LOOK WHAT I JUST GOT IN THE MAIL!

I preordered this back in March for my birthday, and TADA! It has arrived! And the universe is conspiring to keep me from reading it (in the form of, you know, parenting), but I WILL PREVAIL! I may totally shirk my school store commitment tomorrow just to read all day I ain't playin' yo.

So, if you haven't read Kate Morton, you can probably tell that I recommend her highly. If you love fiction and female protagonists and secret pasts and beautiful prose and great story-telling and high drama. If you don't love those things, how are we friends? (I actually am kidding, but only barely).

Let me just say that when I ordered this book, it didn't even have a title or synopsis. It just said New Novel by Kate Morton and I clicked BUY NOW. She never disappoints. This is her fourth novel, by the way. Her others, to save you google time, are:

1. The House at Riverton
2. The Forgotten Garden
3. The Distant Hours

It's not a series, so you can just grab any one and jump in. Liz is borrowing this one as soon as I'm done, but if you want any of that action, just speak up. I'm happy to share. And then talk your ear off about it.

Charlotte is 10!

How time flies!! I can't believe it's been ten years of Charlotte Olivia! I love that girl like nuts; she is so tender and brainy and fun and sporty and literal and creative and loving and just awesome! Here's a jillion pictures of her sweet self!

Inside...

...Outside!

Check out the nasty on her head from the vacuum :(

Fat, bald, sleepy, adorable!

I made this dress for that happy girl.

3rd bday = Superheros!

But still a very girly girl

Angel eyes

So excited to have a brother!

Easter girls, so sassy!

Ice cream smiles

With grandma

Big biker

 Happy happy birthday my Char Char! I love you forever and ever!

After the county fair, soccer, indian food lunch, and turkey dinner, she gets her black cat strawberry cake and will eat it, too. Lucky duck!

If I were a character in a book, my morning would read like this

It was only 9 o'clock in the morning, and she had finished all her pressing assignments for the upcoming youth church event and emailed them off. She had browsed facebook, pinterest, and the blogosphere. She had updated her calendar with all of the important (as well as the completely useless) school dates for October. She had gotten tired of jumping up from the computer every ten minutes to check on the kids only to remember all her kids were at school. What to do, what to do?

"I know!" she thought. "I'll go to the quilt shop! I never get to do that alone, just for fun!" So she grabbed her purse and booked it out the door like the house was haunted. Halfway down the road, she flipped a U-ey in the middle of the street and headed back home for her phone. She left the car running in the drive as she hustled up the stairs and grabbed her phone off the computer desk. Back out and down the road she went, pretending she didn't feel like she was purposeless.

Sitting on the bench outside the locked door of the quilt shop ten minutes later, she felt like a total loser for not even considering that the shop may not be open at 9:15am. She had never gotten anywhere this early, so she wasn't to know the opening times of shops; she was much more well-versed in when things closed. So there she sat thinking that she'll just wait until the place opens. She had nothing else to do, after all.

After 20 minutes of that, though, she felt more like a fool than ever. Was she really going to sit there in a parking lot, alone, and stare at the gravel for 45 minutes? Grrrr! She went home via the gas station where a Coke heche en Mexico and a ham and cheese kolache did little to improve her self-esteem.

The end.

I hate no kids at home.

Elaboration on the last post

Right, so Gabe kinder = me breakdown. I stayed in the alone cone for the first week of school, and it was pretty dang tough. And I say I'm in denial because I've kept myself so busy since school started I haven't had to sit alone in my house and dwell. Which is helpful, but it is VERY weird to be so busy. Liz calls it the New Jen, and neither of us know what to do with her. Between teaching preschool, co-hosting a baby shower, Primary program, and making a quilt for Harris, I've packed my days. It's been really nice even if I am fueled only by coke and chocolate cake most days.

Now, I'm working on preschool, Primary, and a youth murder mystery dinner activity coming soon. Throw in General Conference and Charlotte's birthday in the next couple of weeks, and I may never stay home alone. I'm kind of a genius.

