Happy Birthday!
To the best Mom and
Grandma EVER!!!!
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Thursday, January 12, 2017
2017: My Reading Goals
The final count for books I read in 2016 was 119. For being
a wife, mom and part-time employee, I’d have to say that’s not bad. It’s just
that my want-to-read list is probably three times that long…
I don’t doubt that my end-of-the-year 2017 count will be
lower than that. Even if I’m not working part-time, I will have two kids.
Although, nursing one will help. Even 3 AM feedings aren’t too bad with a
Kindle. I read lots of books that way when I nursed Emry. Nearly 45 minutes of
undisturbed reading! There are worse things in life.
But I don’t have any numbered goals this year. I decided
that was one thing I didn’t want to “stress” over. Instead, I’ve made one book
my ultimate goal: Shelby Foote’s The
Civil War, Volume 2.
I have the complete trilogy of this Civil War epic that is
claimed by some to be the ultimate
Civil War history (although it avoids economics and politics of the era). I read the first volume some years ago and
found it very interesting – not too difficult to read as far as hefty histories
go and very objective. I’m long overdue to read the other two volumes. And
since I figure I need to read a mere three pages a day to complete it in a
year, I actually haven’t started it. (Currently, it’s in a box…) I think I’m
pretty safe in saying I’ll complete at least this New Year resolution.
Meanwhile, I have a short list of other “must reads”. I’ve
put off re-reading Ben-Hur for too
long. Ed actually being bored enough to watch Little Dorrit (which he so surprisingly enjoyed he finished in a
marathon watch over a cold Sunday afternoon) reminded me I have yet to read
that novel. And there are quite a few fun books I really want to re-read like The Incorrigible Children and All-of-a-Kind Family. Not to mention I’d
just like to diminish my half a dozen lists I keep on my library account.
So, yes, I’ll have plenty to read in 2017 – even if I don’t
quite break 100.
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Friday, January 6, 2017
Our Little Girl…and Cars
There’s one thing about the male sex I have always marveled
at: their connection with cars. While I know that it’s a broad scale of
extremes (those who find them as handy tools versus those who live, eat and
breathe them), there does seem to be a connection regardless. I have tried my
whole life to figure out how my dad and brothers can glance at a car and tell
me what year it is when the year is not printed anywhere on it. (I know – I
spent considerable time in my childhood trying to find it.)
My husband is even better. He can spot a car a mile away and
tell me the year of it. Not to mention how it compares to the other years of
that vehicle’s genealogy. Or how it compares to cars of it’s class that same
year. I must confess I don’t always listen completely. Anymore than he listens
to the plot of the current book I’m reading.
For Ed, cars are a hobby. He would spend every spare moment
he has at a car lot test driving if he could. And then only thing I have ever
seen him read from cover to cover is his Car
and Driver magazine. So does his daughter.
Yes, Emry will sit on the floor and flip through the Car and Driver. She happily points to
all the pictures, declaring, “Car! Car! Truck! Car!” She does the same thing
when we’re out walking or running. Every car we pass gets pointed at…and since
nearly everyone in Pittsburgh parks on the street, that’s a lot of cars! The
most I can tell her is, “Yep, that’s a blue car. And that’s a red car. And
that’s a white truck…” While I could branch out a little from colors since I do
know what a Toyota insignia looks like versus a Ford one and vehicle makers at
least print the model of the car on the back, I’ll never be Ed. “Look, Emry! A
1978 Pontiac Grand Am.” (I repeat: where is that date printed? Not to mention
that 1978 really means 1977 in most cases. Why do car companies do that? It’s
like saying Emry’s birthdate is really 2014 when she was conceived. It makes no
sense to me.)
Emry also has her father’s expensive taste. At the mall, she
loves to run up to the cars put on display – cars we can’t possibly afford. She
even wants to climb in and sit in them. And her favorite “store” is the Tesla
showcase. While I admit that looking at a Tesla is fascinating, I’m fairly sure
I’ll never be able to afford one in this lifetime. (Not to mention that even if
I could, I can think of a million things to purchase over a car.) So, the other
day at the mall was quite a treat: a Tesla just her size!
Emry picks out her first car.
Monday, January 2, 2017
New Year Resolutions
2017 has started out with such a bang, I’ve hardly had a
moment to even contemplate the word “resolution” let alone list any. For now,
just crossing one thing off my to-do list before I add five more would be good.
Most people start off the new year with the usual loose
weight, exercise more, read a good novel, work less and play more. Loosing
weight is not on the agenda until after this baby comes and my six-weeks of
postpartum is over. (I learned that lesson the hard way last time – eight weeks
postpartum anyone?) Exercise more? You’ve only to look at my Pinterest to see I
kind of collect exercise routines (for after the post partum). Read a good
novel? I’ll blog that later. Work less and play more? Guess that depends. Two
kids does not equal any less work…but it does equal more play!
The truth is, my life looks more like I’m running a marathon
right now. We have to find another place to live. Although we probably won’t
get moved in before the baby actually comes, I’m prepping now. Empty boxes have
come up from the basement and are being packed with things I don’t currently
need (aka: books, hundreds of them!). We’re still working on potty-training. We
need to get Emry’s new bed set up so she can adjust before the baby comes. Emry
also needs a new car seat so the baby can have hers. Yes, there is a baby
coming. Can’t really forget that and yet it seems like #2 is already falling
through the cracks. By this time with Emry I was packed, ready to go and
prepared at home whenever she decided to make an appearance. This one? Guess
I’ll get those baby clothes out at some point…the bag packed…the instructions
for who’s watching Emry… Hope this baby doesn’t make an early appearance!
Not to mention work. Unofficially my last day is supposed to
be January 31. Officially, I have a feeling I’ll work until I have to go to the
hospital. It’s not easy to close off 2016, train my replacement and merge two
companies all within 20 hours a week. Although I don’t doubt I’ll pull it off somehow,
a few later evenings will doubtlessly be required.
So, my new year resolution for 2017? Survival. I have a
funny feeling that one word is going to have more meaning than I can possibly
imagine…
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