Literally nothing

What do you know...I'm back again, and I know I've been a stranger. First it was my trip to Portland, then the Quidditch match, and now I'm just crazy busy gearing up for the holidays. Plus, I'm trying to plow my way through the edits requested by my agent.

Okay, let's just take a moment to pause and let that last sentence sink in.

Because nothing like that has ever been said here on this blog, and it feels kind of nice. It also means it's contributing to my crazy busy-ness. Not only have I not been able to blog myself, but I haven't been able to visit all my blogger friends! I find myself wondering about what's going on out there in the other corners of the world besides my own. And I am going to make a conscious effort to set aside a little relaxing blogger time every day.

If it weren't for my mom, I could say pretty much anything I wanted on this blog about the goings on in my family. But my mom reads this blog and has been known to tip certain people off if there is a titillating family tidbit. Not that there are many of those tidbits, but still. Neither my brother or sister, nor my mother-in-law or sister-in-law read this blog, and only a single non-cyber friend reads it. My husband 'catches up with me' about once a month and rarely comments on anything he reads. So really this could be quite the juicy blog.

Okay not really.

The most exciting thing that has happened to me lately was getting a coupon in the mail: $20 off $50 or more at Cost Plus...and using it! Coupons thrill me. I even get a (very cheap) thrill from finding pennies in the parking lot. Two of my husbands co-workers told him that if they dropped a penny or a nickel, neither would pick it up--it simply wasn't worth the effort. This boggles my mind. I love to save me some money--or get me some free money. But I am nothing--nothing--compared to my sister. I once stood with her in the grocery store for a solid minute while she comparion-shopped for a can of green beans. There was like a three cent price difference. This too boggles my mind. I'm a happy medium.

I'm also low-profile, quiet, and shy. Except with my family. I'm telling you, that's where the juicy posts are, people! I guess it's all fodder for my memoir...

Birds on the Wires

I have yet to get tired of watching this...

LOVE this...

Sesame Street turns 40!!!

Sesame Street was very big in the lives of my kids (and mine too, way back). I can still freehand an Elmo, Cookie Monster, or Big Bird head on demand. And when I look at my family, I'm still singin' 'One of these things is not like the others...'

Soooo many things to love.

November Book Review Club

Back again--it just seems like October flew by--and it's time for another installment of Barrie Summy's Book Review Club! Be sure to click on the typewriter to hop over to Barrie's blog for some excellent book reviews.

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@Barrie Summy

This month I'm reviewing Home to Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani. This book is the fourth in a series of books, Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Holler, and Milk Glass Moon that I read--and truly enjoyed--several years ago. On a quick mission in the library, I noticed Home to Big Stone Gap--I love, love, love the cover, by the way--and simply had to pick it up.

Although she doesn't write the type of books I typically read (my tastes run mostly to Victorian-era mysteries, humorous women's fiction, and romantic comedy), I am drawn to Ms. Trigiani's writing. These books are like mini-sagas, and include all of life's little joys and tragedies. Personally, I don't much care to read about tragedies, and certainly not dramas, but Ms. Trigiani writes them with such simple honesty that they appeal even to my sheltered literary requirements.






While it is not necessary to read the other Big Stone Gap books to enjoy this one, I recommend all of them. There are hints and subtle flashbacks to the previous books, and they work as subtle teasers to encourage you to read all that you've missed. The main character, Ave Maria MacChesney is an Italian-American, living in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, and the book (set in 1998) chronicles this next chapter in her life now that her teenage daughter (eighteen) has gotten married and moved a world away, to Italy.

Her husband is having heart problems, her best friend has been keeping a BIG secret, and her whole life may be about to change. But she's also directing a community theater production of The Sound of Music, planning a trip to Scotland, and dealing with the quirks of everyday life in a rural mountain town.

There are characters aplenty in this book, and all of them are characters in the true sense of the word--kookiness abounds, on nearly every page, and right beside it are some impressive insights on life, love, and self-awareness. The writing is easy to read and feels, at times, almost like a diary, and at others, as if you are sitting at the local cafe, overhearing these conversations first-hand. The imagery is often wonderful. I'd even go so far as to add Big Stone Gap to the list of places I'd like to visit, inspired by books I've read.

This is a cozy book to curl up with, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for medium weight women's fiction.

Not ready for the World Cup quite yet...

The Quidditch Match went off without a hitch, and fun was had by pretty much everyone. I was asked by multiple parents whether we'd be hosting a grown-up version, because if so, they wanted in. There are currently no plans for such an event. And right now, I can't even think about it because I am exhausted.

As promised, here are a few action shots...




Hope everyone had a fun-filled Halloween!

Into the thick of it once again...

It's been quiet around the blog lately...because I have been run off my feet, first getting ready for my anniversary trip to Portland, then actually enjoying said trip, and now, in recovery. We had a lovely time--four and a half days to explore an area of the country completely foreign to us. Waterfalls and various vegetation were the major players. We traipsed through the International Rose Garden, the Japanese Gardens (LOVED them!), apple and pear (and wine!) country, Christmas tree farms and various other verdant, mossy areas interspersed with the wild reds and yellows of autumn. And we even took a leisurely drive down to see the redwoods in Northern California. Hubby couldn't resist being so close (only six hours!) away without seeing them. They were definitely something. I must admit though that my experience hiking through the gentle giants was somewhat tainted by my crazy wild fear that a grizzly was going to pop out of a jumbo hollow and grab me up as a quick 'takeaway' meal without my oblivious husband being any the wiser. Thankfully, I made it out alive, and in looking through my pictures, found this unexpectedly sweet shot taken over the side of the famous Multnomah bridge. (You guys do see that heart I'm seeing, right? Turn your head sideways--I can't get the picture to upload with the correct orientation.)




And now we're back...and gearing up for this weekend's Quidditch match. I'm crossing my fingers for good weather and good sportsmanship and good spirits. At the very least it should be good for some hilarity.

Jewelry Box Dancers

The quality on this video clip isn't the best, but it's definitely worth a look. I can imagine opening a jewelry box and finding these two dancing inside. Makes me smile.