Also, everything is breaking. The air conditioner broke (and was repaired) this week, and the hot water heater busted a pipe and poured water through the master bedroom ceiling all over the carpet, bedside table, and bed. We've been sleeping on the couch and in Gabe's big bed for over a week. I bought a mattress today (thanks to my truck-driving diva Court for hauling it for me!!!!), but I still won't sleep in that room until the carpet is gone. Wet carpet smells like cat spray, ps. And since I lived with that smell for years when our fireplace leaked every time it rained - and that was pre-drought - our carpet was almost always wet. So that smell sends me to a dark place very quickly. We got rid of both the fireplace and the living room carpet, but those memories go deep. My car also broke down, which was only the battery, but now that I have a new battery, the radio won't work until I take it to Honda and convince them I didn't steal the radio and can they please give me the super-secret anti-theft device override code so I don't have to sing to myself all day. Plus also, my cds are still in there, and it won't give them back, and even the CLOCK won't work. I have a digital watch with a broken strap shoved into the air vent so I can keep track of time while I drive. Which turns out I do a lot and feel upset when I can't check the time during a trip. Probably because I'm always running late.

So, barely hanging on with bloody fingernails covers it. Except I enjoy a lot of it. The way you enjoy a marathon. You are exhausted and you are afraid if you stop running you will collapse and never get up again, but you are accomplishing something big which you thought you could never ever do. I thought I would sleep for 7 hours a day until it was time to pick up the kids, but I only did that once (during the first week of Alone Cone Major Meltdown when Gabe said I didn't have to walk him to class anymore, and I had to drive home from the drop off line all by myself and couldn't stop crying.) Not bad, not bad at all.

The best new thing about this year is that I started serving dinner right after school, and it has worked a miracle in our house. My kids are so dang hungry when they get home that they are MUCH more appreciative of whatever I make. So, less whining and refusing to eat which makes me happy. Plus, I am cooking BEFORE the whole homework rush, so I'm not worn out, and then by the end of the evening when I am worn out, I'm just giving them a snack and sending them to bed. GENIUS. Except today, when I'm blogging about it, I'm not actually doing it. But it is Friday, no homework day, and I don't have anything to cook, and I need to get gas if I want to shop, and one of the things that is broken right now has to do with our banking, so it isn't as easy as it sounds right now to get gas. I don't feel like talking about it because it is annoying, so I'll leave it at that. Maybe I'll order pizza. Or heat up soup. Since it will be at traditional dinner time they will complain about soup. Grrrrrr. Or I could just go to Randall's (0.1 mile away, so the gas sitch won't cause a problem) and get cash back when I purchase the food so I can then pay for gas. And then cook the food. After having to take them inside to pay for gas with cash. I hate that plan. Soup or pizza, then.

I'm busy having a breakdown

Gabe went to kinder. I'm in denial. The end.

Fred Fred aka Shanka aka Claire Bear is 8

From this...

...to this! She was so mad!

Happy birthday, sweet sassy girl! I love you through and through!

July is over!

I am so glad!
Mainly that is because the Summer Youth Musical is BEHIND ME! It is so very very time- and energy-consuming that I just made the command decision to take myself off of Weight Watchers for the duration of the month. I can't possible do SYM without feeding my emotions.

So, I gained weight, but I've been trying to be wise in my choices over the past couple of weeks, so today when I finally jumped back on WW, I had sustained a total loss of .2 pounds. Nice! I feel good about it.

I was rear-ended yesterday in the Randall's parking lot, and now my van has no back bumper. Grumble grumble. The kids thought is was awesome, the other guy was at fault, and the back hatch still functions, so it really is the best sitch I could hope for, right?

I've decided to take Sarah's excellent suggestion and start a preschool this fall in my home. It is called Little Grove Learners, and I'm excited. Most of my time is spent researching and gathering ideas. I get licensed this month. It also keeps my mind off of Gabe starting kinder. Which reminds me, I need to register Gabe for kinder.

I also need to move it on planning Claire's baptism. Hurray! It will be on August 18th at 10am over at our church building, all invited, of course. She is super-stoked, and she already picked out her dress. I'm very proud of her decision as well as her understanding of the gospel at such a young age. She is so tender-hearted and full of love. And by proud, I do not mean I think I am awesome; I mean I think SHE is awesome.

I'm off to find a healthy snack and then to do something productive. I don't know what yet, but the list is long, and I'm trying not to feel overwhelmed. Which I do. So instead I'll watch yesterday's episode of Pretty Little Liars online. Do not judge.

music giveaway

at Maestroclassics.com

WWNDD?

