There are a lot of fringe benefits gained from living next door to your parents. Among them for us are free and convenient babysitting, delicious Sunday lunch served right after church, free use of a riding mower and access to a wonderful front porch equipped with a swing and lots of rockers.
Last night as I was drying the dinner dishes my mom called me to ask if we had finished dinner.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Have the kid’s had their baths yet?” she asked.
Baths? Ha! Wasn’t really planning on giving them baths.
“Um. No,” I answered.
“Good! Send them over here with their pajamas and I’ll give them a bath while you and Dan run to Dairy Queen.”
An impromptu run to Dairy Queen! What could be better than a quick trip to Dairy Queen with no kids?
We got 45 minutes of uninterrupted talk with each other. We got to listen to bad 80’s music in the car without anyone yelling for us to “turn on my songs”. (Why is it that all stations insist on playing "the best of the 80’s" on Saturday night?) We got to eat without having to wipe melted ice cream off of anyone’s nose or ear. And best of all, when we got back home, our kids were clean, in their pajamas and ready for bed!
If anyone of you ever has the chance to live right next door to your parents, I highly recommend it…almost as much as I recommend the Chocolate Xtreme Blizzard at DQ!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
To go or not to go? That was the question I didn't have to answer.
We just got back from a wonderful, restful long weekend at the beach. The weather was great and we had a wonderful time. However, I missed my 20th high school reunion. (Yes...I'm old!)
When I received the invitation to the reunion, I was torn. Part of me really wanted to go and another part of me really wanted to hide. I probably would have been more inclined to really want to go if a couple of my good friends were going. But one had a wedding in Chicago and the other was just as torn about going as I was. So, that left me trying to decide if I really wanted to pay $68 to stand in a corner with my husband marveling at how different everyone looked. Which wouldn’t have been much fun any way since my husband doesn’t know any of these people.
There are a handful of people from high school I would really like to catch up with. But in order to talk to them (if they even attended) would I have to endure endless small talk with people I didn’t really even talk to in high school? Or worse yet…would I end up alone in that corner with my husband because no one wanted to talk to me? I kept mulling these questions over and over in my mind.
The nosy part of me wanted to go just to see if the cheerleaders had gotten fat and if the football players were bald. And another part of me wanted to go just to say look…I didn’t get fat and my husband still has some of his hair!
But in the end, I didn’t have to decide. My parents were able to get a house at the beach the exact weekend that the reunion was to be held. Part of me let out a huge sigh of relief and another part of me was a little sad that I wouldn’t be able to go after all.
So, if any Black Knights from the class of ’87 happen to be reading this blog, sorry I missed you. I hope you had fun if you went.
Maybe I’ll see you at the 30th…I haven't decided yet if I'll go or not...
When I received the invitation to the reunion, I was torn. Part of me really wanted to go and another part of me really wanted to hide. I probably would have been more inclined to really want to go if a couple of my good friends were going. But one had a wedding in Chicago and the other was just as torn about going as I was. So, that left me trying to decide if I really wanted to pay $68 to stand in a corner with my husband marveling at how different everyone looked. Which wouldn’t have been much fun any way since my husband doesn’t know any of these people.
There are a handful of people from high school I would really like to catch up with. But in order to talk to them (if they even attended) would I have to endure endless small talk with people I didn’t really even talk to in high school? Or worse yet…would I end up alone in that corner with my husband because no one wanted to talk to me? I kept mulling these questions over and over in my mind.
The nosy part of me wanted to go just to see if the cheerleaders had gotten fat and if the football players were bald. And another part of me wanted to go just to say look…I didn’t get fat and my husband still has some of his hair!
But in the end, I didn’t have to decide. My parents were able to get a house at the beach the exact weekend that the reunion was to be held. Part of me let out a huge sigh of relief and another part of me was a little sad that I wouldn’t be able to go after all.
So, if any Black Knights from the class of ’87 happen to be reading this blog, sorry I missed you. I hope you had fun if you went.
Maybe I’ll see you at the 30th…I haven't decided yet if I'll go or not...
Friday, October 5, 2007
Are they spying on me?
We use Amazon.com for Christmas and birthday shopping. If you have ever used Amazon.com then you know that periodically they will review your past purchases and send you a list of books they think you might enjoy. Yesterday I had to laugh out loud when I was informed by Amazon that I might enjoy the following books:
Scream Free Parenting by Hal Edward Runkel
Come Be My Light by Mother Theresa
Wow! Is someone trying to tell me something?
Scream Free Parenting by Hal Edward Runkel
Come Be My Light by Mother Theresa
Wow! Is someone trying to tell me something?
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Conversation with Peter....
Me: How were those Lucky Charms, this morning, kiddo?
Peter: They were delicious Mommy.
Me: Yes. But were they magically delicious?
Peter: Huh?
Eau de Pot Roast
I was rushing around Tuesday morning trying to get the kids fed, dressed and ready for preschool while brushing my hair and my teeth simultaneously when I remembered the pot roast. Augh! I’ve got to be in the car in less than 15 minutes and I’ve got to get the pot roast in the crock pot to insure that it is tender and juicy and more importantly done when my husband gets home from work.
The pot roast recipe I use is really yummy and the “sauce” contains quite a few ingredients. Luckily I had mixed those all together the night before so all I had to do was throw the roast, the “sauce” and the vegetables in the crock pot. I hastily cut some potatoes into big chunks, threw in some little carrots and reached for the onions. It was at this point that I realized I didn’t have any Vidalias, my onion of choice. All I had were those little boiler onions that are about the size of gumballs. My husband loves onions as much as he loves the Boston Red Sox, the New England Patriots and me so I knew that I should use those little onions instead of attempting to serve him pot roast without any.
The problem with those little onions is that they require more work getting the skin off and getting the outer layer off. So I got to peeling and pulling until I had removed the skin and the first thin layer from about 15 of those little onions. I threw everything in the pot and washed my hands.
And washed my hands.
And washed my hands.
No matter how much I washed I couldn’t get the onion smell off. I knew I had read a good trick somewhere about getting the onion smell of your hands but I couldn’t remember what I had read and at this point it was too late to Google “remove onion smell from hands”.
It seemed that the onion smell was overtaking my whole being so I ran into my bathroom looking for some perfume or something. And since I don’t currently own any perfume, I quickly spritzed myself with hair shiner.
Um, yes. You don't use hair shiner instead of perfume? I highly recommend it.
At my last visit to my hair stylist I asked her what I could use on my hair to give it make it shiny and she recommended something called Pure Shine Hair Luminator. I dutifully purchased some and used it twice before I determined that while it smelled really good it made my hair look greasy not shiny. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away since I had just bought it so I stored it underneath my bathroom sink where all my old beauty products go to expire.
As I was hastily searching for something to make myself smell better I found the hair luminator and spritzed my shirt and yes, even my wrists with it. The wrists are after all, pulse points. This was the best I could do since I don’t have any perfume.
I loaded the kids into the car and headed to school. I dropped them off and headed to my Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) meeting. As I sat at my meeting, listening to an interior decorator tell us how to make our homes more beautiful yet reminding us we needed to make the livable, I felt like I smelled like onions, carrots, potatoes and beef and not at all like my hair luminator. And while I was surrounded by mothers who have probably all smelled like pot roast at one time or another I decided right then and there that I really need to invest in some perfume.
Because I’m pretty sure if I Googled “remove onion smell from hands” one of the results is not going to be “spritz self with hair luminator.”
The pot roast recipe I use is really yummy and the “sauce” contains quite a few ingredients. Luckily I had mixed those all together the night before so all I had to do was throw the roast, the “sauce” and the vegetables in the crock pot. I hastily cut some potatoes into big chunks, threw in some little carrots and reached for the onions. It was at this point that I realized I didn’t have any Vidalias, my onion of choice. All I had were those little boiler onions that are about the size of gumballs. My husband loves onions as much as he loves the Boston Red Sox, the New England Patriots and me so I knew that I should use those little onions instead of attempting to serve him pot roast without any.
