When in Rome...

Is it just me, or has the exhaustion level increased at VBS this year, in comparison to last year?
I only have a few rules for my group:
The Cave is after the Marketplace.
We aren't doing science this year.
You are not allowed to touch each other.
Your sash is not a weapon.
You cannot wear your sash on your head.
Your sash is not a sling.
We aren't doing science this year.
You are not allowed to touch each other.
Try to go potty even if you don't have to.
Wash your hands with soap.
The Cave is next.
We aren't doing science this year.
Talk to me like a big boy.
You are not allowed to touch each other.
You don't have to sing, but you may not distract others from worshipping.
Please stay on our blanket.
Do not pinch each other.
Do not hit each other.
Do not pull each other's hair.
You are not allowed to touch each other.
It's time to go to the Cave!

I don't think I'm too demanding.

Check it out.

Finally, something to blog about!

Bow to Your Partner

We went to the drive-in last night with the Borggren's, and had a wonderful time. Richard was thrilled to be able to camp out in the bed of his truck, which was very fun indeed.
When it was finally time to pack up and go home, I realized just how stiff I was from laying in the hard truck.
I climbed down and went between the cars to stretch out. I bent at the waist to stretch out my lower back, which is when my forehead squarely met the radio pole between the cars.
Richard said, "What are you doing??"
As if I did it on purpose.

Topsy Turvy - Week 5

Won't it stink if I do this whole photo-journal of my Topsy Turvy and we only get one tiny, rock solid tomato? Because so far, that's what we have.

Question

If you hit a parked VW Bug, would you leave a note that said,
"Slug bug. No backsies!"?
Just wondering.

Keep up.

"That's what she said," loses most of its hilarity when you have to explain the joke.

Dear New Sofa Bed,

Thanks for that.
Sincerely yours,
Erin
p.s. I think I broke my femur.

It's always the last place you look.

Or at least it shows up once you stop looking...under a sock.

New Living Room

God used our neighbor yesterday to remind me that he loves me. She called to tell us she was "getting rid of some stuff," and did we want to come check it out?
Yes. The answer is always yes.
Waiting for us was an almost-new pull out couch.
Our current couch was truly on its last legs, and, to be honest, wasn't very...fresh.
I am very touched by her generosity.
Now I've just got to figure out how to make the couch and the chair look less insane next to one another.
Methinks more new curtians are in order...

An Exerpt from The Conflict Resolution Handbook

"I feel like everything that happened this morning was your fault," is great example of what not to say to your spouse in a reconciliation attempt.

Dear Uncle Ben's Instant Rice Pudding with Cinnamon and Raisins,

I wrote you a song.
Have a listen:

Uncle Ben's Instant Rice Pudding, ma belle.
Sont des mots qui vont trés bien ensemble,
Trés bien ensemble.

I love you, I love you, I love you.
That's all I want to say.
Until I find a way
I will say the only words I know that
You'll understand.

Uncle Ben's Instant Rice Pudding, ma belle.
Sont des mots qui vont trés bien ensemble,
Trés bien ensemble.

I need to, I need to, I need to.
I need to make you see,
Oh, what you mean to me.
Until I do I'm hoping you will
Know what I mean.
I love you...

I want you, I want you, I want you.
I think you know by now
I'll get to you somehow.
Until I do I'm telling you so
You'll understand.

Uncle Ben's Instant Rice Pudding, ma belle.
Sont des mots qui vont trés bien ensemble,
Trés bien ensemble.

I will say the only words I know that
You'll understand, my Uncle Ben's Instant Rice Pudding.

Give me a call if you want me to sing it to you.
Sincerely yours,
Erin

Book Review

The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Synopsis: A novel about novel-lovers (Hel-lo! Love at first sentence!). Lucas Corso, a cranky alcoholic Spaniard, is hired to determine the authenticity of an original manuscript of Chapter 46 (or something) of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas AND the authenticity of a 17th century manual for...er...summoning the devil. As you can imagine lots of excitement ensues.

Readability: Tough. Originally written in Spanish and translated to English, TCD is a challenging read, which was a refreshing change from the murder mysteries I usually blow through. Not so tough, however, that it was unenjoyable. The intricacy of the plot was really impressive. Even now, I can't believe what Perez-Reverte did in 300 short pages.
Predictability: I could NOT figure this one out. You know I love that. To the last SENTENCE, I didn't know where we were going.
Couldn't Put it Down Factor: I didn't have trouble putting down The Club Dumas because it was rather involved to read, but believe me when I say that it was NEVER far from my thoughts. It took me 4 days to finish, and they were four well-enjoyed days.
Recommend it?: Y.E.S. To be honest, if I had known, I probably wouldn't have chosen this one because I'm not huge on Satan...you know...but by the time I realized what was going on, it was too late. The saving grace is that the book and story line have very little if nothing to do with Satan and everything to do with Corso. It is surprisingly un-scary, as Perez-Reverte doesn't go into anything to do with spiritual warfare and keeps the focus on Corso's task at hand. Even so, this one really isn't for the faint of heart, but can be read with the same fictional attitude as one would read Demon: A Memoir or Angels & Demons. I would call The Club Dumas a (wonderful!) mystery/thriller with some religious overtones. Period.
Four and half out of Five stars.

Something to think about:

As a writer--or, more aptly--as someone who knows how to correctly spell some common phrases, watching my child learn to speak is incredibly interesting. Enthralling. Terrifying.
Over the past couple of months, Shirley has begun to mimic our speech patterns and intonations perfectly, until recently, when I discovered that she is actually saying words.
The catch is that they aren't real words. They are words as she perceives them.
When heard from across the room, "nope," is "nope." But upon closer inspection, Shirley is not actually saying the English-spelled-out-word "nope." She's saying "ope," or sometimes, "mope." This is interesting to me because the phonetic "puh" sound involves both lips coming together (there's a real name for it), which she has not done at ALL until now. This is the same reason she has yet to say "Mama" (besides the fact that God thinks it's funny to watch me keep trying to teach her to use BOTH of her lips when phrasing sounds to make words). "What's this?" is actually "HUTSiss," "Yep" is actually, "Gep," and "the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain," is ... just kidding.

Tomorrow is another day.

Today was just one of those days. One of those days when the voices of protagonists from my past come alive in my head. The kind of day that starts at 2am when Shirley wakes up screaming, holding her cheeks because her molars are coming in all at once. The kind of day that you go back to bed with the baby during her morning nap even though Richard let you sleep in already, and that protagonist, Mennifer Bial, calls you a loser and you believe her. The kind of day that you scald the baby's already tender mouth with Malt-o-Meal that you thought had cooled. Mennifer Bial calls you cruel and stupid. The kind of day that Mennifer Bial assures you that it really is a $7.99 haircut. And she reminds you that there's laundry waiting, dishes lurking and do you really want Richard to come home to find you wearing an undershirt with your hair a mess, glasses askew and by the way, Shirley is covered in Nutrigrain bar? The kind of day that only french fries will do and Mennifer Bial asks you if you want to be a size 12 again.
I'm not the only one, right?
Right?
I can't be the only one who can take an entire day off, maybe two, without doing anything. Without putting on a bra, without going anywhere, without eating anything before 3pm. I can't be the only one who lets the laundry go and the dishes pile up in the sink, hoping my husband won't notice. I can't be the only one visited by voices of protagonists-past. The only one with a complex about the truth.
Right?

Topsy Turvy - Week 2

Here we are after week two. I have watered every day and had to add 8 more quarts of soil. I don't think this cool weather is doing me any favors!