Life On The Planet

Missing

Missing: One Spelling Book

Rumored last sighting somewhere in the vicinity of Tiger's desk.

If located, please contact his mother. She'd like to attach it permanently to his ankle.

Thank you.

Reading Challenge

Reading to Know is hosting a Lucy Maud Montgomery reading challenge!



What a great way to get back into the swing of things!

(HT to At A Hen's Pace)

It's Almost!

It's almost the night before Christmas. A Cajun Night Before Christmas, that is.

Y'all pass a good one, you hear?

Good News, Bad News

Good News: There is still life on the planet.

Bad News: I'm being tortured.

Good News: We got Brisingr by Christopher Paolini!

Bad News: I broke my reading glasses a quarter of the way through the book. My new glasses should be in in a few days. (Sob. Gnash teeth. Pout.)

Good News: I now have plenty of time to clean the house.

Bad News: I now have plenty of time to clean the house.

Books-A-Million Too Many

My friend Hayley gave me a Books-A-Million gift card for my birthday. Really? For me? A gift card? Just for me? Sigh. I love Hayley.

So, anyway, not being able to wait for a moment alone (who knows when that will happen!), I piled the kiddos into mini-van and zoomed to B-A-M. Oh, Heavens to Betsy, the books! I looked at the new Home Schooling book by the Millmans. ("I will not buy a homeschooling book with my gift card," I chant, as I walk away.)

Something on travel, maybe? I looked at the Castles in Scotland and Temples in Tibet. Nah. It's a little to close to a resource book. This one is for me, me, me!

I scurried off to the fiction aisles. How about a romance novel? Historical fiction? A mystery? A thriller? The titles started to whirl. "I know," I thought! "A book on photography! That's the ticket." I headed to the back of the store.

En route I encountered the games. Pictionary. Monopoly. Apples to Apples, Jr.! No, no, no! This card was not for a game. I wanted a book, and (dag nab-bit) I was aiming to get one. Photography...a book on photography.

There were eight hundred and fifty-two books on photography. How was I supposed to choose? And should I get a book on my camera, a book about technique or just a book of great photos? The photography section was next to the rest rooms, and goodness knows we can visit a public place without examining the commode, so forty-five (slight exaggerations are allowed) minutes later the search resumed.

I had it. I knew just the book I wanted. A book on flowers. I absolutely do not know the names of flowers. This is because my mother knows the names of every flower. I never had to learn. I just asked her. I hustled over to the "Nature" aisle.

Well, rats. They had a book on Mississippi flowers that was just beautiful. However, the book on Louisiana flowers was really nice, too. Did I want to learn about Mississippi flowers or Louisiana flowers? Argh!

Abandoning hope, and hoping to avoid a migraine, I let the kids pick out a book each (they don't dither), bought them each a Vanilla Creme Latte' and left, despondent.

I think I'll shop on line. They only show eight items per page.

Do You Miss Me?

I have a bread baking session I'm working on for you, and I really need to tell you about my Books-A-Million shopping spree. (Never go shopping for yourself with three kids.)

If you miss me in the meantime, I'm busy watching this. GO USA!

Identify this Drawing. It's a Little House Thing.

The Little House Love Fest is still in full swing here on the planet. I'm not complaining one bit. The girl has been knitting up a storm and is making plans for a quilt. Okay, so Happy Land is wearing on my nerves a bit, but it could be worse. It could be Hannah Montana. (Yeesh.) There is another CD of songs found in the Little House books available. It's called Arkansas Traveler and it will be a welcomed change of pace.

A few years ago I found slates at a garage sale for $.25 a piece. They've come in handy during our obsession with all things pioneer related. Butterfly has become an enthusiastic user of them.

So, can any of you Little House fans identify this drawing? Who drew it (in the books) and why? I'm just checking you Little House I.Q.

Over The Limit: Our Life of Excess

We drive half an hour south to another town for our Greek lessons. We got there a little early today, so we headed over to the library. All of the libraries in our part of the state are in a system, and we are allowed to check books out at any of them.

The librarian scanned my card then looked taken aback.

"You've checked out too many books," she said.

"I've what?"

"It says here you've checked out too many books."

(Awkward pause.)

"Hold on. I have to clear this one." And off she trotted to the library's nether regions.

I looked at the kids. They looked at me. We started to giggle.

"How can you ever have too many books," asked Butterfly?

The librarian hustles back over.

"I'm so sorry," I began, "You see, we homeschool..."
The librarian chuckled and nodded as she scanned the books. "The Head Librarian said you must be homeschoolers."

Apparently, she's seen my kind before.

I'm in a Happy Land

No, I'm not strung out on painkillers. Well, maybe I am, but that's not what this post is about.

Butterfly just finished reading the Little House series. She tackled the first four books a couple of years ago, but just got around to reading the rest. I suppose she needed to be a few years older to appreciate them. Whatever the case, it's been Laura Ingalls Wilder Central at our house for the last few months.

One of the best parts of our Little House Fest has been the music. Butterfly has been playing Happy Lands: A Musical Tribute to Laura Ingalls Wilder 24/7.

It includes quite a few of the songs familiar to anyone who loves the books. Arkansas Traveler will get your toes tappin'. You'll think of Mary when you hear Highland Mary. Ma's favorite Hymn, Happy Land is on there, as well as The Big Sunflower which was Pa's "trouble song."

The music has been wonderful and a perfect antidote to my current troubles. It's hard to be grumpy when Oh! Susanna is playing!

The painkillers haven't hurt, either.

Books, Fingers and Biscuits

About two weeks ago I jammed my finger on the kitchen counter. This was an event of no great importance. I do it on a regular basis, klutz that I am. However, after two weeks of pain and swelling, I finally saw a doctor. She sent me to another doctor. It's a wealth sharing plan they devised long ago. The long and short of it is, I damaged the ligaments in the middle finger on my right hand and will now be going to physical therapy. More wealth sharing.

As I waited for an hour for my five minute long consultation, I had plenty of time to enjoy my new books. I  mean, my children's new books. My favorite is The Timetables of History. I love it so. Pick a year, turn to that page and find out events that took place during that year (political, cultural, everyday life, etc.). Did you know that construction on Rheims Cathedral began in 1212 AD? Or that Mount Vesuvius erupted in 1631? This is good stuff. Tiger's favorite new book is the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. He has this thing for white blood cells. Well, who wouldn't, really?

While I chicken peck this out, my children have taken pity upon me and are whipping up a batch of Cloud Biscuits (an old family recipe). Nothing soothes the soul -and ligaments- of a southern girl like biscuits. And what the heck, I'll work them off in physical therapy, right? RIGHT?!?