The problem with those little onions is that they require more work getting the skin off and getting the outer layer off. So I got to peeling and pulling until I had removed the skin and the first thin layer from about 15 of those little onions. I threw everything in the pot and washed my hands.
And washed my hands.
And washed my hands.
No matter how much I washed I couldn’t get the onion smell off. I knew I had read a good trick somewhere about getting the onion smell of your hands but I couldn’t remember what I had read and at this point it was too late to Google “remove onion smell from hands”.
It seemed that the onion smell was overtaking my whole being so I ran into my bathroom looking for some perfume or something. And since I don’t currently own any perfume, I quickly spritzed myself with hair shiner.
Um, yes. You don't use hair shiner instead of perfume? I highly recommend it.
At my last visit to my hair stylist I asked her what I could use on my hair to give it make it shiny and she recommended something called Pure Shine Hair Luminator. I dutifully purchased some and used it twice before I determined that while it smelled really good it made my hair look greasy not shiny. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away since I had just bought it so I stored it underneath my bathroom sink where all my old beauty products go to expire.
As I was hastily searching for something to make myself smell better I found the hair luminator and spritzed my shirt and yes, even my wrists with it. The wrists are after all, pulse points. This was the best I could do since I don’t have any perfume.
I loaded the kids into the car and headed to school. I dropped them off and headed to my Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) meeting. As I sat at my meeting, listening to an interior decorator tell us how to make our homes more beautiful yet reminding us we needed to make the livable, I felt like I smelled like onions, carrots, potatoes and beef and not at all like my hair luminator. And while I was surrounded by mothers who have probably all smelled like pot roast at one time or another I decided right then and there that I really need to invest in some perfume.
Because I’m pretty sure if I Googled “remove onion smell from hands” one of the results is not going to be “spritz self with hair luminator.”
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Easy come. Easy go.
I gave them up. I had to. There was no use keeping them in my closet. I had 3 pairs of size FOUR jeans that were wasting away, attracting dust and depressing me every time I laid eyes on them.
One of them was a pair of Daisy Fuentes jeans. Very comfortable, very stretchy, and if I held my breath and tugged real hard I could still get them on and zip them up. The only problem is that I looked a wee bit trashy in them and I had a very unappetizing muffin top hanging over the jeans.
The second was just a plain pair of Levi Capri’s. Nothing special about them except for the fact that they were a size FOUR! I could still pull them up over my rear end but there was no hope of ever zipping them.
The third was a pair of low-rise, boot cut, dark wash Gap jeans with really cute flaps on the back pockets. These would have to be my most favorite pair of jeans…ever. I loved how the back pockets had the cute flaps. I loved the dark shade of the jeans. I loved that they were low cut (no high-waisted mom jeans here!) and flared out just a little at the bottom. But most of all I loved how wonderful I felt in them.
When I put these jeans on with a black turtle neck and my black boots I felt like a model. I felt long and lean, and beautiful. But alas, those days of long and lean are long and gone.
After I had Sarah I went on the Atkins diet to loose the last ten pounds of baby weight. I am one of the few people who actually enjoyed the Atkins Diet. I love all things cheese and don’t really care if I have bread or not so this diet was made for me. I quickly lost the ten pounds I needed to loose. But I didn’t stop there. I kept right on loosing and loosing until I ended up at 118 pounds and the owner of several pairs of size 4 jeans.
But that was the spring of 2005 and now it is the fall of 2007. They (whoever they are) say that you shouldn’t keep anything in your closet if you haven’t worn it in the last year. Since it’s been well over a year since I wore my beloved jeans I decided to give them away. I normally give my old clothes to Goodwill and while I’m sure they are appreciative of all the stained black tee-shirts I drop off, I just couldn’t bring myself to let a complete stranger wear my beloved jeans.
