Ugh

I don't HATE Oprah. I really don't. But I don't love her, either. I watch if she has something on her show I find interesting, but most of the time I find her a little, um, let's call it...lofty? She just seems a little too self-important for my tastes. And those who follow her every word kinda bug, but, really, I have better things to worry about.

The one thing I know about Oprah, though, is that I will rarely read a book club pick of hers. They are usually horrible and if they aren't, I hate jumping onto any perceived bandwagon. I've had this thing with non-conformity since junior high and I'm afraid it'll be with me until I die. The QUICKEST way for me to hate something? Make it popular. My friend Amy and I had this entire discussion while in a book store in Denver this fall. Neither of us will pick up an Oprah book club pick. She is actually the reason I won't read the latest Franzen (and, well, the tiny little fact that I hated his other book is in there somewhere, too...).

So. Imagine my torn feelings when I read the headline that her latest book club pick is A Tale of Two Cities. A book only bested by The Great Gatsby and Little Women as my favorite book of all time. UGH. I mean, GREAT! More people to fall in love with Sydney Carton (because, SWOON, people...). More people to fall in love with Dickens. But. Ugh. I hate how they rereleased it with a new "Oprah" cover. I hate how she purports to be such a champion of literature, but says she's never read Dickens before (or, maybe, that's just me being picky...Who reads as much as she allegedly does and doesn't read Dickens?) (Is this the part where you fire off an angry comment telling me how much you love reading but have never read Dickens, either? Um, sorry. NOT you...her! It's not you at all...)

So. A Tale of Two Cities. Have I ever mentioned my love of it, before? Because it is DEEP. Gatsby deep. I read it the first time in...junior high, I think. And my teenage brain fell completely and utterly in love with Sydney Carton. Who wouldn't want a man like that? He was the bar that all crushes had to be measured against; I held him dear. I became a hopeless romantic and the notion of a man dying to save my love was pumped up and held firm. I read it several more times through college, each time digging a little deeper into the story. But with each read and every nuance brought out, the romance was always first and foremost for me and the reason I read.

So I'm happy more people will turn to Dickens, who was brilliant. I really am. I just wish it didn't have Oprah's name attached to it, you know? I wish I was the bigger person who was glad people are reading, no matter the reason, but, apparently I'm not. Sigh. Just another thing to work on. (Oh, wait. She's retiring...Whew! I don't have to work on it after all!)


(if you were here - thompson twins)

He's Scared of Puzzles. Can't Work 'Em.

I'm not the biggest puzzle fan. My mom always had one out, working on it. She would walk by and pick up one piece of her 3 million piece all white puzzle and it would always magically fit. Drove me crazy. I get way too frustrated to do them properly and usually walk away...though, maybe if they had one of Neil Finn or Glen Hansard I'd buy it totally right after I renewed my subscription to Alternative Tiger Beat. Isaac, however, is much like my mom. He loves puzzles, but rarely does them because I don't. (I know. Pathetic, right? I'm such a shrew...)

When I was younger and still lived at home, my bedroom was decorated in masquerade masks and posters. I've always loved the dramatic look of them and especially the faces. So beautiful. I've noticed now, as I decorate my grown up house, I still tend toward the dramatic prints. A grown up version of masquerade masks, if you will. Like this. And this:


(which I love so wholeheartedly, it was nearly my first purchase for the old house)

So imagine my surprise when I was walking through Borders the other day and saw this puzzle.


I immediately bought it and we expanded our table and started working on it. It's tough and I still don't totally love the process, especially as much as Isaac and Sammy do, but I'm excited to see it all done. It's gorgeous and I guess not surprising that I was drawn to it in the first place.


Post Script: This last picture was taken late last week. It's much more done, now. In fact, even as I write, Sammy came running up here to let me know her dress was now finished. And I'm starting to see the value of having a stack of puzzles by the dining room table during the winter. Even if I don't contribute past the edge pieces. Because, let's be honest, I still get frustrated that I can't find pieces that fit. But I do love hearing my boys work at one together...


(that's entertainment, the jam)

Oh Little Town of NEXT STOP....BETHLEHEM!

And with that? My Christmas is done. Yay! I finished shopping yesterday. Presents that need to go out of town will be mailed tomorrow, cards on Monday. Isaac and Sammy are both done and will be wrapped shortly. If anything, this harsh turn to winter has provided a boost to get it done quickly so I can enjoy the rest of the holidays. I love that.

We decorated Monday night and Sammy's head exploded with every Christmas decor box we opened. Oh, holy COW he was excited. Put on the decorations! Put on the lights! Put out the advent calendar train! This! This! This! This! This! Oy to the world, indeed, No Doubt...I was completely reminded why there is a saying about "a little kid at Christmas"! He has been having way too much fun with the train around the tree and pulling out Christmas book after Christmas book for me to read.

(those would be my mother in law's coconut m&m's under the tree...)


(our basket of Christmas books and jingle bells...we try to buy a new book every year. This year's addition is Merry Christmas Splat the Cat)


(I found some navy ornaments...I like them, but I definitely like the matte ones more than the glitter ones. However, I love my new ornament hangers the best. They have jingle bells on them!)

Sammy's take on the nativity, complete with an IKEA train set, of course...apparently they are waiting for the 9:15 to Bethlehem.








(winter wonderland, eurythmics)

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep

I've always been the one to fall asleep first, no matter where I was. I would be the one, at college, retreating to my room long before others. Which meant that I was the one up by 8 am on Saturday morning, grocery shopping and homework done before my roommates would wake.

Lately, I've really started appreciating this. Call it my advanced age (hee!) or just more of settling into who I am, but I love it. Sammy goes to bed around 7 or 7:30 every night. Because of this, Isaac and I get several hours to ourselves until we finally go to bed, usually around 10ish. Everyone is up by 6:30 (Isaac usually earlier) and my house is clean for the day and everything ready to go by 11 at the LATEST. Every morning.

There has been grumbling about the time change since there have been time changes. And I'm not a huge fan of it, either. I wish we would just pick one and stay on it. But this winter change is a little tougher. Not because it's dark when I get up, because I really do love that, but because I have a 4 year old who doesn't GET TIME. So our perfectly laid out schedule goes out the window for about a week as we try to massage things back into place. And I really do hate that. I wish I could convince him that there WAS a change and it represents more time to shutter ourselves in from the world and indulge in my hermit fantasy instead of dealing with a cranky little boy fighting everything he normally would not.

But schedules return and this dark, to be honest, somewhere, it lets me feel like I'm still that girl who goes to sleep first and gets up first and has the day to look forward to while everyone else sleeps it away. I guess that is worth the toddler fight for a week, now that it's all over. Of course, we'll just have to do it all again in the spring...


(sleep to dream, fiona apple)

A Year

No matter how you count it, it's been a year since we've been in this house. A year. It seems much, much longer and is insane to think of everything we've gone through this past year.

It's funny (not really 'haha' funny...) to remember the crazy that was the holidays last year. The stress the new year brought. The happiness that being able to actually support this crazy venture until the other house sold brought. The plans, the rough start of loving this house and the intense missing the old house. It has been SUCH a roller coaster year.

I love where we are. Now. It was a good move. I wondered how long it would take to get to this point, but assumed it would take longer. I'm looking forward to next spring, working on the yard. I'm looking forward to the rest of Sammy's firsts happening here. Creating more memories here, welcoming friends and family. It was a good move. Isaac was right. This is a good house to raise our family in. This is a good house to come home to. This is a good house. It was a good move.

So...happy anniversary Penelope. Here's to many more years of you welcoming us home.


(home, edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros)