Saturday Snippets - The Here and Now Edition

Saturdays are for small bits and pieces, and here are the small pieces going on here and now.

Bemoaning - The fact that I confused my deodorant and Icy Hot stick this morning. This was not a good idea.

Hoping - That I learn from my mistake and never do that again.

Eating - Thanksgiving leftovers, of course. These are some of my favorite foods - turkey sandwiches, cranberry orange relish, homemade crescent rolls, and fried stuffing. That last one may possibly be a bit unhealthy, but I only eat it once a year, so that's my justification.

Reading - A Spool of Blue Thread. All I really want to do is read and knit, but work, Thanksgiving, laundry, etc. keep getting in my way. I'd like to say I'll be done soon, but some Christmas planning needs to happen before I can just sit and read.

Knitting - Still working on Happy Times with Ryan.  Projects don't get done very quickly if you fall asleep while knitting.

Dreading - Christmas planning. This mainly means shopping. I have a bunch of gifts that I've already gotten, but I need to evaluate what I actually have and what I still need to get. My biggest problem is coming up with ideas.

Counting 1.0 - The days until Youngest Son is home for Christmas break - 14!

Counting 2.0 - The days until Oldest Son is home for Christmas - 21!

Hoping - That both sons will want to play some board games with me. I love Yahtzee, Scrabble, Monopoly, St. Petersburg, and even Cards Against Humanity, but my husband refuses to play. I think this is due to some traumatic childhood tantrums and tears as his brothers and sisters feel the same way.

Trying -  This French Onion soup recipe.

Drinking - Bitter Elder. St. Germain is also good in chamomile tea, but this may contribute to the falling asleep, noted in knitting above.

Listening - To Yo-Yo Ma, "Attaboy" from The Goat Rodeo Sessions.

Enjoying - Writing the penultimate post of NaBloPoMo!

What bits and pieces are happening in your life?

Saturday Snippets

Saturdays are for small bits and pieces that I love. No children's books today, but instead it's the books I'm reading, attempting to read, or planning to read.

 

Books I'm Reading:

• Centennial by James Michener - I started this during my last visit to Colorado, and just added an "in it for the long haul" shelf to Goodreads, specifically for this book. It is interesting and worth reading, but at more than 900 pages, it's definitely a book that requires a long-term commitment. 
• A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving - Another epic novel. It's very good so far, but I'm easily distracted by new and shiny books. Monogamy may be required here, or at least giving this book the attention it deserves. 
• A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler - This is the new, shiny book that has distracted me. Anne Tyler has said this will be her final novel, and that along with a cover I love made me want to read it immediately. Luckily, an advance copy came my way so now I've started reading it in earnest. It's good enough so far that I've chosen to read this instead of knitting in the evening, and that's saying something.

Books I'm Attempting to Read:

• The Magicians by Lev Grossman - I read this in 2010, and then forgot about the rest of the series. I've heard wonderful things about books #2 and #3, so I reread this as a refresher. I gave it four stars, but there were definitely things that I didn't thrill me, like the main character's whining and constant unhappiness.
• The Magician King by Lev Grossman - I recently started the second book in the series, but Quentin bothered me so much that I had to put it away for a while. I still plan to give it a fair chance because I'm assured that this book is even better than the first, and Quentin may even grow up a bit.  
• The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman - Some readers whose opinion I value have told me his is the best book in the whole series, so we'll see if my attempts to read the first two carry me through to this one.

Books I'm Looking Forward to Reading:

 

• Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz - I can't wait until December 9th when this book will be available in audio format. This one may push The Magicians series farther back in the queue.
• Pioneer Girl by Laura Ingalls Wilder - I've been anxiously awaiting this annotated autobiography since August. I've thought about rereading the Little House series, but I think this will be a much better book for me to read as an adult.

What books are you reading, attempting to read, or looking forward to reading?
 I'd love to hear about them!

Saturday Snippets

Saturdays are for small bits and pieces that I love, and by popular demand (okay, one person. Thank you, Mary!) the snippets are from another picture book. I should probably think of another name for Saturday posts, but there are only two more and Saturday Storytime sounds silly. Today's book is a silly story, but it's another one that both of my sons adored and I loved to read. Bonus: it's also a really fun way to practice money and counting skills.

Bunny Money by Rosemary Wells is the story of Max and Ruby who set out to buy a gift for their grandmother. Ruby (the responsible rabbit sibling) has saved up a walletful of bunny money. She finds the perfect birthday gift, but it costs far too much, and she also has to deal with Max, who thinks that Grandma would really enjoy a set of glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth. Max gets messy, hungry, and thirsty, all of which use their dwindling funds. They eventually find some great presents that Grandma clearly loves; the picture of her wearing them is wonderful!

For extra fun with this book, you can photocopy the endpapers and make your own bunny money to use along with the story. The money took a bit of time to make, but it added immeasurably to our enjoyment of this already-great book. Imagine my surprise when I also found two lucky quarters in our bunny money wallet! Max carries his lucky quarter, and of course both of my boys had to be holding lucky quarters when we read this. 

Rosemary Wells has a whole series of Max and Ruby stories including Bunny Cakes, Bunny Party, and A Christmas Tree for Ruby. More good news is that she's been writing and illustrating for over 40 years and has a multitude of other books besides Max and Ruby. One of my favorites was Yoko, even though my boys felt it was a bit too "girly" for them. They were, however, quite curious about red bean ice cream.

This fun book has stayed with me for 20 years or more; I still wish I could find a pair of singing bluebird earrings for $4.00!

Saturday Snippets

Saturdays are for small bits and pieces that I love, and today the snippets are from another picture book. This time it's The Caboose Who Got Loose by Bill Peet, a story about Katy Caboose who ends up lodged in a spruce tree after an accidental uncoupling and derailing. This might not sound like much of a plot to an adult, but to a three-year-old train lover, it was a favorite.

Except for the ending. Bill Peet has Katy staying high up in the trees, as free as the breeze. This greatly upset Oldest Son, who was adamant that Katy belonged on the train tracks. One day he insisted on having the book read at nap time, but was reduced to tears that Katy hadn't been found and was going to be stuck in the trees forever. He begged me to change the ending, so once he fell asleep I got out a pencil and did just that.

With apologies to Bill Peet, both Oldest Son and I were glad that 

"At last she was back on the tracks, quick as you please."

Saturday Snippets

Saturdays are for small bits and pieces that I love. Today the snippets are from a picture book. My sons are in their twenties and certainly not interested in having me read to them, but I've been thinking about picture books ever since Mary posted about reading to Charlie. I loved reading to my kids; it was a wonderful way to end the day with all of us snuggled together, enjoying the closeness and some great books. I miss the snuggly closeness, but I also miss the books, so I had to look through some of my packed-away favorites.

  

Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell is a book that we all loved. It's easy to read with a pleasant rhythm; there were with plenty of opportunities for the kids to yell, "Quack!", and I love anything illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. 

 Even 20 years later, we still occasionally ask each other, "How goes the work?" That's a picture book with staying power!