Christmas Highlights

by Anna

Someone once asked me what my favorite holiday was and, after much deliberation, I chose Christmas. It may seem like a given, but you know how much I like my birthday. :D I remember explaining that it was a month-long celebration of my favorite things: good food, spending time with my family, giving to others, fun traditions, and honoring the one who made it all possible.

So we've been having a great month filled with multiple advent calendars, cookies and candy, paper chains, crafts, holiday movies, Christmas stories, carols, and reading the Christmas story. I had good intentions about a lot of things and haven't exactly been able to do them all, but whatever. We've had a good time. Here are a few of my favorite parts thus far:

• I purchased one of these advent calendars a while ago (although the Christmas story version—I don't know why they didn't have a picture of it, as we don't feel that strongly about The Nutcracker) and have been enjoying our morning ritual as we read part of the Christmas story each day. Each little book is an ornament that Anna and I hang on a little Christmas tree in my room. This one sticks to the book pretty closely, but it must be the New International Version or something because they seem to have named the wise men. That was a bit weird. And I don't remember reading anything about Mary and Joseph stopping for the night at an oasis.
• I've tried a variety of things to teach Anna about the importance of being selfless and giving to others, but here was my favorite event. Back on Halloween, a neighbor boy came trick or treating and nearly grabbed a peanut butter cup but pulled his hand back and said, "No, I don't want one of those because my mom will take it and eat it. They're her favorite." We laughed about this, and then I mentioned it to his mom later that night when we were out trick or treating. She laughed and admitted that peanut butter cups were her favorite. Anyway, I didn't even know Anna was listening to any of this, but as we were doing some shopping a few days ago (nearly two months later), she saw some peanut butter cups and asked if we could buy them so she could give them to this woman for Christmas. I said of course. I am happy to support that kind of thinking. So we bought a pack of two, and then Anna wrapped it and tied it with ribbon all on her own and delivered it a few days ago. It was simple, but I absolutely loved that it was Anna's own idea and that it was something she was excited to do for someone else.
• My sister sponsored a cousins trip to the movies for her nieces and nephews. Anna and I went along to see The Muppets. (Pretty great movie, by the way. Anna loved it, but I think a lot of the jokes were intended for an older crowd.) A highlight of the movie was getting to see Chris Cooper rap. (What in the world?) A lowlight (or highlight, however you want to look at it) was having to define and then demonstrate what rapping was to Anna on the way home. She was not impressed. In fact, I think her words were, "Stop that. I hate it." Poor sport.
• Anna begging me to and then watching the She-Ra and He-Man Christmas special.
• In one of Anna's prayers, she talked about how she has learned that it's more important to give than to receive (a small success this month) but that she's glad we still get to celebrate and she hopes they get to have a little party in heaven too.

And it's nice knowing that the fun's not over yet. I want to wish a merry Christmas to all of you. I hope it's filled with all of your favorite things.

Tis the season . . .

. . . to be baking. I present to you the results of Cookie Day 2011:

(clockwise from the top: chocolate caramel thumbprint, raspberry shortbread, chocolate-caramel-peanut-butter-covered pretzel, a caramel, and apricot and black raspberry rugelach)

It sort of looks the same as last year, but that's because we have some returning favorites. Cookie Day would not be Cookie Day without the rugelach and the caramels.

It was a good day. It's always exhausting (I swear I was stirring that caramel for an hour), but it's also such a fun tradition. And there are more sweet treats on my list that I didn't even get to. We might need a Part 2 this year.

Normally a fan of anything sweet, Anna was feeling under the weather today and she wasn't really into eating nine pounds of sugar. But we did get an excellent quote out of her: Mid-hug, she said to Stephanie, "You know what the best kind of sweet is? Love and kindness."

A Christmas Story

This is one of those stories, the kind that you hear around Christmas, the kind that makes you cry and feel guilty for spending your time posting about the ridges in your fingernails. This is the kind that makes you want to sell your car, because you'll somehow get by, and give the money away to help these girls and their family.

These adorable girls are the nieces of my dear friend Amberly.

Natalie and Alice have an extremely rare disease and are going in for chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants next week. One of their brothers is even one of the donors! None of their family will be able to leave their home for the next year, meaning the dad will not be able to go to work for the next year. You can READ MORE about their story here. Do it. It's overwhelming and amazing and beautiful. (There are also instructions on that site for how to donate via PayPal.)

Their story is amazing. I normally don't love passing these things on because they tend to seem somewhat sensationalized. But this one is the real deal. And, probably a bit selfishly, it means more to me because it's about people I know; I've been hearing about these girls and their hospital visits ever since they were born. Theirs is the kind of story that really puts things into perspective, especially when I think about how the last time Anna went to the doctor for being sick was two years ago.

I love that this is a story about faith and hope and family and selfless giving. A perfect Christmas story. And this won't just help them out for Christmas, it will help them for the next year. So if you're looking for a way to give this Christmas or at any other time or for any other reason, here's a great one.

Click here to read more about Natalie and Alice and to donate.

Before and After

This is the kind of before and after in my life right now.

Waiting for playgroup: the calm before the storm.

Time well spent.

If I could convey to you just how many sprinkles made it out of the container but not onto a cookie, I would. I felt like I was trying to walk on marbles.