I cannot even handle my excitement because I just found out there will be a line of NANCY DREW FABRIC by Moda coming out Novemberish this year!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe it!!!!!!!!

Mom - if you are sneakily reading this blog, please know that I will want this fabric for Christmas. The whole line. For my very own Nancy Drew snuggly quilt.

I can't even get a picture of it, but if you link here, you can see a small video showing a preview of the fabrics. If you care.

(PS I also want these bookends.)

My kids just found out I hate to make dinner

Charlotte's response, "REALLY?! I thought you loved it!"
Me: "I loathe it more than anything else, dear."
Charlotte: "I thought you hated going three days without sleep the most."
Me: "No, I hate making dinner more than that."
Charlotte: "REALLY?! That's despicable!"
Claire: "Why do you hate it Momma?"
Me: "It's difficult to make dinner for kids who don't appreciate dinner."
All three: "???"

REALLY? I'm the only one with a problem here? Y'all are all three completely clueless about your whining and complaining?

To look at it differently, I deserve a Lifetime Emmy Award for having my kids believing I love making dinner. That is some serious acting, yo.

Monday Weigh In

12 pounds total lost. I feel awesome about that.

My kids are all playing together with the dollhouse upstairs. I feel awesome about that.

The crow has arrived. I feel pretty dang cruddy about that. Hence listing awesome things first to try to stay positive. Hormones, ugh.

RUDE.

I found this response in Charlotte's daily work from yesterday. Go ahead and click on it if you can't read it because it is very indicative of how I feel like my kids are always rude to me. She is currently finishing up a loooooong timeout for it.

The new (used) fridge in the living room.

Right, so perhaps we all know that the Ruggles are not swift action-taking folks. Jared brought us our new(used) fridge in the middle of that freakishly huge rain storm last week and planted it in the living room. He lovingly dried it off, including taking off the back panel and blow drying the electrical bits, and plugged it in to start cooling. Hurray!

The next morning, I scoured that fridge. Because no matter how clean you keep a fridge, when it is turned off, it starts growing stuff. So me, some bleach, some soap, some hot water, some rags, and some qtips all spent a few sweaty hours together. Then I had to let the fridge cool back down since I'd had the doors open all that time.

After that, I started transferring what food hadn't spoiled from the old fridge into the new fridge which was still in the living room. Did I say "was"? That's right; it is still there. The old fridge is unplugged and sitting in its regular space in the kitchen. It is waiting to get wheeled to the curb on trash day (since we just didn't mosey ourselves down to the curb on the last trash day). And we are all happily living out of the fridge in the living room.

And may I say, it is totally fun! I mean when you are watching tv. Want a drink? I don't have to wait for a commercial (no, we do not have tivo) because I can just take three steps to my fridge. Same for ice cream and popsicles and sandwiches. All kids think it is kinda amazing, like the grownups have lost their minds and they don't want to clue us in to that fact. However, it is less pleasant when cooking. Obviously because you have to tromp all the way to the living room for your ingredients. And when I say "tromp all the way," I mean a dozen whole steps rather than 3. Taxing.

Hopefully, on Thursday, we'll move that sucker into the kitchen and resume life as A Typical Family.

Everything is breaking. And getting fixed free!

Fridge - busted. Free fridge from Jared Pabst!
Computer mouse - busted. Free mouse from Andy!
Tire - busted. Well, that we haven't fixed yet. But Andy sure did pump it full of air to keep us going despite the nail in the side. Free air!

So I feel lucky ducky.

And sleepy! I have had the creepy-crawlies in my legs for the past couple of nights, and that makes for REALLY bad sleep. Grumble grumble.

On the upside - Gabe is ALL about doing his kindergarten prep work this summer. ALL about it. Woo hoo! With all the complaining he was doing on the first day, I was sure I'd be ready to pull his toenails out by now, but he has decided it is fun or cool or whatever. Which saved his life.

Claire has been sick since school let out with a hacking cough. I have run more errands than I thought possible, and yet I still forget something every trip and have to run yet more errands. Charlotte is kinda gripey and bossy, which lets me know she is bored, and I'm not sure what to do with that. That about sums it up around here.

