor. There hasn't been anything so far that E. doesn't eat but then she loves anything that goes in her mouth, even the liquid vitamins.

I've also been enjoying reading Babybug and some board books to her. She usually flaps her arms at the pages but this time she combined her love of books with her love for food!

Excuses

2009-01-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know I haven't kept my resolution yet but I do have some excuses. I'm going to explain in alliteration.

Travel: unexpected trip to New Orleans followed just recently by a planned trip to Pittsburgh to introduce E. to my grandparents.

Tough cough: E. had her first cold and we went to the doctor's an extra time just to make sure she was fine. She is and the cough is now gone.

Teaching & tutoring: getting back into the swing of things has definitely taken up some time.

Teething: this didn't keep me from blogging but it's a T and it's the newest thing E.'s doing. I can feel (Rob felt it first) the edge of the tooth and I think it explains why she's waking up in the night when she wasn't before.

New Year's Resolution

2008-12-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

I realize that I haven't posted since E. finally decided to make her appearance. I kept saying that I wanted to post her birth story first but I kept procrastinating. Since the new year is almost here, I'll just resolve to post her story before it begins and resolve to post once a week about E. (I'm using my friend Rebecca's practice of not mentioning children's names outside of email on the internet).

So, here's the first one, before this year ends. It's mostly for my sister, Rachel, since she made this lovely outfit. In the picture she looks like she's sitting up by herself but I wedged a big pillow under her and stepped aside for a second to take the picture with my new computer.

This week, E. has been kicking even more than usual. She gets herself from her back to her side but not all the way over. She also can scoot herself up her crib by kicking and I think she's noticed that she can make her mobile animals shake when she kicks. I wonder what it sounds like to the neighbors below us when she thumps on the floor. Rob is calling her Thumper now.

I gave her a small bowl of mushed banana today and she seemed to like it. She jams her fist in her mouth to "help" and then smears it on her bib and eats the bib too. We had bathtime afterwards.

She also has been making this noise that I call her fake sneeze. I think she's blowing air out her lips but I'm not sure. It sounds like a tiny sneeze but I don't think she really is sneezing. I haven't caught her in the act yet.

Moments to Remember

2008-08-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

While I admit I have been making mental notes about things I won't miss about being this large, I've also been realizing that there are some things I will miss. Number one is feeling the baby move. It's mostly second nature now but every so often I think about it and realize how odd and cool it is. Especially when I can feel and see an elbow or when Kip does this turn/angle thing which causes one side of my belly to jut out.

I'll also miss the automatic seat on the subway which started once the winter clothes came off. I've noticed that moms with strollers or baby carriers don't get those offers nearly so much. My favorite was when this older man jumped up from his seat and guided me by the elbow to the empty seat. A gentleman in New York!

I'm not sure I'll miss the constant questions about due dates and the gender of the baby, though. I wish I had thought to tally all the predictions to see if there was a trend and to see if the majority was right.

And the unwanted advice--"you shouldn't be walking alone right now" or "it's too hot for you today, you shouldn't be out"--how else do I buy bread or go to the doctor's? Also, recently, the strangers who comment about how it's going to be any day now. Thanks for reminding me how obviously over-pregnant I am!

The funniest stranger moment, though was this woman who decided to talk to my belly. She was standing behind me in the grocery store checkout line as I swiped my credit card. In a singsong voice, she asked when I was due, "Today? Tomorrow? Tonight?" And then when I answered her follow up question about gender she replied, "What a lovely surprise!" Finally, she leaned over and said to my belly, "See, this is a credit card. When you come out, we'll go to Bloomingdale's!"

Old Ultrasound Pics

2008-08-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, these are from April but I never published them. They're a good reminder for me while I wait that there really is a baby in there, not just some wiggly creature that doesn't want to come out!

prego pictures

2008-08-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

I know I've been horrible at updating the old blog but now that I'm playing "wait for the baby" I feel a little more inspired. These photos go chronologically backwards.

toasting with Abby at Rachel's wedding; my favorite preggie pic (there have been no more recent ones for good reason!!)

a cliche I know but barefoot was the way to be at an outdoor wedding

8 month belly at wedding rehearsal

posing for Rob's drawing; I look morose because I'm not good at modeling

a few weeks or so after that

blurry pic from Brenda's wedding in March

Things I've been working on

2008-04-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this is the "nesting urge or not but I've been working on a lot of projects recently. This is Grandpa's sweater vest (started after Christmas so it's taken a little while).

2008-04-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

Grandma's sweater vest which was sewn together and even had one button on, as you can see, when I realized that it wouldn't fit so I had to take it apart. I'm almost done fixing the back.

2008-04-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

I really love the buttons for Grandma's sweater which I got from

Grandma's button box which she divided up between R. & me for Christmas.

I also used some buttons from there to re-button my faux-fur New Oreleans thrift store coat.