I have ADGD.

It's a new condition. It stands for Attention Deficit Google Disorder. When I am writing or doing something else that's "work" on a computer, I seem to be less and less able to focus on what I'm actually doing and more and more able to come up with any reason to pause and google something. I love Google, but I don't like my new disorder.

It goes like this.

Writing, writing, writing. Something about a movie theater pops into my brain and, before I know it, I think, "Hey, I wonder what movies are playing this weekend." And off I go.

Or I read the word sports, which makes me think of warts, which makes me think, "Hey, I should find out about these ridges on my fingernails. That's vitally important to research right now." (By the way, vertical, orderly ridges are pretty common. Nothing to see here, except another five minutes gone.)

I am grateful for Google. I am. It's a wonder. You can find pretty much anything you ever wanted to know about anything on there. A recipe for homemade taco seasoning? Check. The reason why your thumbnails keep growing in bumpy? Check. The reason why that random person in that one show looks familiar? Check. (That's mostly thanks to IMDB, which is another favorite time suck.) A video of that song that you really liked from that random movie you saw but haven't thought about in years but are now bound and determined to find the soundtrack to that will then lead you to the video so you can listen to that song again? Check. ("Plainsong" by The Cure, by the way. Great song.)

And this is all fine and good, but I was trying to get some work done. This is how much Google has taken over our lives, for good and ill. (I think I really just hate that I don't have more self-restraint. But I'm not about to blog about my own faults, for heaven's sake.)

The birthday.

November 30th has always meant a lot to me. This year I have looked forward to it because it's my birthday (which I apparently can't stop talking about like I'm a small child), marking the end of 30 Days of Ash because I'm now 30 years old on the 30th, and it's also my deadline. It's been a good year and a great month (largely due to my thoughtful and cool sister who came up with some amazingly amazing gifts, the rest of my amazing family, my friends, a trip to H&M, some birthday donuts from Lehi Bakery, and—let's be honest—my parents, as the reason I have a birthday at all) and the many thousands of words that I dredged up from the deep recesses of my brain to finish this book.

So yes, in a word, the book is done.*

*Meaning, not done. 

I'll explain. The rough draft is done: there is an excellent beginning, a hefty middle, somewhat of an end, and nearly 50,000 words, but it's still going to take some revising and fleshing out before I'm happy with the first draft. There are some holes and I know it, so I need to go back and fill them in.

And, by the way, I really hate knowing that it's not as good as I'd like it to be. Thinking about that reminds me of this quote from Ira Glass:

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners. I wish someone had told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know that it's normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you finish one piece. It's only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It's gonna take a while. It's normal to take a while. You've just gotta fight your way through."

So there's your inspirational/demoralizing quote for the day. (It's good that it fits both moods.) But truly, I'm happy with the progress I've made. I'm glad that I can say that I [essentially] wrote a book by the time I was 30, which was my ultimate goal. (I don't care if it's a loose interpretation.) So I will keep working, once the birthday celebrations quiet down, and for those of you lucky enough to read the darn thing, I will alert you when I'm good and ready. Merry birthday to you.

The Girl Behind the Annacdotes

This painting was done by Anna's Uncle Sean and was one of many gifts I received this month for the 30 Days of Ash. I am in love with it.

This is where the painting came from, by the way.

Lately, I've been thinking about Anna and how she is so much more than these few Annacdotes I post once in a while. And sure, while they're definitely delightful, she is a treat on so many other levels and in so many other ways, and I don't want to forget them. I am baffled and delighted by her nearly 24 hours a day. (Yep, even while I sleep.) I guess it's a little hard to detail in a blog post, but I'm still going to try.

1. Her language. I would say that one of her gifts is in the verbal category. She has always spoken fairly clearly and been able to use big words. She loves to learn what words mean and then make sure she's using them correctly. The other day, she told me that she wanted to write a book too but that she might need my help because I have more experience. I loved that. What does she know about "experience"?

With that said, I hold on to the words she doesn't say correctly because I love them and they keep her young. One such word was "blurdy." She would say this when a picture wasn't clear or when the video would freeze on skype or something. (I think it was related to "blurred," like "blurred-y," which makes sense.) But then just the other day, she said "blurry" for the first time and I silently cheered and frowned a little. Besides that, she's always using words that make me wonder where she hears them and how she possibly knows how to use them.

2. Anna is very thoughtful. She found a little gift box and, for a while there, would draw me a special picture each day that said, "I love you mom" (which she is very pleased to know how to spell all by herself). Then she would fold it up, put it in the box, and then she would wrap it and put ribbon on it and present it to me. I also find little post-it notes with similar messages or pictures of flowers or rainbows or whatever around my room, and lately she's been writing "To: Ash," as though we're BFFs. She also likes to open up to a random page in any notebook of mine and write a secret message for me to find later.

Here's one such note:

The blue and green mass in the middle is the earth.