Weekly weigh-in

One month in, 9 pounds down.

WOO HOO!

Now, off to teach the kids how to do laundry.

(Gabe just came in here and exclaimed over the flowers on the tree outside the window. Okay, he's only 5 and a half and apparently has never seen them before, whatev. But then he says, "They look fake." Methinks my kids need more nature time.)

The Pandora Shuffle is keeping me up at night

Who knew that their were hidden dangers in Pandora radio?! My sister MARY taught me that I can shuffle together all my favorite stations on Pandora (yeah, yeah, I didn't know), and now it's like every song is a super-favorite, so I keep not leaving the computer in order to listen. Just one more. But wait - this next one is a favorite!

I tried to tell myself that I can pause and just start right back up later, but really, I am jamming. I don't want to stop. So I'm stuck here. Happily, of course, but still. I got problems.

QUICK! IT'S A COMMERCIAL!! SHUT DOWN! SHUT DOWN!!

First day of summer in the morning

SO MUCH BETTER THAN YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!

Last day of school in the morning

What am I thinking of? Well, I'm annoyed that I have to go grocery shopping instead of sleeping. I'm overwhelmed because my Charlotte had a little pimple, so I got her some face wash and moisturizer and showed her how to use it. She said she wanted to stay little. I didn't say that I want that, too. But I do. It's super exciting that she is becoming a "beautiful young woman" as my friend puts it when we are talking about puberty, and it is exciting to think about her future and what she might want or like or whatever. But it feels like the universe is putting LIFE IS SHORT in bold italics with a double underline right on my face. Or rather my kid's face. So you'd think I wouldn't want to sleep. But that is my coping skill, so I do. And I am going to. I just decided. Shopping later - I have a medically-necessary nap to take.

LAST WEEK(LET) OF SCHOOL!!!

So, my kids have to go to school for 2 and a half days this week, which is LUDICROUS, but THEN WE ARE DONE! And I am SO FREAKING EXCITED! This because I hate routine, and I hate morning, and the school year forces those two into my face like a spider monkey.

That being said, I have some loose strings to tie up before the last day, and they are making me feel like I'm drowning. ARRGGglubglub! That's the general overwhelmed feeling, there. I seem to be having trouble focusing on anything that isn't, well, food, so you can see my dilemma.

Speaking of food, I'm not starving all the time anymore. And I lost 6 pounds, so I'm encouraged. And I'm learning a lot about what I eat, so all round good.

My kids have a little sunburn from Memorial Day, which is sad, but also don't kids look adorable with just a little sunburn? All summery. I was speaking to my cousin's wife about the Houston heat yesterday. She was saying that she just can't get used to it (I believe she is from Idaho). I was saying how much I LOVE IT! Especially the kind we had yesterday where it wasn't humid (to me) and it wasn't too very hot (to me). I just feel so much happier when it is sunny and bright all day. And the kids are soaked and screaming and eating watermelon and popsicles. Like a movie.

Speaking of, I saw a tshirt I love:

Yes, they have adult sizes, too. The Sandlot is the best summer movie!!

I'm just sick of that last post

So here's a new one.

Gabe tried to get me to not shower today by repeatedly cuddling me every time I mentioned it. Adorable.

My kids' library privelages are revoked (by me) until they are more respectful towards books. And the fine money I pay.

I made a weight watchers recipe last night that I didn't like. But I spent so much time and energy on it I ate it anyway. Now the remainder has been sitting in the pan all night so the house smells. Grrr. I just couldn't make myself toss it so soon after having made it last night.

That about sums it up.

First Monday Weigh-In....

I lost a 1.4 pounds!

And I have to give a shout out to Weight Watchers for those weekly flex points that allowed me to basically binge eat Saturday night at a dinner with friends as well as ALL DAY SUNDAY! I thought my flex points started over on Sunday, so I went hog-wild Saturday night. Then, with all my shiny new points, I went hog-wild on Sunday at the lunch the men held for the women (more on that in a sec) and then at dinner with the whole family. I'm talking cheesecake, chocolate mousse cake, brownie, quiches, pinwheel sandwiches, creamy pasta salad, marshmallow in a chocolate fountain, something other than WATER to drink, etc. It was glorious! And then I found out, as I was doing my very very best to estimate the points I had bolted down, that my new week starts on Mondays.

