lit*chick

10 on Tuesday: Where I've Been

1. My computer has been wonky and wasn't playing nice with typepad. All better now. Thank you tech support, aka the hubs.

2. We had an anniversary (14). And it was quietly celebrated with sushi and wine following an evening of soccer practice and homework. Love you, K.

3. No trick or treating for us this year.  No one was especially sad about that. We did a hayride/fall party on Saturday afternoon and that seemed to do the trick, um treat.

4. Owen was learning about mummies in school while studying Egypt. His fifth grade buddy wrapped him in toilet paper as part of the lesson. I highly recommend mummifying the littles if you're looking for a rainy day activity.

5. My fall splurge: shoes from here, purse was on sale at Nordstrom and now I can't find a link. If you see the word splurge, you can rest assured it's either going to be shoes or purses.

6. Reading some good books these days:  Madame Bovary newly trans by Lydia Davis ; The Heroine's Bookshelf; and The Tin Ticket by Deborah J. Swiss. I'll have more to say about them soon.

7. Also coming soon....my holiday list series - some books, some etsy, and other cool stuff all found online.

8. The return of Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Shortbread Star Cookies. I may have to do a giveaway for those of you that are TJ's deprived. Seriously.

9. 

Evie...what can I say about our girlie. She loves raspberries, baby dolls, and was last seen putting a coffee sleeve on her sippy cup. We are all entranced.

10.    

   Finally, I wanted to share my new etsy shop : The Paper Pear. It was a lot more work than I anticipated but I'm happy with the progress. I love old books, I love paper, and I love cutting & pasting. So I started making cut paper designs using old hymnals, dictionaries, and classics. All of the pieces are original, not prints.  My lovely readers can expect an extra treat if they order. Just add the phrase  "I read lit chick" in the message to seller.

That's all for now...

The End.

 

 

10 on Tuesday: to do list

  bookish owl notepad by stephanie fizer

Friends, please forgive the indulgence of using the blog for listmaking but it happens to have 10 items...

1. Shower. I realize it may seem like an odd thing to actually put on a list, but it will feel good to check something off...and be clean. :) Are you with me?

2. Vacuum out the truck. Can't do it with E in her seat or she'll freak. How I love those high-powered vacs though.

3. Go for a walk. Taking your advice, dear Katy. Going to explore some more of the neighborhood. It's a cool, damp day and lil E has a bit of congestion but I think fresh air tips the scales in favor of a walk.

4. Changing our voting info so we can participate on election day. Must get the paperwork ready and deliver tomorrow.  Too bad this can't be done online...I understand why, but feeling lazy.

5. Make Caleb a dentist appt. He has a cavity, I am not looking forward to this.

6. Read Anna Karenina. This book has made it's way onto my to-do list. So I can be reminded each passing day that bookclub is coming closer. And I am not making much progress.

7. Send our property manager a list of fixes. Small items that nag. The list grows.

8. Kill some flies, check for ants. We are serious crumb droppers, but have never experienced anything like this before. I kill lots of flies and find lots of ants. It grosses me out. And I declare WAR.

9. Gather materials for Caleb's project. Creating a board game from a historical fiction book (Detectives in Togas). He sketched out the idea and rough draft yesterday. Tonight is construction - times like this I am so glad I have gobs of scrapbooking and crafty things.

10. Dinner tonight. I am currently without plan. We have been doing a good job the past few weeks of meal planning which is about to come to an abrupt halt. Time to pull out the tried & true. Maybe soup? Or jambalaya. Something involving one pot for sure. Total score  - just found TJ's Mahi Mahi Burgers in the freezer plus sweet potatoes (think fries). Woohoo!  And so it goes...

What's on your list?

The End.

 

10 on Tuesday: Running Late as Usual...

Thought I'd show you what is catching my eye this week in books and life, with a distinctly homekeeping/cooking slant. My nesting is not a result of pregnancy, I promise. I blame September.

1. My new favorite bookish website, a total lifesaver/timesaver for me - Any New Books. Subscribe and get weekly emails with all the new titles you wish. Ahh..Enabling at it's finest.

2. Found thanks to Any New Books... The Farm Chicks Christmas.

3. Making today:  dinner for a friend with a new baby.  Tortellini soup with turkey meatballs. And an apple crisp. Trying out some newfangled paper baking dish...is it bad that I smell burnt paper instead of warm apples? 

4. Things we are loving from Trader Joes's...the salt and pepper rice chips dipped in TJ's white bean tuscan hummus.  Nectarines.  Mahi Mahi burgers. I put blackened seasoning in some mayo, add mixed greens and the kids are downing some serious fish burgers. Hooray!

5. Finished Atlas of Love last week - loved the narrator's perspective on life as a story. Also reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (my prediction for Oprah's next book club pick-tba Sept 17) and Emily Hudson by Melissa Jones. Started The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart, and I must say so far, I'm not impressed.  Total bummer. I'm only sticking with it because Books on the Nightstand loved it and they are usually right.