This one was unique because she wrote the lyrics to a song she made up. (What the heck, kid? Stop surprising me at every turn.) The note says "I love you Mom," obviously, and then the lyrics are:

O this is a wonderful day, today, today

Today, o yes, o yes

Today, o yes, o yes

3. Anna is a very adventurous eater. I've written before about her love for pickled things, be they cucumbers or green beans or beets, but she's also very willing to try new things—especially her own creations. Just the other morning, for instance, she combined all the elements we were eating for breakfast into a breakfast sandwich, of sorts. She took a piece of rosemary toast, spread black raspberry jam and grape jelly on and mixed them, and then topped them with parmesan scrambled eggs. She took a bite and then nodded and said, "Good!" She still doesn't like what she doesn't like (avacados, asparagus, pineapple, and black jelly beans) and sometimes prays to be able to like them, but other than that, she's pretty open, which I love and think is a great quality to have.

4. She is also wise beyond her years about many things. One area we've heard a lot about lately is love. I've mentioned her two crushes before, and this last one seems to be sticking. (And apparently, most of the other girls in her class have a crush on this boy as well.) When talking about the difference between love and crushes one day, Anna said, "Love is like fifty crushes." So true. She also told me about a dream she had about her current crush. She couldn't remember many of the details, but she remembered that at the end, she confronted this boy and said, "Do you just want to live a free life?" I thought this was pretty insightful about how smothered the poor boy might feel.

5. Anna is very dramatic. When she is excited about something, she will rapidly clap her hands and grin with delight or put her hands over her heart and close her eyes in sincere reverence for whatever it might be. Sometimes she will even swoon and pretend to faint if the sight is truly magical. For instance, we were out shopping a few weeks ago and we walked into a children's clothing store. There was a display with every sparkly, rainbow-colored accessory you could imagine. She gasped at the sight, walked over to the display, and then literally fell to the floor. Another time, Anna had a nightmare and my sister got there a minute before I did. I told Anna about this the next morning, since she never remembers anything about her nighttime adventures, and she said, with much emotion, "Both of you came in? You could have hugged each other with sadness in your eyes."

6. When she's not being super melodramatic, she also has a little bit of attitude. Last year, she got on this kick of snapping when she'd talk about something really cool. Then more recently, she picked up saying "Lame!" with an attitude whenever she didn't like something. (Can't say I love that . . . ) But then she took it over the top when she added a snap that goes directly into a thumbs down as she says it. It was a brilliant move. She'll also do a snap-thumbs-up for things she loves, which is pretty inventive too.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg . . .

Annacdotes 19

1. I got a new pair of shoes the other day and Anna has been playing with the little plastic stick things that kept the shoes stretched out when they were in the box. (Do you know what I'm talking about? The little hollow L-shaped things?) Anyway, I walked in to the bathroom and Anna was in there playing with one of them in the sink. Here's how the conversation went.

Anna: I just had some disgusting water out of this.
Me: [freaking out inside] Out of that? You used it as a straw?
Anna: Yes, and the water was disgusting.
Me: Yeah, you probably shouldn't do that. It's been inside shoes.
Anna: Yeah. DisGUSTing.

a minute later

Anna: You know what I think the issue was?
Me: What?
Anna: Shoes.
Me. I agree. That's a good rule to follow: Don't put anything in your mouth that has been inside shoes.
Anna: And the other issue? Earwax.
Me: WHAT?
Anna: Yeah, I got a little on the end. DisGUSTing.

(I found out later that she was walking around with both of them sticking out of her ears.)

I realize that this is vile and, yes, disgusting and that I probably come off looking like a neglectful mother, but this conversation was hilarious. The fact that she used the word "issue" so matter-of-factly, and the earwax thing was just icing on the cake.

2. One morning, Anna woke up crying because she had a bad dream. When I went in to check it out, she told me that she was dreaming that someone put her in the freezer. (Totally sad nightmare, by the way.) When she had calmed down, she said, "You want to know something kinda funny? I sometimes see the same police bad guy in my dreams and he's always holding a gun . . . and butter."

3. We had to run a quick errand the other day and Anna insisted on keeping on the plastic poncho she was wearing. (World's best toy, by the way. She loves it and it has somehow kept her entertained for days.) So she wore it on the errand and then when we were getting out of the car, it started to thunder a bit. She said, quite calmly, "Mom, the thunder worries me." When I asked her why, she said, "Because I might get wet!" Oh, the irony.

This was the butterfly we hatched this year. I believe Anna named it Faye.

4. Anna and I shared a room for a few days while guests were in town, and one morning, before I was really coherent, the first thing out of Anna's mouth was, "Mom, do you want me to sniff around like a horse?" When the question finally processed, I said, "Um, not really." She said, "Good . . . because I'm not going to."

5. Anna and I were trying to sing one of the songs Cinderella sings, "A Dream is a Wish," and we could only get so far. After a few fruitless tries, I said, "That's it, I'm going to find the lyrics and then I'll come back and sing the whole thing for you." On my way out of the room, Anna yelled, "Okay, make me proud!"

in front of the St. George temple

6. In a recent prayer, Anna was speaking directly to Heavenly Father. She said, in a very sincere (if a bit melodramatic) voice, "I love you so much. And please, PLEASE, win the war with Satan."

7. "Mom, have you ever pushed on your eyeballs and seen the universe?"

8. "Netflix has changed my life!"

9. Anna was singing to herself the other day and told me that there are two kinds of solos. I asked her what they were, and she said one was the singing kind and the other was like, when you say, "Why so low today?" I'll let you know when her joke book gets published.

