A Quick Photo Catch-Up Post

Tuesday was The Great Zoo Outing of Aught-Nine for our family. Sweet Pea was well prepared: And also much impressed:
By these guys:
Tigger remained calm:
There was giraffe feeding:

And manatee riding (this is my favorite Tigger picture of recent memory!):

Polar bear watching:

And penguin admiring:

And petting:

Not to mention some train riding:

All in all, a fabulous zoo outing. Thanks to my parents for taking all of us (and I do mean all) and for feeding us. Twice.

Then today I took the girls and we met some more friends and family at a playground / water park. I had my camera in my bag the entire day and forgot to take any pictures until the very end. But here's one. I think you can tell from their pink but happy faces that a good time was had by all. (Polly only made it in one picture and none with the other girls. Oops. Maybe next time!)

In other words, we've been having full days, late nights, lots of laughs and loads of memory making. Hooray for summertime!

Happy 4th of July!

I wanted to say something about the patriotism of days past, but I think it best to save that rant discussion for another day.

Happy Birthday, America!

Books of 2009 - June

1. Sew Stylish. Craft book by Kate Ebben. Lots of inspiration here!

2. What to Read When. Non-fiction by Pam Allyn. What can I say? I love books about books, reading or writing.

3. Pictures at an Exhibition. Fiction by Sara Houghteling. This one stays with you. The ending was rushed, in my opinion, but the subject matter (a family of art dealers before and after World War 2) is engrossing.

4. The Turtle Catcher. Fiction by Nicole Helget. OK, my first warning on this should have the fact that the book jacket says, "William Faulkner for the Midwest". Weird, graphic, and not worth it. Avoid.

5. An Accomplished Woman. Fiction by Jude Morgan. Oh. My. Stars! Jane Austen lives! OK, not really. But Ms. Morgan evokes the same time period with a skill that I, frankly, envy greatly. This is not a "sequel" or spin-off from the Austen books but it will fulfill the same craving. (What? You don't get that craving to read all of Austen's books, even Mansfield Park, in the space of a week? Hm. Must just be me.) I need to own this book, or, you know, get it for Christmas.

6. Swing Style: Fashions of the 1930's-1950's. Non-fiction by Maureen Reilly. Read as research.

7. Indiscretion. Fiction by Jude Morgan. Yep, after #5 above, I looked up Ms. Morgan's other works. This one is just as charming. Put this one on my wish list too.

8. The Small Woman. Non-fiction by Alan Burgess. This is a biography of Gladys Aylward. I read this book first as a teenager (after watching the movie "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness"). I picked this little paperback up at the library sale. This is not a comprehensive or definitive work on Gladys Aylward, but it's a start.

9. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Non-fiction by Barbara Kingsolver. I've seen a lot of discussion on this book around the blogosphere. It's challenging, in a lifestyle sense, but the author's obvious liberal worldview made me want to throw the book more than once. Read only if you can discard the preachy, know-it-all tone. It did change some of my thoughts about food and how we get it.

10. Script and Scribble. Non-fiction by Kitty Burns Florey. A book about writing! This book discusses the history of handwriting in a light fashion. Interesting and fun.

11. Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl. Non-fiction by Susan McCorkindale. I suspect the author and I do not agree on a great many things, but it was a fun read.

12. Every Child Can Succeed. Non-fiction by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. This book is about learning styles. I think I was more confused after finishing the book then when I started.

13. The Passion of the Housfrau. Non-fiction (or is it?) by Nicole Chaison. Part comic-book, part memoir. Part funny, Part infuriating. Another instance of the author holding a completely different worldview from my own. (Let's just say that her reaction to the 2004 election is very similar to mine during the 2008 election. We're never going to be voting for the same people, is all I'm sayin'.)

14. The Miracle at Speedy Motors. Fiction by Alexander McCall Smith. You already know that I love these books. And that I can read them in one sitting if the evening is quiet enough (read: if my children fall asleep quickly).

15. The Family Manager's Guide to Summer Survival. Non-fiction by Kathy Peel. Please don't ask me why I would need to read this.

16. The Actor and the Housewife. Fiction by Shannon Hale. I really enjoyed the beginning of this book: it's funny, witty, and fast paced. However, the author sinks into "telling" rather than "showing" and the passage of time is not consistent throughout the story. I stayed up quite late to finish this book and once I did I actually threw the book against the wall - the ending made me that mad. (I never throw books!) The words "bait and switch" come to mind. Read at your own risk. You'll probably love it, but it might break your heart.

Totals for June:
Fiction - 6
Nonfiction - 10

And yes, in case you were wondering, I spent large swaths of June confined to my bed with this horrible breathing ailment that has afflicted me this summer. Reading is about the only thing I could manage for nearly two weeks.