So today, the REAL beginning of my week, I went to calculate how many points I overate yesterday so I could just take them off this week's points, and I found that I did NOT go over! I ate every last point and not one more. How relieving! And since I also lost weight, it is basically a modern-day miracle.

Back to the Sunday lunch. I do not know who had this magnificent idea, but I was SO IMPRESSED by what the men provided for the women yesterday. Usually on Mother's Day, we receive a small, thoughtful gift. Maybe a flower, a CD of inspirational music, some chocolate. I love all of that, frankly. This year, however, the men arranged to fill every woman's calling during the 3rd hour of church so that we were all free to go to a lunch they provided in the gym. And it was an incredible lunch! The tables were decorated. The food was delicious. There were pitchers of water with lemons on every table. There was a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN with fruit and stuff. There were baked goods, salads, sandwiches, fruit. AND AND AND: all we had to do was VISIT! They didn't even make us listen to any sort of presentation or anything! The men served us, cleared our places, refilled our drinks. It was so classy. It was so thoughtful. It was so loving. IT WAS SO FUN!

I was particularly impressed because I know what it takes to run the children's Sunday school as that is what I get to do with a bunch of other awesome women each week. And those men took it on and carried it off. They did the singing time, even providing a pianist; they did the lesson time; they did the classroom teaching. My son came out of there with a battery-operated light that they had made. It was fabulous.

So I am VERY grateful to each of those men, including my husband who made 104 delicious sausage and cheese kolaches, for that lovely treat.

Andy also made me breakfast in bed as well as the kids' breakfast along with those kolaches all before church. And after church he made two delicious salads for the family meal. It was awesome. Thank you, Andy.

My gifts were the very best artistic efforts of my children, which is my most favorite gift of all time, as well as Sherlock Holmes Season 2 on AppleTV. Hurray! And all the hugs and kisses, giggles and smiles that my kids can squeeze out of their tiny bodies every second of the morning. And that is a TON, my friends. It is the greatest start to a week. I love my family. I love the opportunity I have to be a mother. I love the women around me who teach me how to mother. I love my own mother and her incredible example, friendship, humor, patience, forgiveness, and enduring love. I love her company. I love her voice. I love her handwriting. I love how she has a different pair of drugstore glasses for every activity. "Bring me some glasses so I can look at these pictures. No not those; those are my computer glasses. No, those are my game-playing glasses." It's wonderful! I'm grateful to all the women in my life who have raised me and nurtured me, inside and outside my family.

With that, I feel totally geared up for the week!

I'm hungry!

That's what the Weight Watchers experience has been for me for two days. Hunger. Big hunger before meals down to small hunger after meals. And frankly, it ain't portions that are my problem. I know this because I ate two CUPS of salad with another 1/2 cup of cut veggies and I was still hungry. No, it isn't that I'm used to eating way more. Frankly, I don't eat that much by volume in a day anyway. At least I didn't pre-weight watchers (PWW). The problem, I believe, is the lack of glorious FAT in my diet! Because fat is filling, people! It makes you feel comfortably uncomfortably full. I love that. I can eat fruits and veggies all day long, and I do, I really do, and they do not give me that fat-full feeling. I LOVE the fat-full feeling.

Also, I'm detecting some crankiness due to lack of glorious SUGAR in the forms of soda and candy. I LOVE SODA! I LOVE CANDY!

All that being said, I am not unhappy with my decision. I'm feeling nervously hopeful that when I return to the doctor, there will be some improvement in my health. I am a little more-nervously less-hopeful that I'll actually lose weight. I know, I know: I've lost weight before. I ought to believe it will happen. Frankly, I don't that much. I feel like if I lose weight I will be mightily surprised. Since, however, that is not the main goal here, I don't despair. Mostly I'm super-motivated by NOT getting diabetes type 2.

Oh wait - I just reread my first paragraph and I need to clarify: that giant salad was in addition to my dinner. It was not a meal unto itself. My breakfast today was a veggie omelet made with one egg and 3 egg whites. Yeah - not enough fat for the fat-full feeling. I'm going to munch on something that grew out of the ground in the hopes that I feel more full. I won't. But at least I'm hitting that fruit-veggie daily requirement like a champ. (with only minor diarrhea from all the roughage, but whatev.)

