C'mon....

This time I WILL get published...

chugga chugga chugga

I am writing a new children's book.

I gave up on my troll story....for now. I feel really sad saying that because I worked on it - on and off - for nearly 9 years! But, this fall I ordered a troll graphic novel for my library and it was MY story! It's a retelling of a classic Norwegian tale....not very well known, but well enough, and some smarty-pants who can draw turned it into a not so awful graphic novel. I will be the first one to tell you that it's not bad. It's not better written than mine, it's just told and presented in a better way....and judging by the last few sentences, I may never get published. I need to review grammar. Boo.

So, anyway, I have a new idea. Some new characters and a story I'd like to tell. A world I'd like to create and share and turn into a cute little series...that will dazzle a publisher who will advance me and send a contract upon reading the first few paragraphs...ahhh, gotta love my imagination.

But you know when you have a really good idea....you get this feeling...sort of like that feeling, that split second, when you KNOW you are going to catch the wave and it's a little bigger than you anticipated? But you are psyched? I have that feeling.

Now I carry around a notepad and pencil everywhere I go. I try to write at least every other day for a half hour. It's hard to find time to write...but I want to get this done and sent out. I will be calling on some of my grammar-knowledgable peeps for proofreads. Yeah, you probably know who you are. I hope to send you folks a draft in a few weeks.

Wish me luck. Another adventure.

Oh...did I forget to mention that I am being laid off? Oh yeah. THAT's happening. No money in the budget for a .5 librarian. After June 21 I will be officially unemployed. (again) :(

On the upside, (cuz there's always an upside) I will have more time to write AND try to start my bread baking business (Rise and Shinealot). I'm already taking orders for Amish White, Honey Whole Wheat, and Rolls to Die for (great for sandwiches or dinner). $3.50 a loaf or bag of 12 rolls. Feel free to email. I deliver. So yeah...wish me luck on that one, too!

Next Generation

My 16 year old sister currently has this quote up on her blog,

"Parents have no idea what it's like growing up in this generation."

It's very weird for me to read this as I am somewhere in the middle of her generation and our parents. I totally get where she is coming from. I never felt like I was understood as a teenager, at least not by my mom, who was in charge of me - setting all those limits and inevitably teaching me to be a responsible adult. But man did I resent her for it at the time! (Sorry, Mom!)

I feel like I have been given some magic perspective goggles...if only they would work for my sisters. Now that I AM a reasonably responsible adult, I understand that while parents can be clueless about so much that seems important at the time, ultimately, the universal lessons remain the same generation after generation.

Be a good person. Be respectful to others, especially your elders. Take care of your family. Respect yourself by making choices you will be proud of (or can live with). Do well in school. See the bigger picture. Make an effort to make other people feel good. Do your chores whether you want to or not. Make your bed every morning. (Well...that last one probably isn't an important universal lesson...but I've already instilled in my 6 year old who has had to do it every day since he was 4...poor little guy.)

Reading this quote scares me a little, too. It makes me wonder what Liam and Finn will be like as teenagers. What will our relationships be like? Will I be totally clueless? Will we fight over making the beds? (inevitably!) Will I have earned their respect? Will they walk all over me? (Sort of like they do now...only with bigger, stinkier feet....)

Instead of fear, I will just have to remember to keep those perspective goggles handy. Mama knows best...

(I know what some of your are thinking - I have boys, it'll be different than the 'mother/daughter' thing I had going on. My friends, you are wrong. Liam and I have established a lovely mother/daughter relationship. We are as dramatic as they come - already!)

Anyway, here's to the future...

Not one photo

For the last few days I have had my dad, stepmom, and two sisters staying with us and I did not take one picture.

It frustrates me...but I also feel liberated. I HATE missing the moment because I am behind a camera taking a picture. Living in the moment is where I'd much rather be...but now they are gone and I don't have any pics to post or put in an album in three years when I get around to making an album for 2012.

So here are some shots I would have taken had I charged and used my camera in no particular order.

**Liam BARRELING across the lobby of his school with his arms out wide to give his grandpa a huge hug when he came to pick him up.

**Alie...getting hit by a stick in the woods flung by a careless Liam.

**My sister Jill's, long slender fingers caught, playfully, in Austin's jaws...and if I were recording you'd here her sweet laugh as she tenderly scolds him.