So I gave them to my friend, Jennifer, who, after giving birth to four kids, is a size four. I don’t begrudge her this size though because she works out EVERY. DAY. and she actually WATCHES what she eats. So if anyone should have my size four, low-rise, dark wash, cute butt-flap Gap jeans it’s her. And who knows. Maybe after seeing her wear them I may actually be inspired to start working out and watching what I eat.
Nah. Probably not.
Enjoy the jeans, jennwa!
One of them was a pair of Daisy Fuentes jeans. Very comfortable, very stretchy, and if I held my breath and tugged real hard I could still get them on and zip them up. The only problem is that I looked a wee bit trashy in them and I had a very unappetizing muffin top hanging over the jeans.
The second was just a plain pair of Levi Capri’s. Nothing special about them except for the fact that they were a size FOUR! I could still pull them up over my rear end but there was no hope of ever zipping them.
The third was a pair of low-rise, boot cut, dark wash Gap jeans with really cute flaps on the back pockets. These would have to be my most favorite pair of jeans…ever. I loved how the back pockets had the cute flaps. I loved the dark shade of the jeans. I loved that they were low cut (no high-waisted mom jeans here!) and flared out just a little at the bottom. But most of all I loved how wonderful I felt in them.
When I put these jeans on with a black turtle neck and my black boots I felt like a model. I felt long and lean, and beautiful. But alas, those days of long and lean are long and gone.
After I had Sarah I went on the Atkins diet to loose the last ten pounds of baby weight. I am one of the few people who actually enjoyed the Atkins Diet. I love all things cheese and don’t really care if I have bread or not so this diet was made for me. I quickly lost the ten pounds I needed to loose. But I didn’t stop there. I kept right on loosing and loosing until I ended up at 118 pounds and the owner of several pairs of size 4 jeans.
But that was the spring of 2005 and now it is the fall of 2007. They (whoever they are) say that you shouldn’t keep anything in your closet if you haven’t worn it in the last year. Since it’s been well over a year since I wore my beloved jeans I decided to give them away. I normally give my old clothes to Goodwill and while I’m sure they are appreciative of all the stained black tee-shirts I drop off, I just couldn’t bring myself to let a complete stranger wear my beloved jeans.
So I gave them to my friend, Jennifer, who, after giving birth to four kids, is a size four. I don’t begrudge her this size though because she works out EVERY. DAY. and she actually WATCHES what she eats. So if anyone should have my size four, low-rise, dark wash, cute butt-flap Gap jeans it’s her. And who knows. Maybe after seeing her wear them I may actually be inspired to start working out and watching what I eat.
Nah. Probably not.
Enjoy the jeans, jennwa!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Has anyone ever noticed this or am I the only one?
I will try anything to get my kids to eat vegetables.
“Here honey. These little green trees are sooooo tasty and you can dip them in ranch to make them even more delicious. Now don’t just suck the ranch off the little trees. Eat the little trees too!”
“Yum! Lima beans! You know who looooooves lima beans don’t you? That’s right. Cheyanne loves lima beans so eat em up and be just like her!”
“Here’s some cheese sauce for your little white bushes. Yum! These little white bushes are delicious with cheese sauce? Aren’t they Daddy? Yum!”
My kids have never been fooled by my little tricks. They know broccoli when they see it and are very skilled at licking ranch dressing off of it without actually getting any broccoli in their mouths.
Sarah will spend an entire dinner saying, “Cheyanne likes lima beans!” quickly followed by, “But I don’t!” And she says it with such pride. She will spend hours following Cheyanne around like a love sick puppy dog, wants to wear her hair just like Cheyanne’s and wants to play with whatever toy Cheyanne is playing with but when it comes to lima beans she decides it’s time to show some independence.
And cheese sauce? Forget it! They know that if something is covered with cheese sauce it must be a vegetable and they don’t want any part of it!
Tonight I decided to serve asparagus for dinner. I thought perhaps they might like it since it was oddly shaped as compared to the peas or carrots they are usually served.
As I was dishing it out on their plates I got a brilliant idea and just knew I could get them to try the asparagus.
“Hey kids! Look! This is asparagus! Do you know what happens if you eat a lot of it?”