This one was taken during Anna's class Halloween party while her teacher was reading the kids a story. Pretty cute.

Holiday Boutique

Just for kicks, I'm selling felt growth charts and flower clips at my sister in-law's holiday boutique this Saturday. (She lives in Highland, by the way. The invite doesn't say that.) So if you're at a loss for gift ideas and want something handmade, this is the place. (Am I a good salesman, or what?)

Apple Crisp

Like any good autumn, we have been experiencing a rather constant influx of apples around here. Just the other day, Anna came home from her grandparents' house with a sackful of newly picked golden delicious, red delicious, and granny smith apples—and something needed to be done about it. So I made one of my seasonal favorites, Apple Crisp. Famous for being both delicious and ridiculously easy, this one is a winner.





Apple Crisp

6 large apples (I like to use a mix, like a couple golden delicious, braeburn, and a granny smith)
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. flour
3/4 c. butter
1 1/4 c. rolled oats
vanilla ice cream (not optional)

Peel, core, and thinly slice apples. Arrange in a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Combine brown sugar and flour. Cut butter into mixture as for pastry. Stir in rolled oats. Spoon topping over apples, pressing down lightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream, and be grateful for good food on a cold day.

Sweaters, magically colored leaves, apple crisp. What do you love about the fall?

Let the countdown begin.

Happy November. This month is going to be a big one. I'm scared and excited all at once, which is resulting in my going from rapid clapping and squealing from happiness right into the fetal position and back again, figuratively, several times a day. (It's pretty exhausting.)

Anyway, besides all the normal life stuff going on, here's what else is on the docket:

1. My book deadline. [squeals of excitement] I gave myself seven months to write this book, as a present to myself for my birthday, and here we are, folks. I only have one month left. (!!!) I began pretty ignorantly and I've come a long way, for sure, but now that I know what I know, I know I have so much work left to do. I'm excited but a little scared as to how it's all going to happen. But it's also totally awesome that November just so happens to be National Novel Writing Month. Super cool coincidence, right? It's cool even though I'm not, like those folks, going to write a novel in a month. But I am going to finish one!

2. So yeah. My self-imposed book deadline is my birthday. My 30th birthday. Which is huge. And not only that, I turn 30 on the 30th, which means it's my GOLDEN BIRTHDAY. [rapid squeals] So exciting. My amazing sister sent me a huge box of presents so that I have one to open every day this month, an event she named 30 Days of Ash.

What a sight. Isn't it amazing? I've let out several squeals just thinking about it. And Anna's twice as bad. I've had to pry her fingers away from the pretty packages (days 4 and 17, for instance) more than once.

Anyway, there's a lot going on. So many presents to open, so many thousands of words to write, so many parties to plan. I'm swamped, but in the best kind of way.

In the immortal words from "Major Tom": "4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1. Earth below us, drifting falling . . ." (What?)

Let the countdown begin!

Halloween bits and pieces

1. We carved our pumpkin a few days ago. Anna requested the shapes for each part of the face and I did the carving. We learned that skinny trapezoids make very scary eyes.
2. For a few months, Anna was torn between being a hula dancer and a cowgirl for Halloween. When it came down to it, though, she decided on being Tinkerbell instead. And then when she unearthed a cheerleading outfit in her room that we came by accidentally, she suddenly wanted to be a cheerleader. But I tried to quell that wishful thinking as soon as I could.
3. To accomplish the quelling, I may have agreed to have a party with just me and her so that she could wear the cheerleading outfit at home and then wear the fairy outfit out trick or treating. I'm pretty sure the party will be awesome.
4. In related news, some words you never want to hear your child say that I heard last week: "Mom, I want to be a cheerleader when I grow up!" Where did this come from?
5. She turned out to be a very cute Tinkerbell, which is not surprising in the least.

She added the gloves and the jewels at the last minute and said, "Now I'm a royal fairy." It called to mind the conglomeration that was last year's costume.

Anyway, I've got to go to bed. Either the day was totally full and fun and exhausting . . . or I'm now on the other side of a sugar high. Or both.

Anna's feelings about stake conference

Several days ago, I mentioned to Anna that we would be going to stake conference today and she groaned. Vehemently. I was pretty surprised by this. When I asked her what the deal was, she moaned, "It's sooooo long!" And it is. I tried to tell her that it would be fun because I would bring snacks and some fun things to do, but she wasn't having any of it.

Then yesterday, she said something about primary and I had to remind her that she wouldn't be going because of stake conference. Again, the groaning. Then she said, with quite the attitude, "Fine, I'll just wear something ugly, then."

I guess that was how she was going to make a public statement about her feelings?

Then today, when getting dressed for said stake conference, she chose a dress that was apparently not ugly enough. She said, "I guess I'll just have ugly hair, then."

I never knew she felt so strongly about it.