2008-04-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

I've been having fun making my own bread too, both for daily at home use and for communion. I put a cross on both loaves because I wasn't sure which one I was going to take. This is the Peasant Bread from the amazing no-knead artisanal bread cookbook that I first heard about on angry chicken's blog.

2008-04-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

This is a science project I'm doing with my class. We're all trying this at home to see what happens to the onions over 5 weeks. My hypothesis is that they will sprout but then rot. I have two set up because someone was absent and unable to do it this weekend. But I don't get why the water on the right is orangey. It's really not just the table wood showing through. Could it be rotting already?? (Please ignore the bread crumbs--as noted above I've been a mad baker recently).

A postscript for my last post

2008-03-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

So, the last week before spring break is always Spirit Week at my school and this year one of the dress-up days was "dress like a teacher" day. I put my hair up and wore my glasses to dress like Mrs. Gosson, my third grade teacher. A few of the girls in my class dressed up like me (with no pregnancy additions) and really didn't look much like me--no curly hair, for example. But then the k, 1st, & 2nd grade teachers all decided to dress like me too. And they all used varying sizes of pillows to make themselves enormous. I just hope some of them get that huge someday!

The kindergarteners had really funny responses to their teacher's sudden pregnancy. A lot of them were sure she really was pregnant and so she decided she had to quell the rumors by showing them her pillow. Even after she did this, and left it on her chair, one little girl kept asking her, "When is your baby coming out? Is it still in there?"

Belly weirdness

2008-03-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

So last week I had to get dressed up for my school's auction/fundraiser. And it took me a long time to pick a dress--I finally ended up wearing a black knit dress that my mom sent me which isn't maternity but had some room. Since I had a nice necklace on, I didn't have to go home and change.

Anyway, when I got there I went into the ladies room with my friends and my first reaction was to try and suck in my stomach. Because you could see easily how it was poking out in the dress. And then I realized how silly I was being. That's what it's supposed to look like. But it's still an adjustment.

And now the newest thing seems to be that whenever I see anyone in passing, they feel duty bound to comment on my belly and how I'm starting to show. Ugh. A friend even took a picture of me at a bridal shower and, aiming at my belly, said, "Smile, baby!"

Hopefully the novelty wears off soon for those I see all the time. But then I'll have to deal with R's wedding when I'll see all sorts of family for the first time and I'll be huge. I guess I could post a picture on here to forestall some of that.

Doesn't it look like

2008-02-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

(12 weeks)

Kipper's moving?

2008-02-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

The baby seemed really active the whole time. At one point he looked like he was punching me! (we're using the universal "he" or Kipper to talk about him so we don't have to say "it" but we're not finding out the gender).

12 weeks--close up

2008-02-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

This was the best set of ultrasounds so far. You can see the head pretty clearly on the left and then maybe a hint of the foot on the upper right. The still photos don't do the moving ones justice but they're still cool.

First visit to my ob

2008-02-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

The size is the CRL number (2.27 cm) and she gave me a new due date of 8/22.

Graduation from IVF

2008-02-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

This is my last ultrasound from my IVF doctor because I was at 8 weeks and we could see and hear the heartbeat even more strongly. See if you notice a difference in the ultrasound picture for the 9 week one. I think the IVF docs get more money for better machines.

Week 8 and growing

2008-02-17T12:24:00.000-08:00

Week 7 again, length 7.9 mm

2008-02-17T12:22:00.000-08:00

Baby is in between the plus signs.

"It's normal if we don't see a heartbeat yet, oh wait, there it is!"

2008-02-17T12:19:00.000-08:00

This was week 7 and it was pretty cool to see the little flicker of a heart and then to hear it.

The best part of IVF

2008-02-17T12:14:00.000-08:00

All the ultrasounds right away. And I'm not talking about the ones they do before the transfer. In this one, from week 6, the kidney shaped space is my uterus and the little toothpick might be the yolk sack. Too soon to see much of anything but this is when the doctor told me we were only having one.

The Olive Garden at Times Square

2008-02-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here's the story of how I found out about the baby.

After dealing with all the IVF stuff (early morning doctor visits, shots every night, etc), and then finally getting to the end of the two week wait after the embryo transfer, it was finally time for the pregnancy test. It just happened to coincide with the Christmas party for all of us teachers at my school, which was held at the Olive Garden in Times Square on December 17th.

I already kind of thought the test would be negative because I had some of my usual signs of my period (spotting, breaking out, etc), so I was pretty sure I didn't want to hear the news until after the dinner. So, when I got a call from my doctor's office right at 3:15 (about 30 minute before I left for our early dinner), I let it go straight to the message.

