Great Summer Reading Escape

Over the weekend I picked up a copy of Roads Less Traveled by Catherine Watson at our local public library. If you would like to escape to the far ends of the earth without leaving the comforts of your air-conditioned home, this book is a must read.

The author is a seasoned travel reporter with a rich, colorful writing style. The book is actually a series of stories about the remote places she has visited all around the world. You don't need to read it in any particular order. Just pick a place you'd like to visit and jump in. Through the author's vivid descriptions, I've learned what it was like to see polar bears in the arctic, live among orangutans, and be treated with herbs by a spiritual healer in the market in Mexico City.

The book takes me to places I've never heard of and will likely never go, but it makes me want to take out the atlas and dream a little. Give it a read if you have a chance this summer.

Recipes NOT Included

This week I'm preparing projects for next quarter's classes at our LSS. These are photos (albeit blurry) of a recipe flip book I've been working on, using the Deja Views paper pad, "Home for the Holidays" with a K&Co Life's Journey flip book. This was a fun and challenging project. Now to write up instructions for it!

I've done several recipe albums for our LSS. I find it really humorous that I have designed and taught so many different recipe album classes because I'm almost totally inept in the kitchen! I have very poorly developed domestic skills, and almost no desire to improve upon them! We always have a good laugh about this in my recipe classes. Obviously, the people who come to those classes CAN cook!

 

The Things They Never Told Me

Nobody, not one single person at the adoption place, told me that one Friday evening, around 11:30 pm, I'd be scooped out of my warm and toasty bed and pushed into a pink dress with a plaid apron.

Nobody warned me about two giggling teenage girls with a half-eaten sack of potato chips and a box of doll clothes just my size.

Nobody told me about the crazed mom with a camera, posing me to get a perfect shot for some ridiculous scrapbook page.

Did I miss something here? Why did no one tell me this was part of the gig?

But you know what? I would have gone to live with these people anyway. They love me and feed me turkey and play with me every single day, and only occasionally do they make me dress in pink.

I can deal with it.

This Just In!

I realize it is most unusual for me to blog twice in one day, but this photo was just too cute to pass up or save for another blogging day. Moments ago, DD and her friend dressed Lily in this little white doll apron. Isn't that just about the cutest sight you've seen today?

A Glimpse of Our DC Trip

This evening I've been looking through the digital photos from our recent trip to Washington, D.C., and realized that we really have some good shots. Here are a few of my favorites, top to bottom:

* Lincoln Memorial
* Dean & Deluca gourmet food market (I could have stayed there for the remainder of the trip)
* the baby panda bear at the National Zoo, who celebrated his 1 year birthday a week later
* a picturesque street in Georgetown, right after a rainstorm
* the Washington Memorial on the evening of July 4
* looking down into the reading room of the Library of Congress
* Independence Day fireworks over the National Mall
* the National Cathedral
* Independence Day parade

These photos represent just a few of the really interesting things we saw while there. It was especially nice being there over the 4th of July. I'm glad we took the opportunity to go this summer.

 

Getting Back on Track

Last week was totally out of control for me. I ended up doing several things that I hadn't planned and actually forgot to look at my calendar one morning. That afternoon while hurriedly picking up some stuff at Target, my cell phone rang. It was dd.

"Mom, did you realize you missed your hair appointment?"

Immediately, my stomach flip-flopped and my heart sank. This was not just a regular appointment for a cut, but a much lengthier perm appointment. I felt absolutely horrible about missing the appointment and was nearly in tears when I reached the wonderful gal who cuts my hair. I thought about how I could possibly make this up to her.

So tomorrow when I go for my appointment (and I WILL remember it), I'm taking her this little tin and mini-album that I made this morning. I'm hoping that she'll enjoy it and it will, in part, make up for my space-cadettedness. (Is that a word? I think I just made that up.)

Ever Feel Like This?

Well, this is how I feel today, or at least what I'd like to be doing. Oh, to be a kitty and get to do this most of the day!

On another, equally important subject, may I mention that I think Lily is the best $40 I've ever spent? She has grown quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. Her legs seem quite long, but her body remains fairly lean, except in the tummy area. (Don't we all have that problem?) Contributing to the tummy bulge is the fact that we continue to have trouble keeping her out of people food. This week, she has demonstrated that she will eat the following: lettuce, dry cereal, oreo pie (not good for cats, obviously), coffee (also not a good thing), bread, peanut butter, jelly (those last three were part of the same incident), dryer sheets, paper napkins (straight out of our napkin basket), corn, mashed potatoes, popsicles...the list goes on. I am all too aware that she should not be sampling these things. Believe me, we are doing our best to keep her in check, but the little thing is FAST! And persistent.

And right now, all stretched out. We've both had a long week.

Next time you're in D.C. ...

It's been awhile since my last post. We got back late last week from a trip to Washington, D.C. and this week have jumped into vacation Bible school at our church. I'm working with the crafts and decor team. Crafts for 260 kids each day is quite the challenge!

When we were in D.C., I had the good fortune to visit National Public Radio, thanks to my husband's cousin. I am a huge NPR fan (addict, even). I listen to it whenever I'm near a radio. Morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and even in the middle of the night when I hear BBC broadcasts. I would have been happy just seeing the building, but our family member was gracious enough to give us a tour. AND it turned out that that very day, they were recording a live broadcast with Bonnie Raitt during Talk of the Nation. We got to be part of the studio audience of 40 people. It just doesn't get any better than this! Listen to the interview. Maybe you can hear us clapping! http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5534943