Apple Uglies

It's October, and you know what that means. Apple Uglies. I went looking through the archives for some old pictures, and, lo and behold, I realized I have not done a proper post on Apple Uglies. So if you're thinking that I'm talking about my collection of old, shriveled apples, stop right there. I will explain: Every October for as long as I can remember, my family gathers to eat soup out of bread bowls, and then we decorate caramel apples with candy in an attempt to make the ugliest faces. (We've been making apple uglies for so long that the name was even a spoonerism victim once— "appee uggles." Pretty classic, right?) Anyway, we don't just use a little bit of candy but a tableful of beautiful, colorful sugar in myriad forms. (I hate using "myriad" that way, just fyi, but I do it just because it's possible. And while I'm confessing, I'll be honest and admit that one of my favorite parts of the party is separating the candy into the muffin tins. I don't really know why.)

a close-up, in case you're not appreciating the sugar splendor

The candy selection process is very important. Unlike other times, candy for apple uglies needs to be selected based on looks alone. Taste is secondary. Take that gross halloween mix in the bottom right corner of the above picture, for instance. Never would I be caught dead eating any of that, but it can be pretty useful come game day. This is where black licorice, burnt peanuts, candy corn, and the like really get to shine. With a spread like this, the possibilities are endless.

Anyway, I think it's safe to say that the best part of the whole event is chatting it up with the fam and overdosing on sugar, including donuts from Lehi Bakery for dessert [insert coma]. Another "best" part is still demanding to participate even though you're a mature adult and competing against children. I take my creativity very seriously, no matter who gets hurt in the process.

There's a certain artistry to making an apple ugly. Most of the younger kids just pile on the candy haphazardly, while shoveling candy in their mouths by the handful. But us old timers have fine-tuned some tricks over the years and come up with some pretty ugly apples.

Here are a few pictures from the Apple Ugly Days of Yore to give you some idea of what they look like.

This is a good ten-ish years ago when I was in college. I think my apple is in the bottom right corner. I don't know what I was thinking, though, because it's way too cute. (But an A+ goes to Tamra for that face . . . her real one.)

And thanks, Jen, for needing to be in every picture. :D

The results during a girls' trip to New York in 2006. We're so committed that we even made them on vacation. (Mine's the punk apple on the right, the one with the chiclet mohawk and awesome teeth made from starbursts.)

This was a montage from last year my sister put on her blog and put it to a vote. Mine was the adorably ill #5. (I still think I should have won. There's nothing uglier than vomit.)

This year, Anna finally graduated to the age where she actually made a face on her apple (instead of the aforementioned pile o' candy), and she even did a self-portrait, which I think is pretty clever.

Notice the rainbow gummy worms on her apple to match the rainbow hair paint she got at the fall festival?

Anyway, I'm pretty proud of what I came up with this year. As soon as I unloaded a box of these . . .

. . . I had my inspiration for this:

(I think her name would probably be La Volda.) The caramel made the most amazing wrinkly skin, and she kind of reminded me of this lady:

Anyway, happy Apple Uglies, everyone. Make some today. Your blood sugar will thank you . . . for giving it a run for its money.

It's been one of those days.

First, Anna woke up super early and decided to come tell me about how she hurt her shoulder. I'll be honest and say that I didn't care too much, that early in the morning, but I did make some sympathetic noises and hug her—and then I went back to sleep while she played next to me with her toy horse, Vanilla.

Then, as she was getting dressed, I had to step in with some weather-appropriate suggestions for her outfit, since it decided to be cold all of the sudden. She ended up wearing a rainbow t-shirt, a blue skirt, gray patterned leggings, and hot pink boots. And it was the kind of day where she was not open to any fashion advice and insisted on tucking in her t-shirt into her skirt, leggings, AND underwear so that the sparkly star on her skirt would be visible. I tried to be okay with it. I didn't have time to not be, I guess.

It's also been the kind of day where I had to be to an appointment and was a little stressed because I was running a little behind. And it was raining. (That's a given, on days like this.) And then someone rear-ended me at a stop sign . . . and it turned out to be my neighbor . . . who is getting married today. She was very apologetic but very flustered. I surveyed the scene quickly and, since it looked like the worst damage was done to both of our paint jobs, I told her we'd worry about it later. But there went my hairdo, since I had to put on my hood whilst out doing damage control in the rain.

It was also one of those days where your windshield wipers are being temperamental, especially the intermittent one, so you have to keep them on even though the drizzle turns to a spattering and then to nothing at all. But those wipers are staying on because you never know when you're going to get the much-needed intermittent one on again ever. Yep, that was me.

And then the rain stopped and the sun seemed to shine (although metaphorically, because it was still pretty cloudy and gray here).

I browsed through a store on my way home, only to try on a pair of pants, decide to buy them, and then find out that they were $14.99. Yes, please. And then I bought a new purse because, let's face it: when there is more duct tape inside your purse than the original stitching, it's time for a new one. And this was also cheaper than I thought. Yes, again. The shopping planets had indeed aligned.

When I got home, I took Anna to her school's book fair (I always love a good excuse to buy books), and then we sat down to watch some looney tunes together, only to have me fall dead asleep from 5 to 6:00. I couldn't have asked for a better present.

Then, during dinner, I heard Anna utter these words, "Mom, is there anymore squash? That was de-lish!" And then we finished off the meal with a few of these.

So it was the good and the bad, the happy and sad, all rolled into one today. It was exciting but exhausting—one of those days.

A post about books. Imagine that.

