Reading During My Childhood and Loving to Read

Yesterday after finishing an amazing book by J.D. Salinger called Franny and Zooey, I was sitting at our mini kitchen table with my husband around nine pm eating homemade cookies and drinking tea, and I started contemplating how I wish I had read more books as a child. All those years wasted, well not wasted, but not much reading was going on. So after thinking this, B and I began discussing what we did read during our childhood years and I thought it was interesting so here it goes.

My earliest books I can remember reading on my own besides picture books is The American Girl series of books. I ate those books up. If any of you know them, they include fascinating titles like Samantha goes to town or something like that. Mostly I read Felicity and Samantha, Molly was just too modern for me. I was really into pre 1900 as a child. Then, when we moved a lot during my third grade year, I read a ton of Archie comics. In middle school, I remember reading Dealing with Dragons and a sequel, which is a mystical story about princesses and dragons, definitely an interest of mine then. In seventh grade, I read some Christian fiction like This Present Darkness, Piercing the Darkness, and some horrid romance books. Then I got really into Fear Street. Ever read those? They are awful. Basically like sitting through a horror movie, which I can't do now, big scardy cat.

What was I missing? So few books. I feel like I missed so much. I want my kids to be devouring books at that age. I could have read so many of the classics like Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudiced, Lord of the Rings, or Fahrenheit 451.

Anyways, when did my love for reading and books begin? It was my junior year in high school and I signed up for an English class with Blou Carmen. There were rumors she was a witch and that she had never worn the same outfit twice and that she was incredibly hard. So I was scared before the clas had begun. Thankfully I trudged forward, because that class changed my life. She really didn't wear the same outfit twice and no she wasn't a witch, just a wonderful inspiring unique teacher. For class we read Cat's Cradle, Of Mice of Men, Catcher in the Rye, and The Great Gatsby. From then on out I was hooked on reading and it also helped me decide later to major in English.

I just wish I could have started earlier, because I barely read anything as a child and I feel like I missed out on so much free time I could have spent reading. I just pray that my kids continue loving books and become little bookworms.

My Husband Has Long Flowing Hair

Recently, I've questioned whether my husband has hair longer than my own. Weird to some, new to me. I never thought I liked really long hair on a man, but maybe my views have changed. I've always been a fan of shaggy hair on men, you know, the shaggy, I-don't-give-a-rip skater boy hair, yes, I like it. But never have I thought I liked flowing hair. B's hair sometimes has tendrils, not kidding you. And sometimes ringlets. This is not thought of as manly to some but it has become it to me.

B always use to talk about wanting "warrior hair," whatever that means, and I just thought he was being silly, but he wasn't. Now, the mane, his mane, is warrior man hair proportions for sure. It bounces on his shoulders, and I can run my hands through it and when I think I'm done, I'm not, meaning his hair is really gosh darn long. He has black hair that's incredibly shiny with a subtle wave. It's really beautiful, really hair meant for a woman in my opinion, and many other women's opinions. I've had plenty of friends comment that they wish they had hair like B. Seriously.

So, to sum up this irrelevant post. I'm saying that his hair has grown on me and I like it, flowing that is. And I feel nervous about the day he cuts it. It's so exotic. Well, warrior like. Sometimes pirate like. Yes, I even like a pirate tail now. What's the world coming to? I dream about growing out little bug's hair, my 10 month old little boy, and not caring if anyone calls him a girl because I think he's manly, just like his dad, and he'll remind me of Mogley from the Jungle Book. Then there will be two men with flowing hair in our family.

Happy Thrifting

I'm starting a new section of my blog called "Happy Thrifting", which basically means a place I can post some of the cool stuff I find while thrift store/second hand/garage sale shopping. This section is similar to posts like "Choice Goods Wednesdays" off of my good friend's blog "The Endless Pursuit of Life" . It targets one of the blogger's passions in a constructive way of sharing. Most people who know me, know I love second hand shopping. A large amount of our kids clothes, decorations, my clothes, and our shoes come from this passion. I am ever so thankful for living in Portland right now, because I have ample access to great second hand stores like Buffalo Exchange for me and B, and our favorite kid's shop Sweet Peas, and a handful of amazing antique/thrift stores.

