November's book list

Hatcher, Michael. Keeping Chickens. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2010.*

Rich, Adrienne. A Change of World. New Haven: Yale UP, 1951.*

Well.  That's that.

Pictures of morning glories

Just because I felt like sharing.

Happy Wednesday!

Well, hello there.

What have I got for you today?  Not a lot.

Sorry.  I hope you have your own interests and hobbies to distract you.

But here are a few things I feel like sharing:

Source (via).

I just felt like saying that.  Plus, I think this is pretty.

I learned that today is Prematurity Awareness Day.  This post in particular has some pretty helpful links.

I just feel like reminding you that I am married to a fabulous baker.  Fabulous.

I'm going to see the new Harry Potter movie this weekend.  I had thought about re-reading the last book beforehand, but now I think I'll just be surprised at all the parts I forgot.  Exciting!

I want to re-read the Harry Potter books this winter, though.  They're prime cold-weather books.

Mamaw called me last night to say she enjoyed the ultrasound picture I sent her.  We had a nice ten-minute talk about how clear the ultrasound picture is, how pretty the baby is, how we want her to look like me, and how excited everyone is about her very existence.  Then I told her I'd send her pictures of myself pregnant because I thought she would be impressed.

Just because, here's a series of pictures of me pregnant:

14 weeks

15 weeks

16 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

21 weeks

22 weeks (holy smokes)

23 weeks

Well, that was fun, right?

Sure.

I'm impressed/weirded out by myself right now.

And to Mom, because I know you'll probably notice: yes, I do think I've gotten a little chubbier in the arms these last few days.  Happy?  No?  Well, neither is Cody.  It's okay, though.  I promise to get chubbier.  You can count on it!  I'm like a mutant whose superpower is rapidly expanding to accommodate the awesome baby I'm growing.  Yes, I know this is what all those other pregnant chicks are doing, and have been doing for thousands of years.  Let me feel special!  It's exciting to feel like a member of the X-Men.  Or to grow a baby.  Either way.  Same difference.

You know those cloth or board books for babies that just pictures of something in a theme?  It's usually farm animals, or colors, or shapes, or maybe activities.  I realized yesterday that we're going to need some for superheros.  Then I realized that we'd probably need separate books for the DC and Marvel universes.  And then I realized we'd probably need a book for the major X-Men players (not every single one--I'm not taking it that far) and one for the Justice League.  Does anyone have any ideas on how to do this?  Maybe felt would work.  Maybe just insignias.

Sometimes I tune out Cody when he talks about his comics.  

Clearly, I am not doing it enough.

We're halfway through the week!

I'm done now.

October book list

These are the books I finished reading in October.  I loved them all!

Brown, Larissa Golden and Martin John Brown, Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together.

Oh my heart, the pictures.  So pretty!  I love doing crafts with other people, and just glancing at this book on the coffee table made me want to sit with 5 or 6 people and drink coffee and do crafty things even if I can't follow a single pattern in this book.  It had pretty pictures and a message I liked hearing.  All I need.

Browne, Jill Connor.  The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love. 

The last time Jarrett was at my house, I somehow discovered he didn't know what Sweet Potato Queens were--even though we'd just sampled the cheese dip from the central Arkansas branch, Hogs and Kisses, at the cheese dip championship.  So I pulled out my books and we as a group of friends banded together to impart this important knowledge of fabulous Southern ladies to this poor half-Canadian.  Then I wound up reading the book.  These ladies know a lot about love.  They seem to think it's important.  I'd have to agree.

Farrell, Chris. The New Frugality: How to Consume Less, Save More, and Live Better.

Some of this I already knew, some of this I didn't need to know (investments are confusing), and some of this I didn't want to hear (what do you mean I need to stay away from Target and Old Navy?!).  But a lot of it was incredibly valuable--especially the parts about paying off debts early, and the difference a little extra money each month can make when you contribute toward your retirement.  You should read this.

Smith, Alexander McCall.  In the Company of Cheerful Ladies.

I love when detectives solve crimes.  And I love when the tone of a detective novel is light-hearted and charming and fun to read while I'm falling asleep.

Woolf, Virginia.  Orlando.