“What, Mommy? What?” asked Sarah very intent on learning something about the odd green vegetable on her plate.
“If you eat a lot of this the next time you pee it will smell just like the asparagus!” I was so proud that I had remembered this little factoid in time for dinner. They might actually be so intrigued that they may eat some.
Not a chance. They took one whiff of it and deemed it inedible. I hope their preschool teachers never ask them what they had for dinner the night before. They may be shocked by the answer.
A vitamin and a red Popsicle.
Hey, don’t judge me! At least they are getting a vitamin!
Every evening after dinner we go to my parent’s house and sit on their front porch. Dan swings in the swing and Mom, Dad and I rock in the rocking chairs. The kids are usually running around eating Popsicles, kicking kick balls and telling my parents about their day.
Tonight Sarah ran over to my mom and exclaimed, “We ate green beans and Mommy said if you eat enough of them your poop will smell just like beans!”
My mom laughed and gave me a very confused look and said, “What is she talking about?”
I have no idea.
I told mom it was really asparagus not green beans and she still looked at me quizzically.
Am I the only person who has noticed that if you eat a lot of asparagus your pee will smell just like it? Come on, people! Help me out here!
“Here honey. These little green trees are sooooo tasty and you can dip them in ranch to make them even more delicious. Now don’t just suck the ranch off the little trees. Eat the little trees too!”
“Yum! Lima beans! You know who looooooves lima beans don’t you? That’s right. Cheyanne loves lima beans so eat em up and be just like her!”
“Here’s some cheese sauce for your little white bushes. Yum! These little white bushes are delicious with cheese sauce? Aren’t they Daddy? Yum!”
My kids have never been fooled by my little tricks. They know broccoli when they see it and are very skilled at licking ranch dressing off of it without actually getting any broccoli in their mouths.
Sarah will spend an entire dinner saying, “Cheyanne likes lima beans!” quickly followed by, “But I don’t!” And she says it with such pride. She will spend hours following Cheyanne around like a love sick puppy dog, wants to wear her hair just like Cheyanne’s and wants to play with whatever toy Cheyanne is playing with but when it comes to lima beans she decides it’s time to show some independence.
And cheese sauce? Forget it! They know that if something is covered with cheese sauce it must be a vegetable and they don’t want any part of it!
Tonight I decided to serve asparagus for dinner. I thought perhaps they might like it since it was oddly shaped as compared to the peas or carrots they are usually served.
As I was dishing it out on their plates I got a brilliant idea and just knew I could get them to try the asparagus.
“Hey kids! Look! This is asparagus! Do you know what happens if you eat a lot of it?”
“What, Mommy? What?” asked Sarah very intent on learning something about the odd green vegetable on her plate.
“If you eat a lot of this the next time you pee it will smell just like the asparagus!” I was so proud that I had remembered this little factoid in time for dinner. They might actually be so intrigued that they may eat some.
Not a chance. They took one whiff of it and deemed it inedible. I hope their preschool teachers never ask them what they had for dinner the night before. They may be shocked by the answer.
A vitamin and a red Popsicle.
Hey, don’t judge me! At least they are getting a vitamin!
Every evening after dinner we go to my parent’s house and sit on their front porch. Dan swings in the swing and Mom, Dad and I rock in the rocking chairs. The kids are usually running around eating Popsicles, kicking kick balls and telling my parents about their day.
Tonight Sarah ran over to my mom and exclaimed, “We ate green beans and Mommy said if you eat enough of them your poop will smell just like beans!”
My mom laughed and gave me a very confused look and said, “What is she talking about?”
I have no idea.
I told mom it was really asparagus not green beans and she still looked at me quizzically.
Am I the only person who has noticed that if you eat a lot of asparagus your pee will smell just like it? Come on, people! Help me out here!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
It was a good choice after all!
I belong to a book club. It’s pretty cool because I get to say things like, “Oh, we read that book last month in my book club.” Or “Maybe we can get together next week because I’ve got book club tonight.” I like to say these things really loudly when I’m out in public so people I don’t know will overhear me and think I’m sophisticated and urbane.