*picture found via Google images*

Happy Birthday, Dad!

You're the best!

We are F-A-M-I-L-Y

Saturday was the big annual (Grandpa's side) Family Reunion. Well, some of us thought it was a week ago, but we won't get into that.

I suppose I have mentioned that I only have three super-wonderful first cousins. (A little buttering-up never hurt anyone!) Amy, who's expecting her first baby later this year, Cousin J, & Cousin E, who occasionally pops in here to say hello and defend himself from my sometimes faulty memory.

Anyway, despite not seeing each other as often as we would like (at least, I hope they would like to as much as I...) it's not really hard to keep up with each other and what's going on. Our kids play together well, we share our grandparents pretty well, and well, we're used to our pint sized family.

Grandpa's family is a whole 'nother story. My mom has more aunts, uncles, cousins, & hangers-on than most small town phone books. Grandpa's reunion is full of food, talking, games, talking, swimming, talking, sitting, talking... Grandpa's family can talk anyone else under the table. (Must be where Polly and I get it from.)

My three girls are used to not having many cousins. Fen has exalted status as their "First First Cousin". Prince Charming has two young cousins close to Polly's age. My cousins have, so far, three children close to my kids' ages. It's not complicated and it's not crowded.

But come Family Reunion Time: cousins pour out of the woodwork. First cousins once removed, second cousins, second cousins once removed, cousins from Virginia, cousins from here and a few folks that aren't related to us at all, but we'll claim 'em anyway. My children have been to a few reunions now and are catching on to the fact that we are -for the most part - related to all the people in attendance.

One little guy wasn't so clued in. His grandma (My mom's double cousin, my first cousin once removed, want to see the chart?) brought him through the gate into the Backyard Family Reunion Extravaganza. He clutched her hand tighter. "These are your cousins, honey," she told him. He looked around, eyes growing larger by the second.

"All these people are my cousins?" She assured him it was so. He was speechless.

Considering he's related to us, it was a short lived condition.

Thunder, Lightning, & Girls

If I seem groggy this morning, I can explain: last night the largest thunderstorm of '09 parked right over our house. There was so much lightning, I could have read a book by it. And the thunder, oh, the thunder!

I woke at approximately 2:03 a.m. because of the storm (I can't be more specific because I didn't have my glasses on or contacts in. It was early in the 2's). I listened for several minutes, thinking the house was going to lose power, or our big tree would fall, or lightning would hit our porch roof, any minute.

Apparently the oldest girls had the same thoughts because, at 2:14 (I had put my glasses on by now), they showed up in our bedroom doorway.

"We can't sleep."

"Because of the storm."

"It's scary."

"So we don't feel well."

They tag-teamed, finishing each other's sentences. I moved out to the living room couch with them. We snuggled under our favorite blanket and watched the light show. Every blast of thunder (many!) they shuddered and cuddled closer. Prince Charming got up long enough to wander through the house.

"Wow, it's really light," he commented as he stumbled around. (No glasses) He paused in the living room. "How many of you are out here?" (Did I mention he had no glasses or contacts?)

"Three of us," we informed him. The girls giggled as he felt their heads. Satisfied we were telling the truth about our numbers, he headed back to bed. (Query: how come the dad gets to go back to bed? Just asking.)

We talked about thunderstorms and how grateful we were to be inside in our nice, strong, house. We talked about what we would do if the power went out: light candles, call the power company to fix it, etc. Ever since the big windstorm last September (power out for 4 days), Tigger's biggest worry has been power outages. It made quite an impression on her.

Finally the cloud that must have been hovering over our roof began to move away. I walked the girls back to their room, tucked them back in, and turned their lullaby c.d. back on. (Hoping, of course, that the power stayed on at least long enough for them to fall asleep!) Sweet Pea never woke up, although I covered her again anyway. She falls asleep in strange positions.

So that's my reason for feeling groggy. That and the fact that I had to use my inhaler again last night. (I'd really like my usual lungs back...) Oh, and the tiny little fact that Prince Charming is gone for the entire day.

The girls took one look at my tired face this morning and chorused, "What are we going to do without Daddy?"

The same things we do everyday, just without Daddy. We'll see how it goes. Right now the girls have their 20 Barbie dolls and their approximately 57, 241 accessories spread all over the living room floor. I think I might curl up with a good book. Or there's always laundry. Did I mention the clothes on the line yesterday got completely soaked?

Where's my book?

From the Commonplace Book

My men are not braver than other troops - they are just brave five minutes longer. - General Wellington

Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts. -Winston Churchill

A little exhortation from two of the most illustrious Brits I can think of goes a long way in motivating me to: Do More, Last Longer, Worry Less.