But I couldn't really forget about it, as I'm sure you'd understand. I kept looking at my phone throughout the dinner. When it was finally over, I still wasn't sure if I wanted to check the message but I had to go to the bathroom so I decided to check while I was in there. And lo and behold, I was blown away. The nurse said something about how she hated to leave such good news on my answering machine but I didn't care. I think I had to listen to it twice to let it all sink in.

After that, I went to the Toys R Us (it has a huge ferris wheel inside) and bought a baby stuffed animal. I think it's a bear or something but it has those sewn eyes instead of the marbley ones. I didn't even care that I had to wait in line with all the whiny kids anxious about their Christmas presents.

When I got home, I showed Rob the things I had gotten from the Christmas dinner and then gave him the bag with the toy in it last. He dropped it--he was so surprised. He had been preparing himself to be really supportive of my disappointment and so he was not expecting good news!

Big lame-oh

2007-11-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

I know it's been over two months since I last blogged. But I have started school again (with some amazing wonderful kids), been working on the hardest/best sweater I've ever knitted, and finally started my etsy shop! SO, I can at least feel accomplished there.

Tonight's CSA adventure

2007-09-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

Appey shock!

This is what my grandfather called it when he was a little boy. The CSA has been kicking my butt with fruit recently so I decided to fight back before my fridge started turning into a science experiment. Inspired by R., I'll include the recipe:

4 lbs apples (with a few pears mixed in to make 4 lbs)
1/2 a lemon
2 pieces of cinnamon
1/2 cup apple juice

Cut fruit into eighths and core but don't peel. Cut lemon into 2 pieces and bring everything to a boil. Then cook until properly mushy--that took me about 1 hour give or take. Then push through a sieve to remove skins, lemon, and cinnamon. The recipes I looked at suggested adding 1/4 cup brown sugar afterwards but it tasted so good I didn't add any. I do think having a food mill thingy like I vaguely remember using in my nursery school would have come in handy at the end but the wooden spoon/sieve combo does the trick and works out your forearm!

I don't know why I never take pictures of the final product (see borscht post below) but it is yummy! It was probably 10-12 apples and 2 pears and it ended up with the middle sized bowl from the borscht pictures mostly full of applesauce. I'm thinking about taking some in to school to have my city kids taste something beyond Motts but I don't know if R. Z. will let me! Maybe he wants it all to himself!

More CSA Treats

2007-09-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Borscht ingredients (clockwise from left): beets, red cabbage, carrots. Yes, those multicolored things are some very cool carrots! Not pictured: kielbasa, onion, garlic and other things I've forgotten. Hurray for the food processor!

A fruitful summer

2007-08-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

Jam #1: Strawberry rhubarb with Mom's help (June)

2007-08-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Jam #2: Peach--on my own! (August)

Not on the list!

2007-08-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

A week or two ago I wrote down on a page in my calendar a list of things I'd like to do before going back to school for preplanning. On it were things like wash the windows, work on my reading and writing curricula, finish my Great Conversation reading for this month, etc. I clearly did not write down totalling my car on that list!

Obviously, life is not controlled by lists. However, I'm trying to work on that mental bitterness that creeps in every so often so I'll try and make a new list of things I'm grateful that the one who controls life took care of:

no one was hurt
no screaming or yelling or crying happened after the fact from the other driver or me
both parties had insurance
my friend J. and her newborn that I was supposed to have lunch with were not in the car
my husband was able to get there really quickly to deal with the tow truck guy
while the first cop who handled it wasn't nice, he wasn't mean either

The details: I was taking a left turn and I think (when you hear people say "it all happened so fast", they're right) I misjudged how far away the oncoming car in the opposite lane was. All I know for sure is that I saw it right there at the last minute and slammed on the brake but it was too late. The second scariest moment after that one was when I tried to get out of the car and the door wouldn't open all the way--I had visions of those tv shows in which the crashed car bursts into flame or explodes on impact. But I managed to get myself out and I remembered to take my purse and insurance info.

Poor car. Below you can see a picture I took with my cell phone. As R. said, it was our first car together and it was good to us. It even appeared in one of his paintings.

My former smiley car on the right

2007-08-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

New Things

2007-08-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

What is it about the newness of new things that makes them so attractive to me? I don't think I'm alone in this but I always seem to get excited about trying new things that I've purchased. The new thing could be as simple as a new hair product or as complicated as a new pattern for knitting. But there's something about the newness that gets me. I always have to wear new clothes right after I get them and my husband will tell you I have difficulty finishing off the old cereal before opening a new box.

In some ways this isn't a bad thing. My CSA gives me new and different fruits and veggies every week which forces me to come up with new recipes. And I'm all for breaking from routine in cooking. Today I was especially excited to get blackberries which were a surprise (not on the email list) and a new thing.