**Alie, her own long hair piled on top of her head, with her fingers intricately knotting and braiding mine...for the fourth time.

**My stepmom, Krissy, looking up from the train platform, waving and blowing good-bye kisses emphatically to Finny.

**The eight of us, nine if you include the dog, standing in 100+ year old graveyard, on a beautiful sunny day, appreciating the life and death all around us.

**My Dad, Krissy, sisters, and I huddled around a perfect coffee cake with plates and forks.

**Finn, in miniature bowling shoes, carrying a bowling ball more than half his weight, to push down the alley.

**Three sister in the kitchen washing/drying dishes and baking together.

You get the idea...there's my little photo album.

Don't ask me how I am...

Because...I kind of feel like a dork when all I want to say is, "Great. The greatest I've ever been EVER. All my dreams have come true. Blah blah blah." I mean - I miss people and life isn't perfect - but when is it ever? All I am saying is that...I am so so happy. We love our house, we love each other...what else is there?

SO, that picture up there is of dairy free cookies baking for Finn up top and dough rising for my whole wheat and oatmeal bread. Mmmm....the double ovens are AMAZING.

Here's a great shot of the living room, all cozy. We still need to paint the walls in here, so we haven't hung anything up.

Here's the 'split-level' - stairs going up and down...
Supposedly our kitchen table will FINALLY arrive tomorrow....I won't believe it until I see it.
The playroom...a mess, as always.
Oh...sort of random, but this is the three phase training plan my dear friend Fred made up for me. Apparently I will run a half marathon in October...
Another shot of the playroom...lighting was terrible...and yeah, that's a lightbulb on a stand. We need floor lamps...but those can wait...
Here's the other side of Finny's room.
And there are those yummy cookies. Honestly, they are as good, if not better than my other ones. Maybe not as rich b/c I use mini chocolate chips...but I certainly could hunt down a more decadant chocolate. In any case, these were a hit and I'll be making them a lot.
Ahh, here's Liam at the Cub Scout's Pinewood Derby. He wasn't as into it as I thought he would be, but it was fun. His car, mostly built by Bill, wasn't the fastest, but it wasn't the slowest, either.
Liam is a pretty happy guy. He's got a pretty sweet life, if you ask me. Cub Scouts every week. Ski school every Sunday until March. He's not the smartest kid in his class, but he isn't struggling, either. Bunk bed. Small forest for a back yard. Family that comes around to visit. Friends. Nothing brings me greater joy than knowing my babies are happy and thriving. This is also his first day wearing a turtleneck. He seemed to think it was a special occasion...to simply wear a turtleneck.
Finnster LOVED the races. He was clapping and cheering the whole two hours! This sweet little guy tags along to ALL of Liam's adventures. I think he has a good time doing so. His life is clearly headed down 'Awesome Lane' as well. Skiing and Scouts and whatever else...lucky boys.

Poor Finny...he thinks he's one of the big boys. Thankfully, all these kids tolerate him, and a bunch are actually pretty sweet and cute to him. He'll be a Cub Scout before I know it (sigh).
And so I go. Chugging along. Mama to my boys. Sometimes school librarian. Budding bread baker. Long driveway walker. Possibly runner of semi-long distances... grateful for every second people.

Oh, in case some of you local peeps are wondering, we ARE going to have a house warming party, BUT we have to wait Chuck and Mira are available and that won't be until the end of March. We would not have been able to move in/renovate as quickly as we did without their help AND we really would like for them to perform...they are worth hearing. Will keep ya posted.

Knowing...

So, the saying goes, "You know when you're done." (I am referring to baby making.) Over the last few months I have found this expression extremely annoying.

Here is what I know.

I know I like a certain lifestyle. One that involves going to the movies and out to eat from time to time and maybe even a vacation once in a while. I know that I love my husband and my relationship with him means the world and more to me.

I know that I want to be able to afford to let Liam keep skiing for as long as he likes. And swim. And whatever. And Finn, too.

I know these things to be true. So, while some deep inner...something, yearns for one more babe from time to time, I KNOW it is not best for me and the lifestyle I have chosen.

I know this. I had to write it out. It is a choice. So...the whole "you know when you're done" thing seems so black and white and I feel like I am in the gray. As usual.

Teaser...

Our house is finally turning into our HOME. Here's a shot of Finn's room. I need to get a shot of his bed corner, but here's the main gist of his room. He is SO happy to have a train table in there.