The results are in...

I'm Vitamin D deficient, insulin resistant, have high cholesterol (still), make too much prolactin, and my thyroid is on the way to kaput.

Therefore:

I will take Vitamin D.
I will take a drug to stop the prolactin.
I joined weight watchers online.

That is all.

I feel I should write something since my phone has been found

Thanks to my brother-in-law Adam for not only finding it, but CHARGING it. That is above and beyond. And since we are praising him, he changed my flat tire on Saturday. That is so freaking nice.

Well, it is the end of the school year. The last month. The wrap-up. I actually told my kids not to ruin my much-anticipated summer by being naughty. They looked confused. Perhaps I'll let them read my blog posts about last summer to remind them.

I feel anxiety about tying up loose ends - finding lost library books, paying fines, etc. It'll get done. I'll just fret until then.

That is all. I just didn't want that lost-phone post hanging around now that it is no longer accurate.

I lost my phone!!!

ARGH!!!! I am affected negatively by this in the following ways:

1. I use my phone for an alarm clock. Tardy, anyone?
2. I use my phone for my planner. Where is my paper planner again? And how do I get it to beep at me when I have an appointment?
3. I give my cell number to doctors etc. So, did they call? What did they say?
4. All other calls that go to my phone, obviously.
5. And, worst of all, I'M MISSING MY TEXTS! I've fallen into the very convenient habit of texting my sisters for most info. And lots of it is optional. Which means if I don't answer the text, I just don't get to know/do. So I MAY have wanted to go walking with Sarah last night if she had texted, but I don't know. I MAY have been able to pick up kids from middle school yesterday if I had received a text, but no. No phone. And I feel hopelessly cut off.
6. Since it is now my only phone, I will have to address the 13 new messages on my home answering machine. Gulp.
7. My phone is also my watch. I don't have another.

So, once I locate the appropriate foundation garments, I will be hauling butt to the Walmart for a cheap watch and alarm clock. I will check my home phone when I get home to see if anyone needed me while I was out. How archaic. (Also, since that is highly unlikely, I feel like I'm having delusions of grandeur on top of it all. It isn't like I'm the president of the U.S. of A. I'm not needed every second of the day by a million people. Or even a dozen.)

Oh wait! I also use the phone's nav system to get EVERYWHERE. Grrrrrrrrrrr. I'm quite peeved with myself about this. Quite peeved.

Two Things

I finally have my own computer again after about a year, so it may very well be that I will blog more often. And comment on other blogs more often. As it turns out, sharing a computer with your husband who works at home doesn't leave much time for all the blog perusing and commenting and other computerized activities that one used to indulge in. Also, I finished my new Nancy Drew game in record time, as senior detective, with ALMOST no help (I had to look online about a couple of things, but they were MINOR, I promise). I determined that in my real life Sarah is Nancy, I'm Bess, and Liz is George. No arguments.

The other thing is I HATE feeding my kids. It is the very worst part of parenting for me. And it is daily. Multiple times a day. And, although I do not hate parenting, I hate this part of it daily, multiple times a day. That is all.

Book love!

Out of sugar-addiction, depression, OCD, disposaphobia, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, one thing I am THRILLED my kids inherited from their parents (well, from me, actually) is BOOK LOVE!

Charlotte brought home a Scholastic book order last week, and I asked the kids to circle something they wanted to order. I did this hoping it would help me not go overboard and order stuff that they wouldn't appreciate. Because, frankly, I usually order for myself. Nothing that comes home from school is so wonderful as a book order!

Well, I got that book order back from them today, and practically everything was circled. Claire used pink marker, Gabe used blue crayon, and Charlotte used pencil. I was both happy that they love books so much and sad that I can't order all that for them. (I did add up what it would cost if Donald Trump graciously offered to pick up the bill, though: $1373.55. Not even kidding.) SO, I paired that down, painfully, added a Nancy Drew computer game for myself for ONLY FIVE DOLLARS!, and sent it in. 

At least I got a good feel for what they are into. Claire circled anything that came with a piece of jewelry, Gabe went for Legos Ninjago and anything Star Wars, and Charlotte wanted it if it came with a key (like a diary). Hopefully, I got a smattering of what they like.

Because I'm so dorky about books, this all made me super excited about summer reading. I'm already contemplating the list of books and activities...

Wonderstruck!

I loved this book. It is by the same author and in the same format as The Invention of Hugo Cabret (I didn't see the movie, so I can't comment on that, but the book was fantastic). The format, if you haven't read either of these, is part picture book-part novel. So, for like 20 pages you just have a series of illustrations that tell part of the story. It's quick, it's descriptive, it's effective. Then back to a few chapters of words. It is awesome. It obviously cuts down on how long a book can be because pictures, frankly, do tell a thousand words. And it is more interesting. And a little mysterious feeling.

ANYWAY, I read this book several months ago, but it is coming up NOW because I went here yesterday:

This is the Menil Collection, an art museum in Houston. And I was delighted because it had a Cabinet of Wonders! And Wonderstruck is all about cabinets of wonder. I would never have known what I was looking at and experiencing if I hadn't read this book. Since I had, however, I was thoroughly delighted above and beyond just looking at whatever was there (which was cool and creepy also). Plus, the whole time I was reading the book, I was wanting to see a cabinet of wonders. Lo and behold!

I am now going to pull a sweet idea from my friend Courtney by reading this book to my kids and then taking them to a real cabinet of wonders. It will be awesomely awesome. At least for me. And for Gabe because he loved the cabinet of wonders, and he has never even read the book.

Speaking of Gabe, see that picture up there of the museum grounds? That is an art installation in the grass. It is a series of ditches in different shapes - zig zags, swirl, lines - that vary in depth. You can't tell they vary in depth unless you walk in them or see someone walking in them. Naturally, when Gabe saw them he started running in them (they are only about one person wide, and the one you see right there is maybe 6 inches deep). I did it with him. Not only is it surprisingly fun, but it inspired this artsy couple to take pictures of us "experiencing the art and becoming the art together. It's so beautiful." Not kidding, they said that. It was nice and also funny to me.

ALSO, Gabe was inspired to make his own cabinet of wonders. We will be looking for just the right cabinet for him to begin. I'm stoked. Since my kids are hoarders collectors, I think he'll thrive at this endeavor.

Color Personality Test Results

Yellows (Motive: Fun)
yellows are motivated by Fun. They are inviting and embrace life as a party that they're hosting. They love playful interaction and can be extremely sociable. They are highly persuasive and seek instant gratification. yellows need to be adored and praised. While yellows are carefree, they are sensitive and highly alert to others' agendas to control them. yellows typically carry within themselves the gift of a good heart.
yellows need to look good socially, and friendships command a high priority in their lives. yellows are happy, articulate, engaging of others and crave adventure. Easily distracted, they can never sit still for long. They embrace each day in the "present tense" and choose people who, like themselves, enjoy a curious nature. yellows are charismatic, spontaneous, and positive; but can also be irresponsible, obnoxious, and forgetful. When you deal with a YELLOW, take a positive, upbeat approach and promote light-hearted, creative, and fun interactions.

Gearing up

It is time for General Conference and Easter. I make a big deal (at least for me) out of both of these events, and they are only one week apart this year, so I'm gearing up for it. I spent the morning collecting activity packet pages to keep the kids focused and entertained during General Conference. Once I get those printed out, I'll start organizing my ideas for Easter. I really liked the holy week we did last year with the Passover style dinner, and so did my kids. I'll start looking for lamb. PS - they liked the lamb. I'm still agog. This is one of my favorite times of year, and I'm surprised I am pumped up as opposed to overwhelmed. Perhaps that has something to do with the printer ink I just bought. No worries that I can't print to my heart's content.

Well, I gotta feed some lunch to Gabe and our little friend Ike who hangs with us on Mondays, and then we'll probably go for a walk for a free cookie at Randall's. The weather is really great right now, and Zyrtec-D is really effective, so I can enjoy it.

I've been reading like a crazy-person for the past couple months. I mean, even more than usual. Or maybe just back to usual. I don't know. I just know that I've been hitting up the library fairly often because they keep having the books I request, and I keep having to read them right that minute. It's totally awesome.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!