We're coming down the homestretch. Two more months until my golden birthday book is done. Cuh-razy. I've been doing a lot of reading lately, A LOT, as part of my research, and I've come across several young adult fiction selections that I've quite enjoyed. (I've been reading a lot of YA, because that's what I'm writing. And it's fun to read.) So I thought I would tell you about a few of them.

1. One of my new favorite authors is Lynne Rae Perkins. I first read Criss Cross, a Newberry book, without knowing that it was the sequel to All Alone in the Universe. I read that second. I probably liked them in that order too, but both were good. I also read As Easy As Falling Off the Face of the Earth, which was okay, but not nearly as good as the first two. Anyway, I just really like her writing. It is straightforward and unadorned but very insightful. I'll admit I'm kind of envious. Perkins also includes pen and ink drawings throughout her books, which just makes them that much cooler. She even writes children's books, and I read a couple of those to Anna. I liked them too. I guess I was kind of smitten with her work there for a while.

2. Savvy by Ingrid Law was another fun Newberry. A great middle grade book. It was a fun read and a clever story, kind of a tall tale, although it didn't do much to refute my belief that in order to win the Newberry medal, you have to write a quirky, small town story, using words like "fizzgiggly" and "foofaraw," or about some kind of troubled ethnic American experience. (Not that the Newberry is my goal, I'm just sayin'.) Regardless, this book was still fun, and I did like how it was set somewhere between Nebraska and Kansas and so the author called it "Kansaska-Nebransas." Clever.



3. Another author I've liked more than once is Karen Cushman. So far I've read The Midwife's Apprentice and Matilda Bone. Liked them both. They were both set in medieval England, which is a time period I don't read much about, so that was fun. Also good middle grade reading.








4. This one is a bit different. I think this summer I read a couple of Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries books and Avalon High. They were light and fun, yes, and probably not exactly the kind of writing I'm doing, but I wanted to read a few from a super huge YA bestselling author, and that she is. But it was a bit painful, knowing that I actually talked to and interviewed her a few years ago for an article I wrote when I was writing for the Daily Herald, and I had no idea who she was. I did a marginal amount of research on her, but I still did not understand her presence in the publishing world. Oh that I could interview her now . . .


Anyway, give some of these a try if you're in the mood or the market. I'm also just starting The Book Thief. I know I'm like several years behind everyone else on this one, so do you have any thoughts about it?

Or do you have any favorite YA books you'd like to share with the class?

Annacdotes 18

This is on a recent horseback riding trip at Bear Lake. I love Anna's faraway look and how it looks like she just popped up right in the middle of all the brush.

Here's a double dose of Annacdotes today so I can catch up. Happy First Day of Autumn, y'all.

1. A split-second conversation:

Anna: What's that kind of nut . . . 'alnut'?
Me (thinking, Um, obviously...): Walnut?
Anna: No....
Me: No? Almond?
Anna: YEAH!

I just loved how I never before realized how interrelated those words are. I have Anna to thank for so much insight and can't blame her a bit for her confusion.

2. After finishing her bedtime story the other night, I closed the book and said, "Well, that was fun." Anna said, "No, it was courageously unusual."

3. I chuckled about this (#2), and then we finished the bedtime routine. As I was on my way out the door, I said, "What did you call the book? 'Courageously' what?" She said, "'Courageously unusual.' Now go write it down and then tell everybody else." She knows me all too well.

This and the next photos are courtesy of a trip to the zoo.

4. In a recent prayer, Anna said, "And please bless me that the next time I eat avocados and asparagus they will taste good to me." She tries so hard.

5. A few weeks ago, Anna started talking about her name and how she didn't really think that it fit her. (She loves "Summertime," but didn't think "Anna" was a good fit.) I love her name, so I tried to hide my shock when I asked her what she thought would be a better fit and even suggested a few. She rejected nearly all of my suggestions but eventually settled on Erica. A short time later, I was relating this story to her aunt and, when I got to the part about how Anna didn't feel like her name fit her, Anna chimed in and said, "Yeah, it doesn't fit my beautifulness." I guess she thinks it's kind of plain.

She was super excited that she got to ride the dolphin. Super mega excited.

6. Anna was telling me about a ride she took on her dad's shoulders. She was excited that she actually enjoyed it. (She's fairly cautious when it comes to heights and risky behavior like that.) She said, "Mom, I rode on his shoulders and I liked it!" She paused for a moment and then said, "Well, I liked it more than falling."

7. I've written about Anna's silky blanket before. She's still attached, although she no longer sucks on her fingers while cuddling with it. (She, like the mature child that she is, rid herself of that habit all on her own.) Anyway, she has given the blanket an official name (Silky Silky Blanket) and an official gender (female). She will correct you if you refer to the blanket as "it," but the nickname "Silk" is acceptable. I love her (my child, not her personified blanket).

8. Lately, Anna has been saying "Are you kidding me?" a lot. And with a little bit of attitude. One day, I asked her what was up with her saying that all the time. She said, "I don't know what's up with that. You should know what's up with that. You're the up girl." I just can't argue with logic like that.

9. A recent knock-knock joke, courtesy of Anna. (Although I think it may be more of a knock-knock creep out.)

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Blood.
Blood who?
I'm not blood! I'm a person made out of chocolate.
[then cryptically] Who are you?

