I’ll probably never learn to quilt, but a girl can still dream about them, right? I’ve been craving a quilt for the upcoming chilly and oh-so-exciting fall season in our family. And aren’t these book-inspired gems just perfect? Poppy is a big Eric Carle fan and she has never tired of his Very Hungry Caterpillar.
These two quilts aren’t for sale, so no amount of eyelash-batting is going to help me convince Jacob to make the purchase. But I have definitely been combing the Etsy racks for similar beauties. Just thought I’d share this find so you can “oooo” and “ahhh” over them too. And then run upstairs to your sewing machine and say NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS, LEANNE. NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS.
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen more pink than I know what to do with in the last year and a half. Maybe it’s because yellow is my most favorite color. Maybe it’s because I really wanted to name this daughter Sunny, but was vetoed by well, the whole world. Or maybe it’s just because I look at this blanket and I imagine wrapping her warm little body in it and snuggling her close. Yeah, maybe that’s why I bought it.
Life has continued in my corner of the world this week. Poppy did cute things, I read some books, Jacob nailed a design at work, the house needed repair, the chores needed doing, I worked out all my personal drama, etc. etc. etc.
But I can’t write about any of it on this blog. I’m carving out my piece of the Internet for Haiti. If you haven’t looked yet, please do. The photos are graphic. The dead bodies are Poppy’s age. Please help – there are so many ways.
Since I’ve been a small girl, I have had an insatiable appetite for reading. My mother has the American Girl and Mandie series to thank for that. I read all the time, finishing whole books in mere days. My sister and I slept in the basement, so it was easy to stay undercover and read into the wee hours of the night. When I was in the 2nd grade my mom held a five dollar bill in front of my face and challenged me to complete the entire Little Women unabridged edition. I re-read it several more times after that.
There is a huge bookshelf in our dining room now that holds many of the childhood books that both Jacob and I hold dear. My prized copy of Tolstoy’s War and Peace sits proudly on the fiction shelf saying HEY YOU! YOU READ ME! YOU READ THE WHOLE THING! GO YOU!
The Internets is out to destroy books. Of this I am totally sure. The Kindle? Are you serious? I’m sorry, but I like holding a book in my hands and feeling the texture of the smooth cover and the soft, paper-y pages. I don’t care if it makes my bag heavy. I don’t care if my personal library takes over an entire room. They’re BOOKS FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE!
Unfortunately of late, I’ve been reading more blogs and Facebook statuses than books. It’s sad really. It made me so sad that I decided with the New Year would come a resolution to read more books. More REAL books.
Remember how my mom offered me five dollars to finish Little Women? Well, I need that kind of motivation to get started. Luckily, I found this resolution reward chart on Twitter. Little squares to stamp and mark off the calendar saying I’ve accomplished my goal? It’s just the motivation I need to read real books everyday.
I got a whole bunch of new books for Christmas, including a biography of Nureyev, and a collection of the best American short stories. I’ve also started reading a charming – and surprisingly full of depth – children’s series by Avi about a little mouse named Poppy. I am enchanted already.
I am excited to renew my love of reading and my hunger for it. All without the Internets.
LEANNE: You need that. I especially like the light saber zipper pull.
JACOB: I know, if it wasn’t $100 I’d say go for it
LEANNE: Yeah, plus its not a -40 degree sleeping bag, which you insist on having in case we’re ever trapped in the arctic on a scientific expedition gone wrong
JACOB: Good point. My outdoor geek was blinded by my sci-fi geek
I have two favorite kinds of animals in the whole world – owls and hippopotamusesssesses. To my wonderful surprise today, the Flickr blog was featuring some photos of happy hippos.
I love me some good photography, but Flickr sure knows how to get me with the cute baby hippos. I can’t stand it. Is Cleveland zoned for hippos?
Speaking of pictures of baby animals, I recently downloaded the free application NatureAppy for Jacob’s iPhone and Poppy loves it. It’s a set of animal flashcards and coordinating sound bites. Poppy loves to see the pictures, and she looks around the room every time the coyote howls. The realistic images and sounds make me very, very happy too. Check it out, even if you’re not a kid. I love this App!
Isn’t this a sweet little image? I’m planning on using it soon for a “Hooray! We’ve Moved! Here’s Our New Address For Those Of You Who Still Keep Address Books And Use Snail Mail!” digital postcard.
Hello, little birdie.
It’s 1:05 AM, I need to go to bed and stop this insanity. Just one more YouTube video…
We have a wedding to go to on Saturday, and I don’t have a new outfit to wear, so I’m thinking of doing something new and CARAZY with my hair instead. Like maybe a faux hawk?
Yes, a faux hawk.
Oh, and also, this video has been viral on the Internets for a while now, but in case you haven’t seen it, it is hilarious. Real, real hilarious.
Rocking out to the new Paramore album all day is helping Poppy and me feel a lot less like snot monsters and a lot more like hardcore rock stars. I wish you were all here to see my amazingly sweet punk rock slide entrance into the kitchen. I may or may not use a rolling pin as a microphone.
No, I am NOT pregnant, so put that party blower away!
After weeks of writing, editing, setting up a Tumblr account, re-reading, editing again, and completely starting over, I am ready to announce something big! As many of you know, I have a degree in writing, I love writing, and I am especially a sucker for good fiction. In my efforts to grow myself as a writer and to use my craft instead of letting it collect dust on the shelf, I am proud to announce the launch of Short Story September!
[Go check it out, I'll wait here]
My goal is to finish one part of a short story each week this month, and complete the whole thing in thirty days. [Yes, even taking time to write next week while we are on vacation!]. If things go all right – meaning I don’t lose my mind or my marriage – then perhaps this project will bleed over into October or [gasp!] November!
Hopefully, writing will become a part of my life again. I would like to have a collection of short works of fiction to call my own. Maybe I can do one story a month, maybe one every two months. It will depend on how things go. One thing is for certain – I am committed to making Short Story September work. I have a dream to one day write a published novel. This is my baby step. My teeny, tiny baby step.
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