One of the great things about being in a book club is that you have to read a book. Duh. That’s the reason I joined. Otherwise, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed are the only books I would complete every month. Another great thing about being in a book club is that someone else picks the book every month so you get exposed to books you wouldn’t necessarily choose for yourself. So far, I have really liked some of the books and really disliked some of the others. And unfortunately, being the person that I am, I have voiced my dislike of some of the books (or some of the characters in the books) pretty loudly. I guess I could be a little more polite in my reviews of the books but heck, if I’m going to go to the trouble of reading it; I’m going to be honest about it.
Last week I hosted book club at my house. As hostess I got to choose the book of the month. Oh, the pressure! After being so vocal on some of the other books, I wanted to pick a book that would knock everyone’s socks off, that represented how savvy a book reader I was and that expressed my total coolness in general. That’s a lot to ask of one book…especially since I’m not really that cool anyway.
There are no rules when it comes to choosing the book. It could be an old favorite of yours, a current bestseller, something you’ve always wanted to read but never got around to reading, anything. Not sure why, but I wanted the book I chose to be one I had already read. Unfortunately, it had been YEARS since I’ve read anything other than the book club selections. I was an avid reader before I had kids and before the invention of reality TV. (I love me some reality TV!)
Some of the pre-child books I read, I really, really enjoyed…Memoirs of a Geisha, She’s Come Undone and A Prayer for Owen Meany just to name a few. I thought all of these would make good book club choices but they all seemed so long. So in the quest to find the perfect book, I perused the latest best sellers list, Oprah’s book club list, and other online lists. I asked my friends for suggestions but for some reason I kept coming back to A Prayer for Owen Meany.
It had been about seven years since I read this book and I had been wanting to reread it for some time now. My husband had read this book and he liked it. He kept suggesting I chose it. He kept saying things like, “There’s so much to discuss in this book.” “It’s such a great book.” “Shouldn’t you be reading more classic books and not books like Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons?" (Which was a very good book, by the way!)
I kept debating Owen Meany with my husband and I kept falling back on the same excuse…”It’s so loooonnnnnnggggggg. No one is going to be able to finish it,” I would whine
And he kept arguing back, “It’s a book club. You shouldn’t just be choosing short books. You should be choosing classics.” If it were up to my husband we would be reading Treasure Island, The Odyssey and Lord of the Flies and we would be submitting term papers (5 pages, typed, single-spaced) at the beginning of every meeting.
In the end, I chose A Prayer for Owen Meany…in part because of my husband’s urging but also because there was an annoying little voice in the back of my head that was agreeing with my husband. (I hate it when that happens!) So at the August meeting, I announced my selection for September, told everyone it was long and they better get started and immediately had a sinking feeling that no one would finish it. Worse yet, I thought, what if they finish it and HATE IT! Oh well, everyone’s tastes are different and I can’t be worried about that but I did want everyone at least to be able to finish it.
I started having second thoughts on the ride home. Why did I let my husband force me into selecting this book? Why didn’t I go with something from Oprah’s list? At least that way we could bad-mouth Oprah if we didn’t like it!
So for the next 4 weeks we all struggled with Owen Meany. It is a good book but it takes a while to really get into it and it’s not the kind of book you can lightly skim through or read with The Magic School Bus blaring in the back ground. I knew that my selection was probably the topic of a lot of “discussion” even before the meeting. I was kicking myself all month long for selecting it and found myself apologizing for it every time I saw one of the moms from the book club.
I had lots of food during the meeting to make up for the book and even though only 3 of the 9 ladies at the meeting managed to finish it, I felt like we had a nice discussion about it anyway. And since our book club is technically 20% book club and 80% social club we still had a good time. After they left though, I still felt like I let everyone down by choosing A Prayer for Owen Meany.