6. Tangled Web: Through My Friend Amy, stumbled on the Rabbit Room, and then to artist Evie Coates' blog where I have been lost for the last day or so. And it's nice to find another lovely Evie in the world.

7. Our Evie has taken to wearing a green bucket on her head.

8. Currently: giving up our garage in order to get all the unpacked remnants out of daily living spaces. It was weighing me down spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Now I get to clean the garage, but it is much better than tripping over boxes and feeling like our house is not a home.

9. My back to school present to myself was this:

the other side says i heart nerds. And yes, the canvas is lined like kindergarten writing paper.

10. This week: Out the house - back to school night, family night at church, opening day for soccer season, and a back to school picnic. In the house - the start of soup making season and trying not to be late for all out the house activities.

What's new in your world this week?

10 on Tuesday: Summer Recap

 
1. The end of summer is upon us. As you read this, the first day of school has come (and gone). And I am totally okay with that. Bring it on, fall.

2. We moved this summer, in case you are new here or missed all the lamenting over packing and staging the house for sale. Aforementioned woes were aired here from January through June. A word about unpacking - it may actually be worse than packing. And we are still a work in progress, except for the bookshelves. :) (i have taken a bit of grief about that.)

3. The blog got two new reviewers! This has been a huge help since my writing mojo was left at the old house. Trish is covering mostly southern fiction with some historical fiction and lighter reads as well. Colleen is my ya expert, she specializes in dystopian, but is willing to read whatever I send her. Welcome again, Trish and Colleen!

4. Right after the move I had a little surgery. It threw a little wrench into the last two weeks of July, since it came as a surprise (aka emergency). All is well, thanks.

5. Between moving and recovery I lost the ENTIRE month of July. Gone. Never getting it back. A month  best forgotten.

6. I have been known to refer to seasons by certain foods...this will be the Summer of Pesto. We (Evie, Owen and I) have been putting it on everything. yum.

7. I don't think I've taken more than a handful of pictures since June. And apart from the outside of the house, no pics of the new home either. Basically the whole summer has been undocumented. Sigh.

8. We did have a lovely albeit pricey getaway at the Chesapeake Hyatt Resort in Cambridge. I can't recall when I was last served pina coladas poolside, but it was more than 12 years ago. And that alone was worth it.

9. I broke my new phone. I had it a little over two months. Not good. Not good at all.

10. KWB is in middle school. He is my first baby. He grew almost 3 inches this summer (to about 5'3")and his feet....I can't even talk about it. May the Lord have mercy on us all.

The End.

Hello, Friends. Goodbye, Gall Bladder.

Here we are - not quite settled but progressing. It is good to be connected again. We finally have phone, internet, tv after two plus weeks without. Although I could do without the tv...and probably the phone.

The same week we said goodbye to our house I also parted ways with my gall bladder. After feeling unbelievably lousy in the wee morning hours and having chest pains, I ended up having emergency surgery. Thankfully, a wonderful group of family and friends took the kids, cleaned, unpacked, cooked meals, laundered, held Evie, shuttled children, and basically functioned as me for a whole week while I slept. What a tremendous blessing. And a humbling experience to be served in such a grand way. As soon as I locate the box that holds my stationary, I can tell you each how much I love you. But until then...thanks.

In lit*chick news - we have a new reviewer for teen/ya lit. Here is her story:

Colleen is Melanie’s favorite (and only) niece who works as a barista at the Little French Market Café , and is guilty of reading at dull times during her long shifts, singing along to the radio, and baking anything with chocolate. Her favorite genre is teen dystopian, but she also enjoys a good historical fiction novel, and the occasional autobiography/memoir.

Look for her work on My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares  and The Disreputable History of Frankie Laundau Banks by E. Lockhart coming very soon. 

We also have Trish's review of On Folly Beach by Karen White ready to go.

And my reviews for 

Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz

The Stormchasers by Jenna Blum

Commuters by Emily Gray Tedrowe

The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace

Simply from Scratch by Alicia Bessette

The Doctor and the Diva by Adrienne McDonnell

The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

Indiana by NC Weyl

And tomorrow - a birthday party for Penguin Books  (Happy 75th!). What better way to celebrate than with a giveaway? Stay tuned.

Finally, I have to tell you all I LOVED Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. I already know one of you didn't like it :), but I have to say it was the perfect read  while I convalesced. Major Pettrigrew is one of the most charming gentlemen characters I"ve read in some time. His dry wit and propriety had me alternately laughing (painful) and nodding my head. 

Sorry for the info dump. What's new with you? Do tell.

The End.

evie at one

We learned that it is possible for Heiser babies to grow hair.

We learned that pink goes with everything.

We learned getting eight teeth sure does hurt.

We learned definitively that girl clothes are cuter.