While my finances are happiest with second hand instead of new, I have many other reasons for pursing this activity. It's a way to recycle. I found a pair of brand new looking pair of keen kids sandals at our Goodwill this summer for $2.99, normally around $40 I think, and they would have gone to waste without another kid using them. Instead of these shoes filling up the landfills, they find a happy useful place in our home, thus creating "Happy Thrifting". Another reason is, I love it. How awesome is it to find a pair of Sevens jeans in my size at a garage sale for $20, which happened this summer! The hunt brings excitement.


So enjoy my first posting on Happy Thrifting, my button jar. I found this great piece at an antique fair for around $10-12 and it's about 8 inches tall and 7 inches across, so rather large. Besides it's aesthetic quality, it's become incredible useful for craft projects. Recently, I've been using my button jar almost everyday. Also, I love buttons, so this was great all around. Happy Thrifting!

A Walk in Pictures

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*initial under picture specifies who took the shot

A Night out with Mama M

I drove down to the book club with MamaM the other night, and we completely miscalculated how long it would take to make it down to Salem. We ended up in downtown Salem after driving down from Portland in rush hour traffic in about 30-40 mins. I have know idea how that happened, it seems humanly impossible, because the last time we drove it, it took us an hour an a half!? Go figure, well there was an accident, but still.

So with some time to kill, I joked on the phone to another friend Beta that we were going to get tatoos, which caused crazy MamaM to take me seriously as she proceeded to get excited and say that we actually were. No we didn't get tattoos. But she decided to get her nose pierced which she had been wanted to do for a while and mamas just don't get out of the house enough without kiddos.

We drove around till we found a shop, which we found extremely easy. It turned out to be the most sketchiest tattoo/piercing shop I'd been too, but hey, she was just getting her nose pierced and then we were out. We decided without speaking that if one of the men we saw in there was going to do the piercing then it was a no. The burly shirtless, overweight, inked up the wahoo man said that the piercer? (I don't know what to call them) would be back from break, so we hoped for the best and waited. SHE came in a while later, thank heavens and looked relatively normal.

Besides a little decisions about ring or stud, it went very fast and she was great. She told us while giving the piercing that she had been in prison, and three years ago she didn't have any tattoos and now she has 39! Definitely a memorable night, possibly equally memorable because my kids would not go to sleep for their sitter, which caused much anxiousness and many phone calls. Maybe mamas shouldn't go out, just kidding.

Salvaged Bunny

While going through lil' b clothes recently I noticed one of her favorite shirts was fraying beyond remedy and a favorite pair of tights had huge holes in the toes. One of my motto's for the New Year might be "spot keeping crap!" because I keep noticing things around the house that are in shambles but I still keep them, thus having a house bulging with too much stuff. So when I saw this, I thought, "This is crap, throw it away."(pardon the crassness) But then I had a better idea.

I realized that I love the fabric on the tights and shirt, and I should use it. So combining a worn -out pair of wool socks with the tights and shirt, I made lil' b a stuffed animal of her choice, a bunny. So here's, "Steeko" as she calls it, and she always reminds me that she's a girl bunny.

I was going to make it while she slept, but she got so mad when she heard this idea. So we spent Saturday trying to "make it together", which included a lot of frustration, love, cute moments, mess, and stuffing all over the house. Steeko's a unique and slightly ghetto new addition to our house, but made with love.

Posting Pics of Children

Today, I came across a few articles about posting pictures of children on your webpage, and it made my stomach turn. I actually feel like crying. It was so disturbing to hear what perverted people might get from a picture of a child. The articles recommended removing all pictures of your children and never using real names for their protection. I don't know what I think of all this, but I'm thinking.

I feel so saddened right now and I almost wish I hadn't stumbled upon these articles. I have loved sharing pictures of my kids. It's so fun, and probably one of my favorite things about posting! I don't know if I will change anything, but here are the articles. One is very strong, and not necessaryly my opinion just something to think about.

http://millenniumhippies.blogspot.com/2005/05/otherwise-known-as.html

http://urbansemiotic.com/2005/07/13/take-your-children-offline-now/


Hey, mamas. Tell me what you think.

Coast

Nikkor 50 mm 1.8 lens

I just got myself a hold of one of these last night due to some wonderful people, my uncle and ma mere, who gave me xmas money!!!! B and I took a few shots around the house, and we were amazed at how brilliant the shots were. This lens is incredible. I'm so excited to get to play around with it some more.