But then, a couple of days after it was over and we had all moved on to October’s selection, I got an email from one of the girls in the club. She said that even though she didn’t finish the book she felt like God had a hand in choosing this book. She had been going through a rough few weeks due to certain circumstances beyond her control and she said that the very first sentence of the book really touched her:
“Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” – Philippians 4:6
Wow! After I read her email I got goose bumps! In the book, Owen Meany believes that he is 'an instrument of God". What a hoot! Is there a chance that maybe, I was an instrument too? I love it when I get to be a part of God’s plan, even it if is something as minor as selecting a book for book club. After all, who's to say how minor anything is when God is involved?
And I feel such relief now! I’m off the hook! Because if anyone has an issue with my selection, I guess they can take it up with the Big Guy!!
One of the great things about being in a book club is that you have to read a book. Duh. That’s the reason I joined. Otherwise, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed are the only books I would complete every month. Another great thing about being in a book club is that someone else picks the book every month so you get exposed to books you wouldn’t necessarily choose for yourself. So far, I have really liked some of the books and really disliked some of the others. And unfortunately, being the person that I am, I have voiced my dislike of some of the books (or some of the characters in the books) pretty loudly. I guess I could be a little more polite in my reviews of the books but heck, if I’m going to go to the trouble of reading it; I’m going to be honest about it.
Last week I hosted book club at my house. As hostess I got to choose the book of the month. Oh, the pressure! After being so vocal on some of the other books, I wanted to pick a book that would knock everyone’s socks off, that represented how savvy a book reader I was and that expressed my total coolness in general. That’s a lot to ask of one book…especially since I’m not really that cool anyway.
There are no rules when it comes to choosing the book. It could be an old favorite of yours, a current bestseller, something you’ve always wanted to read but never got around to reading, anything. Not sure why, but I wanted the book I chose to be one I had already read. Unfortunately, it had been YEARS since I’ve read anything other than the book club selections. I was an avid reader before I had kids and before the invention of reality TV. (I love me some reality TV!)
Some of the pre-child books I read, I really, really enjoyed…Memoirs of a Geisha, She’s Come Undone and A Prayer for Owen Meany just to name a few. I thought all of these would make good book club choices but they all seemed so long. So in the quest to find the perfect book, I perused the latest best sellers list, Oprah’s book club list, and other online lists. I asked my friends for suggestions but for some reason I kept coming back to A Prayer for Owen Meany.
It had been about seven years since I read this book and I had been wanting to reread it for some time now. My husband had read this book and he liked it. He kept suggesting I chose it. He kept saying things like, “There’s so much to discuss in this book.” “It’s such a great book.” “Shouldn’t you be reading more classic books and not books like Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons?" (Which was a very good book, by the way!)
I kept debating Owen Meany with my husband and I kept falling back on the same excuse…”It’s so loooonnnnnnggggggg. No one is going to be able to finish it,” I would whine
And he kept arguing back, “It’s a book club. You shouldn’t just be choosing short books. You should be choosing classics.” If it were up to my husband we would be reading Treasure Island, The Odyssey and Lord of the Flies and we would be submitting term papers (5 pages, typed, single-spaced) at the beginning of every meeting.
In the end, I chose A Prayer for Owen Meany…in part because of my husband’s urging but also because there was an annoying little voice in the back of my head that was agreeing with my husband. (I hate it when that happens!) So at the August meeting, I announced my selection for September, told everyone it was long and they better get started and immediately had a sinking feeling that no one would finish it. Worse yet, I thought, what if they finish it and HATE IT! Oh well, everyone’s tastes are different and I can’t be worried about that but I did want everyone at least to be able to finish it.
I started having second thoughts on the ride home. Why did I let my husband force me into selecting this book? Why didn’t I go with something from Oprah’s list? At least that way we could bad-mouth Oprah if we didn’t like it!
So for the next 4 weeks we all struggled with Owen Meany. It is a good book but it takes a while to really get into it and it’s not the kind of book you can lightly skim through or read with The Magic School Bus blaring in the back ground. I knew that my selection was probably the topic of a lot of “discussion” even before the meeting. I was kicking myself all month long for selecting it and found myself apologizing for it every time I saw one of the moms from the book club.