We learned you are happy to ride - whether in your stroller, little red car, or car seat.

We learned you are happier when there is music playing

We learned you are happiest when your brothers are near.

We learned you don't like the word no or large bodies of water like bathtubs and oceans

We learned you love strawberries, dogs, catalogs, and staring at strangers.

We learned to love being surprised by life.

We love our little e.

The End.

Snow My Goodness

We measured 32 inches of white stuff. We are in one of those pockets that took some excess over the excess. It took the hubs 4 hours to shovel our lil driveway (one car deep).

Evie hasn't gone out because she is still fighting an icky cold. The boys made tunnels and igloos - it isn't very good sledding, yet. Although efforts were made to create a luge course, it proved too tiring for the wee lads.

This storm has bought me another week of house staging. And that is good news, my friends. And of course, I'm getting a fair amount of reading done too.

Here are some pics from the weekend:

dudes, driveway, drifts

our street - path made with snowblower

shortly after this picture was taken, her lower body became stuck under the couch :)

Do you have snow too? Do tell.

The End.

Ten on Tuesday: On the Move

1. My father-in-law is on a 42 day cruise - aboard a container ship - to the Mediterranean. We refer to it as The Love Boat. There is a nifty website we can check to see Where in the World is Grandpa. Pirates beware - he will throw his Kindle at you.

2. Evie is trying to crawl, right now she looks like she is breakdancing. And she is moving backwards. Forward progress can't be far off. Have mercy.

3. And, drum roll..... we are moving. Again. House no. 4 and we aren't military.

4. Locally- meaning still in the DC metro area. Closer to school. Closer to husband's job. Closer to having a smaller mortgage.

5. There is a long story here for another day. But while I'm kinda excited, I'm really really sad to leave this house. We have a great house with great neighbors, we are settled in here in many ways. But looking ahead at another 20 years of private school tuition (and college) for 4 children is forcing us to rethink our lifestyle (which apart from our mortgage is pretty modest, but there's always room to cut, no?). 

6. Where are we going? Well, we don't EXACTLY know. I do know our next home will be significantly smaller. Yes, I realize our family is getting bigger - thanks for pointing that out. We'll be purging some items, none of those items will be children.

7. I have been in the throes of home staging for the last couple of weeks. Which would be no problem if I didn't have the daily debris - dishes, laundry, general picking up, papers galore. Every room is 80 percent ready. The other 20 percent is in total upheaval.

8. One thing is for certain...I cannot move until I pick my new paint colors. It's both an oddity and a knack - I'm a color scheme fiend. The swatches are painted. The colors are picked. The choices - well, you're going to have to wait along with my family.

9. I am definitely going to make one of these very soon (like when the house is clean), thanks to Elise for another brilliant mini book idea. If you require a shortcut (and I might) she sells mini book kits in her etsy shop.

10. Snow is coming. We'll be hunkered down here. There is plenty to do indoors.

The End.

Ten on Tuesday:

1. I'm already a week behind here, hopefully they won't kick me out of the 10 on Tuesday club. :)

2. Am I also behind on my photo a week? Well, I'll stick it here. Jill is documenting baby E every Friday. And in order to have plenty of material for their wedding slide show, ahem, Evie will come alongside. Her pics will be in an album somewhere on the side...

3.  No the string is not wrapped around her neck. Although, her neck may have been sore later from staying at that angle for so long.  Not a milestone that I usually document, but it is Evie's first encounter with a balloon. Cool, huh?

4. For those of you worried about her lack of hair...we have a history of bald babies here (including me) who now enjoy the opposite - too much hair. So there is hope for our E.

5. The brothers are still smitten. And she really only belly laughs for them.

6. I am on a publisher's list....the wrong list. They continue to send me smutty books with half naked people on the cover. I have kindly asked them to stop sending them. Sometimes "because it sells" isn't a good enough answer.

7. Caleb's teacher is getting married in a few months. The class is so excited - did your teacher ever get married during the school year? It's a neat thing to behold.

8. Last week, Karl took me to the Newseum. I had been wanting to go for a while - and it was awesome. Try going on a cold Tuesday - there were only a handful of people there. Growing up in the DC area, our local news was national news and I didn't realize until we went on vacation one year that everyone didn't watch NBC4 with Jim and Doreen. But there is so much more here...put it on your list.

This is a view from the terrace onto Pennsylvania Ave... I believe the red roof building is the Federal Trade Commission. and just beyond it, on the right, the National Archives. On the left, the Pencil and the Museum of Natural History (the domed building).

9. Our household is getting ready for something big. And it isn't another baby. More later. ;)

10. I'm off to clean before our beloved cleaning lady arrives. Cleaning for the cleaning lady, I know I'm not the only one.

The End.

PS If you are doing 10 on Tuesday also....link to it in the comments -listmakers unite!

Merry Christmas Eve(ie)

Merry Christmas everyone - from our house to yours.

The End.