10. This should probably go in the "Anna is a Little Adult" version of Annacdotes™, but I love this one. While some kids will, say, eat the middle of their sandwiches but not the crusts, going straight for the part that they like, Anna, however, will eat the crusts first so that she can finish with what she likes the best. She will methodically eat her vegetables first or whatever it is that she likes least so she can get to the good stuff. Where did she come from? I think she could teach us all a lesson about delayed gratification.

11. We were talking the other day about what makes a bad show. I told her bad shows were ones that were really violent or used bad words. She said, "Oh, right. Bad words like, 'I can't ever go poo' or 'What's in the toilet?'" I love that the only bad words she knows are potty words.

12. A week or so into school, Anna came home and told me about a boy who came up to her and asked if they could be friends. I asked Anna what she said in response, and she said, "I told him that I think we should learn some things about each other before we say we're friends."

Even more old lady names

I've got quite a list going for the Old Lady Name Game. (Remember the original and the update?) Well, here are some more.

These were presented to me all in one day:

Nelva

Phyllis

LouJean

Eunice

Out of that lineup, I chose LouJean. By far. Even though there's mid-name capitalization. I've made my feelings known about Phyllis and Eunice is a close second, and poor Nelva. No way. So just Lou's not so bad.

Another banner day included:

Re Voe (??? Was this a typo?)

Deloa

Delora

Wava

I think I picked Deloa because Delora is too close to Dolores, Wava makes me think of huevos rancheros, and I have no words for Re Voe.

And some more since then:

Luene vs. Zelda

I chose Zelda, as I could already come up with a laundry list of nicknames for Latrine Luene who has gangrene . . . And besides, who didn't like this? The game was gold, for heaven's sake.

Another day I had to choose between these two.

Wilma

Iva

These aren't sooooo bad, but "the lesser of two evils" predicament always makes me think really hard. I think I chose Iva. It's close to Ivy, which is cute, and I'd rather not be likened to a Flintstone, which, obviously, is the definition of old. (And we all know Betty was the cuter one.)

Then another day, we found

Zoe Ann

(How do you think you pronounce that? Zo-ann? Zo-ee-ann? Whatever the case, it's a bit awkward.)

and Vilda

Vilda is pretty awful. Maybe even vile. I groaned when I heard it and Anna, wanting to get in on the fun, said, "Okay, would you rather have Vilda or . . . Piddle?"

And frankly, when faced with that alternative, Vilda didn't seem so bad.

As a sidenote, I was reading Anna an Ironman comic book she picked out at the library the other day. (Totally random, but I've got to encourage her well-roundedness, right?) Anyway, one of the characters was named Mavis, which is a pretty old-fashioned name. Not one of the worst, but still pretty dated. Anyway, later Anna said, "What was that girl called? The one with the pretty name?" Talk about paradigm shift. Anna didn't know it was dated, she thought it was pretty. And now I kind of do too.

Your favorite awful ones out of this bunch?

Crush revisited

Anna asked me the other day what "romantic" meant. I told her sort of what romance was, and she said excitedly, "Kind of like how I have a crush on Blake!" (Blake is the boy from her preschool last year that she almost incessantly said she was in love with.)

Surprised, I said, "You still do, even though you haven't seen him for three months?" I hadn't even heard her talk about him for three months.

Then she said, "Hey, we all have our places in this world. He has his and I have mine."

She sounds like such a modern-day woman. I hope they can work out their long-distance, completely uninvolved relationship.

The Big K

It is true that if you have a baby, he or she will probably grow up and one day go to kindergarten. But you don't think about this when you're in the hospital . . . or when the baby turns 1 or 2. I'd say you have a good, solid two years without thinking about it. Kindergarten is the last thing on your mind. Even if you try to imagine it, you can't.

But it is true. And it happened. Anna started kindergarten this week. I was taken back to two years ago, the day before she started preschool, and I feel kind of the same. Then, I took her shopping to pick out a backpack and we went out to lunch and got a special treat. I wanted it to be a special occasion. When we got home, I realized that I had to celebrate it or else I would cry. Truthfully, I was excited for a bit of a break and I knew she would love it, the little smarty pants. But it also meant that she had reached an important milestone meaning that she was no longer my little baby. Officially. I could no longer kid myself into thinking that because she had her own backpack now. And I wasn't around to see how things got inside it.

This time around, I'm honestly very excited for Anna. She loves to learn and she needs to spend more time around kids, as she gets quite a bit of adult attention around here. I think she will love the whole experience (because kindergarten is totally fun, right?). I'm also excited to have her busy and growing while I can do other things. I'm excited to have some more structure for her instead of the—though at times fun and relaxing and necessary—aimless pace of summer.

But I'm sad, all at the same time, for all that it means. She's now a part of the system. She has an even bigger backpack now. And this milestone is a kind of loss. I think this is another one of the beginning-of-the-end moments that all parents have to go through, probably so that we don't go bananas when the kid you've put a lot of time and effort into moves out and goes to college. It's just like when they learn to walk; it's bittersweet because you know that soon they'll be able to run away from you. Or when they learn to talk. It's so cute and miraculous at first, but then they say "go away!" for the first time and with perfect diction and it's not nearly as cute. Or like when they learn to write their name. Little do you know then, but soon they'll be signing their name on their first rent check when they leave you behind. (Ha ha. That one was lame.)