I had lots of food during the meeting to make up for the book and even though only 3 of the 9 ladies at the meeting managed to finish it, I felt like we had a nice discussion about it anyway. And since our book club is technically 20% book club and 80% social club we still had a good time. After they left though, I still felt like I let everyone down by choosing A Prayer for Owen Meany.
But then, a couple of days after it was over and we had all moved on to October’s selection, I got an email from one of the girls in the club. She said that even though she didn’t finish the book she felt like God had a hand in choosing this book. She had been going through a rough few weeks due to certain circumstances beyond her control and she said that the very first sentence of the book really touched her:
“Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” – Philippians 4:6
Wow! After I read her email I got goose bumps! In the book, Owen Meany believes that he is 'an instrument of God". What a hoot! Is there a chance that maybe, I was an instrument too? I love it when I get to be a part of God’s plan, even it if is something as minor as selecting a book for book club. After all, who's to say how minor anything is when God is involved?
And I feel such relief now! I’m off the hook! Because if anyone has an issue with my selection, I guess they can take it up with the Big Guy!!
Friday, September 21, 2007
I always thought I was rockin' but now I know for sure!
I was recently awarded the Rockin' Girl Blogger award by my MOPS buddy and favorite baker, Pam. For those of you that aren’t aware, this award was created this summer by Roberta at Blogging Made Devilishly Simple. She awarded it to five women whose blogs she enjoys reading and asked that they in turn award it to other women bloggers and so on and so on. Check out the award on my sidebar...looks nice doesn't it?
There are lots of blog awards out there but I was very excited to receive this one! And I’m happy to pass it along. I am awarding the Rockin' Girl Blogger award to….
Kim at ChefMessy.
Over a year ago I was Googling “chocolate” and something else…I wish I could remember now but one of the results led me to a post at Kim’s blog. I started reading her post and was thinking to myself, “What is this???” And then it hit me…Duh, I’ve stumbled onto someone’s blog.
I had heard about blogs and knew what they were but I had honestly never read one. (I am always so behind the times! I don’t even have an iPod, people!) I started reading hers and was so intrigued. Not only was her writing very good but her life was so interesting. I kept reading her blog even though I felt a little funny about it since I didn’t actually know her. That’s the nosy in me coming out! But I figured if she’s putting it out there she won’t mind.
After reading her blog for a while I decided that I wanted to start my own blog. I wondered how I would find the time to do it but Kim knits, sews, crafts, cooks, is an avid reader, has started her own photography business AND still finds time to blog. I’m not sure how she does it all but I consider her my blogging inspiration and am happy to bestow this award upon her!
Check out her blog to see all of the wonderful things she has going on. Her sidebar will make you feel completely inadequate!
As for me, I’m going to keep on rockin'!!
There are lots of blog awards out there but I was very excited to receive this one! And I’m happy to pass it along. I am awarding the Rockin' Girl Blogger award to….
Kim at ChefMessy.
Over a year ago I was Googling “chocolate” and something else…I wish I could remember now but one of the results led me to a post at Kim’s blog. I started reading her post and was thinking to myself, “What is this???” And then it hit me…Duh, I’ve stumbled onto someone’s blog.
I had heard about blogs and knew what they were but I had honestly never read one. (I am always so behind the times! I don’t even have an iPod, people!) I started reading hers and was so intrigued. Not only was her writing very good but her life was so interesting. I kept reading her blog even though I felt a little funny about it since I didn’t actually know her. That’s the nosy in me coming out! But I figured if she’s putting it out there she won’t mind.
After reading her blog for a while I decided that I wanted to start my own blog. I wondered how I would find the time to do it but Kim knits, sews, crafts, cooks, is an avid reader, has started her own photography business AND still finds time to blog. I’m not sure how she does it all but I consider her my blogging inspiration and am happy to bestow this award upon her!
Check out her blog to see all of the wonderful things she has going on. Her sidebar will make you feel completely inadequate!
As for me, I’m going to keep on rockin'!!
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