Swoon.  This is her most fun novel that I've read.  She's not just wry here--she gets flat-out mischievously funny.  But it's still so good and full of standard Virginia Woolf-like complicated and deep thoughts about the sense of self and gender implications and travel and heritage and time and what it means to be an artist.  Sigh.  I love her.

Book list for August 2010

King, Stephen. The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I.
--. The Drawing of the Three: The Dark Tower II.
LeCarre. John. The Constant Gardener.
McCall Smith, Alexander. The Kalahari Typing School for Men. 
--. Morality for Beautiful Girls.
Rich, Adrienne. The Dream of a Common Language: Poems 1974-1977.

Book list for July 2010

Byatt, A. S. Possession: A Romance.

Potter, Andrew. The Authenticity Hoax: How We Get Lost Finding Ourselves.

Smith, Alexander McCall. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

--. Tears of the Giraffe.

Stewart, Martha. The Martha Rules: 10 Essentials for Achieving Success as You Start, Grow, or Manage a Business.

June book list

I almost forgot about this! Here are the books I finished in June. Ta da!

Douglas, Susan. Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message that Feminism's Work is Done. New York: Times Books, 2010.*

Hall, Donald. Without. New York: Houghton Mifflin Compnay, 1998.*

Leonard, Annie. The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession With Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health--And A Vision for Change. New York: Free Press, 2010.

Rich, Adrienne. An Atlas of the Difficult World, Poems 1988-1991. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1991.*

Sedaris, David. When You Are Engulfed in Flames. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008.*

How to make a pinata

Last week, Jessi and Faith came to my house to make a bear pinata for Jeff's birthday. I provided the workspace and sweet tea and aprons and they descended upon it with crafts supplies and pizza.

And so we began the process of talking and crafting.

Step 1: Eat pizza. That's not pictured. Instead, here's a picture of Jessi with her special friend.

Step 2: Get yourself psyched up. This is how Jessi works.
Step 3: Rip up a bunch of newspapers.
Step 4: Blow a balloon.

Step 5: Write a special message.

Step 6: Document everything.
Step 7: Make paste.
Step 8: Dip those strips of newspapers in the paste and cover the balloon. We kept the balloon in place by situating it in a sundae cup.

Step 9: Accelerate the drying process with a fan.
Step 10: Make more paste and wash hands and continue the Very Important Documentation Process.
Like this.
And this.
Step 11: Admire our fantastic aprons and sit around while we wait for the mache to dry some more.

And yes, that is my Christmas tree you see on the far right. It's June. Why would I take it down now?!
Step 12: Check the clock and realize it's really time to accelerate the drying process.
Step 13: Work on a smaller balloon for the bear's head.
Step 14: Faith and I covered the bigger balloon with sheets of brown tissue paper. Then we ripped up more paper into smaller pieces, pinched the ends, and dipped the ends in glue and affixed them to the body.
While Jessi worked on the head and face.
Ta da! Google eyes, velcro, felt, a button, some tissue paper = bear face.
I drew paws on some construction paper and Jessi cut them out.
Step.....several dozen: we try to figure out how to turn 2 balloons into a pinata that resembles a teddy bear/where the parts will be stored/who will do what, etc.

It's not quite as intense as it looks in this picture.
Step Birthday: Faith superglued the head into a hole she'd cut in the top of the big balloon (body) and glued the paws to the front (I'm still sad we didn't have time to make a tail. Bear tails crack me up).

Then Jeff was surprised and ecstatic with his surprise:

And that! is how you make a pinata.

March book list

Chappell, Fred. I Am One of You Forever. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State Press, 1985.

Faludi, Susan. Backlash: The Undeclared War on American Women. New York: Crown, 1991.

I don't want to talk about it. Please just leave me to wallow in my shame and despair.

January Book List

Drabble, Margaret. The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.*

Grisham, John. The Firm. New York: Doubleday, 1991.*

Nichols, Sharon Eliza. I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar: A Collection of Egregious Errors, Disconcerting Bloopers, and Other Linguistic Slip-Ups. New York: St. Martha's Press, 2009.

Reed, Stanley. Oriental Rugs and Carpets. London: Octopus Books, 1972.

Shell, Ellen Ruppel. Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. New York: Penguin, 2009.*