Or like when your child walks into kindergarten the whole first week of school without looking back. Not so much as a hint of "I'll miss you, Mom." The rational part of me says I'd rather have it this way over a whole messy crying scene as we part. And I think that this suggests that she is indeed old enough and she can handle it, but still. But still. It is the essence of bittersweet. At least she makes for a super cute kindergartener and is loving it so far. I guess it'll be okay. But maybe doing some backpack ballet might help.

On writing a book: Part 3

This is what I look like when I write.

Remember how I'm writing a book? (I know, it's so cliché.) Well, I feel like I learn volumes every time I sit down and write, so here are a few more brief lessons and things I'm noticing, just in case you're wondering.

• Sometimes I'm excited to write. I'm just feeling it and things are happening and life is good. Other times, it seems like everything is coming out sounding like a ten year old wrote it. Or I'm just tired of thinking about it and tired of making myself think about it. It's nights like these where you just have to surrender and, say, watch Ghost Dad in the name of research. (There's a little teaser for you—you'll have to guess how it's related to the book. Cryptic?) That way, you're still making some kind of "progress" on your book and you don't feel so guilty, even if no words were written.
• It's been interesting, learning the way that I write a book. It's almost like I have to learn over and over again that the book is not simply going to flow out of my brain with perfect ease and perfect prose and a pulitzer prize stamped on it. I hate learning that. But I'm realizing that I have to just get something down on the page—sometimes it's good and sometimes it needs work—and then I have let it sit for a while and then go back and make adjustments and additions and subtractions. I should have learned this from how I blog: I usually post something at night and then my brain goes to work while I'm unconscious, and I almost invariably make changes or additions the next morning. Have you noticed?
• Speaking of brains, brains are amazing. Mine even gives me ideas before I consciously try to think of them. It does so much work on overtime and totally doesn't get enough credit. Here's your shout out, brain. Thanks for all the good ideas. (But you're also to blame if this book bombs.)
• Once upon a time, Anna left a purple-glitter-filled bouncy ball on my desk, and it's been there for a couple months now. Almost unintentionally, it has become my thinking ball. When I am at a stopping point and need to think and find some direction before I move on, I grab the ball and give it a twirl (it's just so shiny and pretty) and maybe try out some cool David Bowie moves à la Labrynth. It totally works. And I'm not giving it back. 
• I feel like I've made pretty good progress, considering I started this whole thing not knowing what in the world I was doing. And I feel like my momentum is definitely increasing, as I now know what I'm actually writing about and what needs to happen. That's a nice feeling.
• But I'm starting to get just a tiny bit nervous that I only have three months left. I'm probably one-third or halfway finished. I can still do it, but wow.

So here's my progress report thus far, since my blog is apparently my accountability partner.

My book so far.
Pages: 73
Words: 20,780
Chapters: 8
References to a Tom Jones song * : 1 . . . so far
Times I use the phrase "sugarbum" * : 2, and maybe more to come

* the mark of a good book

Plenty of pancakes

I've posted about pancakes before, the sinfully delicious buttermilk ones that should be are only for special occasions around here, but here is another great recipe I tweaked that is a bit more healthful—and almost as delicious. This recipe uses mostly whole wheat flour and, of course, the magical ingredient that makes the world a better place: buttermilk.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 Tbs sugar (totally optional)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C buttermilk
2 eggs
1 Tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, butter, and vanilla and whisk well. (A note about the butter: Some recipes say to melt the butter before you add it to the wet ingredients, but I find that it just solidifies when it hits the cold buttermilk anyway. So I just mix in some softened butter and it seems to work out just fine, even if there are little chunks.) Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until moistened. Heat pan to medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray or a little butter and then pour pancake batter.

Makes 12 large or 24 small pancakes.

Handyman Ash

I've been a little bit crafty and a little bit handy lately, if I do say so myself, doing a little woodwork and sanding and blinging. I don't do it often, but when the idea strikes, you just have to go with it. I love how the two projects turned out, but I'm pretty sure I've hit my quota for the year.

So without further ado, some good before and after shots.

Project 1: Bulletin Board Remix

I've wanted a bulletin board for a while now, but they're really pretty ugly by themselves. So I thought I could do something to make one a little bit cooler. A little bit more fun. And I love it. It makes me happy just to look at it.

Step 1. Buy one of these.

Then resize six sheets of fun and happy scrapbook paper and glue on.

And be sure to cover up your measuring mistakes with a fancy ribbon. Done.

Project 2: Mirror Revamp

My parents have had this mirror for an eternity, and over the years it has gotten quite beaten and battered. A lot of the decorative trim was broken off and it was kind of a sad eyesore, so I decided I could give it a new life. This is the picture I took before I totally destroyed all of the trim. (I'll admit it was a little bit fun, being so destructive.)

Trim gone.

Sliver-generating edges sanded down.

Wood painted and bling added. (I thought I had a picture of the whole thing, but I guess it's a blogger fail. You get the idea.) I initially thought I would just leave it plain white, but in the end it was just not doing it for me. It needed something else. And the sparkles were just the thing. I should take a lesson from Anna. She's known this for years: when in doubt, add more glitz.