But also this love for the new can make me a bad finisher or bad at continuing things. For example, I get excited about joining new groups on the internet, like facebook or blogging, but then I lose interest when something else new comes up or when I get too busy. My blog and lack of emails to friends and family are evidence enough. So maybe I need to find ways to make the old seem new again and/or apportion new things so they don't take over. My new knitting project can't be started until September since I signed up for the knitalong--maybe then I can focus on other things first. But the yarn is really nice. . .

Pigeon Boy

2007-08-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I worked for a few hours at my school's day camp. Normally this is something I would avoid--day camps on the subway make me change cars! But, it was just for the afternoon and it's a pretty small group. While I was there, we went to the library and the playground. The youngest kid, J., was this little blond curly-headed boy who was about 3. He was looking at a book titled something like, Where's the Mouse? in which a mouse is hiding on every page but the people can't find it. I was impressed by his knowledge of how books work--at one point "NO MOUSE!" was written in large letters and he said his version "WHERE'S THE MOUSE?" very loudly. How did he know big letters meant yelling? Also, the camp is focusing on France this week and the librarian had showed them several books written by French authors or that took place in France. When J. got to the end of his mouse book, he looked at the author's photo and said, as if he was reading that part, "This book is from France." It wasn't but he was applying what he had just heard.

Then he asked me to read him The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Another teacher had commented before about his lack of attention span where books were concerned but I didn't find that to be true. He had trouble paying attention to a 6 year old reading to him but I don't think that's unusual--you need to be a teacher or parent for that type of attention. Anyway, I read to him and every page or so, he'd say, "Excuse me. Where did the trees go?" or "Excuse me, why can't you see his face?" When another child came over, he said, "Excuse me. Look, all the trees are gone." At one point I thought it might make him sad because all the animals were leaving and getting sick but he seemed to get the idea of planting the seeds for the Truffula Trees. Although at first he was telling me about how tree tape would fix them all.

The best part was the park, though. J. asked to be my partner to cross the street and he held my hand very well until we got to the sidewalk where he saw a pigeon. He immediately ran after it and then happily came back and took my hand again when it flew away. Evidently he does this often so I knew to keep an eye on him when the next one came. I asked him, "What would you do if you actually caught one?" Without a pause, he replied, "Eat it." My sister R. used to chase pigeons (would they be considered invasive species?) so that she could kick them. I don't think she ever thought about other options for pigeons.

Knitting and beets

2007-08-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of energy and thought yesterday on both subjects. I've joined this Knitalong thing which I think is basically an online group that works through a knitting pattern together, posting questions, comments, photos etc. I'm pretty excited about it because it's a complicated pattern (cables and lace) and the yarn looks beautiful. First I have to finish this scarf I'm doing for Hope for NY's homeless knitting project but I think it's almost done. The hard part will be not starting on the new project until September!

As for beets, since I got my CSA veggies yesterday, I decided to make a beet and beet greens salad with feta which I've made before. Well, for some reason, the beets took extra long to roast and the water in the bottom of the pan evaporated. I kept checking them and they just seemed so hard still after 1 hour and 15 minutes. So finally I yanked them out of the pan, wrapped them in foil and put them in for 10 minutes at a higher temp. I think that's the only way I'll make them from now on. And then peeling them took forever too so once the salad was finally ready, I didn't really feel like eating it. Maybe they'll taste better today since they won't be tainted by all that labor. According to Martha, I should rub them with a paper towel to peel them. Live and learn.

CSA Delights

2007-07-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, since I haven't blogged in almost a year, I decided to at least blog about my CSA (community shared agriculture) which gives me tons of lovely produce every week.

Last week I got lettuce, arugula, carrots, scallions, red cabbage, yellow wax beans, 3 pounds of apples, 2 pounds of peaches and 1 pound of teeny plums. For two people, that's a lot of food.

Well, I ended up making Thai chicken curry with the beans and some cole slaw with the cabbage and carrots and scallions. A whole cabbage is much bigger than it appears. I think we still have a cup of the cole slaw. Amazingly, we seem to have finished the fruit--I gave a few apples to friends, R. made some peach smoothies, and I made an apple pie to take to a barbeque. It was a frozen crust and I didn't realize it wasn't supposed to be thawed so it ended up a little weak but next time I'll make a real crust.

We still have a lot of salad left and today's CSA day but we don't get any more salad this time around so that's good. And I'm feeling a little less inspired this week about cooking. I think the cole slaw wore me out last week.

Creature Weekend

2006-08-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

R. and I visited my mom's house in the Berkshires this past weekend and saw lots of creatures--some were where they belonged in nature and some gave me quite the surprise. Somehow, I was the one who kept finding them!

Snakey coming out from behind the fridge!

I first saw him on the rug when I went to get something from the fridge. Then, he got scared away when people tried to grab him. Finally, he reappeared.

Snakey right before R. swept him out of the house.

2006-08-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

The frogs that make the really big plop! into the creek.

2006-08-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

Frog on the porch in the rain

2006-08-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Dead Meecie