Here you can see Liam in all his glory. He LOVES his room. Thus far, we have not been involved int he placement of anything except the furniture. He has things hanging and piled all over. We'll organize it eventually, but for now, he just loves having his own space.
And more than anything in the world he LOVE LOVE LOVES his bunk bed.
Here's the master. It's very calming...except for the boxes and unfinished closet, but all in good time.
Okay, two things of note in this picture. We bought our bed from a Japanese company in California. There are no screws or nails, all the wood fits together like a puzzle! It is pretty awesome...but a real pain in the neck to move. Now that our lovely carpet is in, I don't think we'll ever move it again.
Here's another shot of the room. You can see the reflection of the window in our mirror.
In case you didn't know, I LOVE our house. I love it. I am so happy. (Sore, exhausted, and totally tired of opening, unpacking, and breaking down boxes.) But, so so happy. I look forward to the months ahead - watching our property change with the seasons. I am counting the days until I can rent a roto-tiller and 'till' the garden. I actually can't wait to smell the earth as I dig and plant and rearrange stones...there will be so much to do and all of it outside...on my little piece of the earth. All the while my little boys will be filling their pockets with rocks and mud, hanging on trees, and getting into all sorts of trouble...ahhh....

We are still awaiting a dining room table and fancy futon for the basement. The fancy futon is a housewarming gift from my mom and David and I want you folks who are far away to pay special attention. We bought a queen size with a VERY nice mattress SO when you visit you will have a cozy, comfy place to sleep (and air mattresses for the kids). Yep, start booking your tickets and I'll get the buttermilk stocked for pancakes.

C'mon over...

So, I'd like to begin by showing you the amazing, dazzling light fixture that my Dad and Krissy gave us as a house warming present. 16 mason jars will hang from our ceiling and fill our evenings with a warm and magical glow. It arrived today and once we get our table, we will center and install. OOoooooo!!!!

Below is one of my favorite trees. I imagine she and I will share many a gaze as I wash endless dishes at my kitchen sink. This beauty is right outside.
So, when you pull up the 217 foot drive way, our abode will be to your left.
In warmer weather, you might want to just walk around back and look for us, as we will most likely be outside. Or grilling by the deck.
There are going to be some killer bbq's on this deck.
But, let's say, it's chilly and we are not outside. You'll want to walk up to the front door. Finn might greet you with a balloon if you are super lucky.
You might want to visit our cozy upstairs bedrooms. They are all sporting brand new hard wood floors. (Oak, in case you are wondering and they are absolutely gorgeous.)
Liam's room has the most windows. We hope to have paint on the walls in the next week or so and a bunk bed for the buddy as soon as it dries.
I have to admit, all the rooms look kind of the same. They aren't huge, but they are just right. This is the master...just a tad bigger than the boys' rooms.
And this is Finn's room - and even though it looks like all the others, I had to include this to show my brother and Mira how good the walls ended up. :)
I keep forgetting to take pictures of our gorgeous bathroom. It really is gorgeous...I'll try to remember tomorrow. In the meantime, we have been very busy in the playroom. We're priming all the window trim. They will be painted white.
Here's the view of our awesome front lawn from the playroom windows.
And finally, on these super chilly days, we can gather around the amazingly cozy wood stove. It warms the house like you wouldn't believe.
So c'mon over. It's super cozy over here, even if we don't have a lot of furniture. And who knows, you might meet Alien Finn. He's really cute and funny. He's also NOT ALLERGIC TO WHEAT ANYMORE!! WOOT WOOT!
He was tested for cat, dog, peanuts, various tree nuts, three different milk proteins, soy, wheat, egg white, and egg yolk. He only had bad reactions to: peanuts, black walnuts, and all three milk proteins. (The milk reactions were the worst). And, the only three nut he's allergic to is the black walnut). He actually had NO response to egg white and a small response to egg yolk. The doctor wants to play it safe, so we are going to keep away from eggs for one more year. We are also not taking any chances with tree nuts. He's never actually ingested this things, just responded to skin pricks. Anyway, the big news is that he can now have WHEAT. Tonight he ate his first REAL pasta! It was a mix of wheat and corn pasta...I don't want to overload him and have him in tummy pains. We'll work our way up to it. But I am thrilled about this. I am sure he'll be on to eggs next year...yipee!