Category Archives: Books/Magazines

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 3, 2011

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY October 3, 2011

Outside my window… kind of grey. We’re supposed to get some rain which is making me quite happy.

I am thinking… about plans for next week when Jon is out of town.

I am thankful… for the zoo trip with Mom and Dad on Friday and then the dinner afterwards with my parents, Jon, Daniel, and my evil twin brother Sean. Also thankful for Sean and his fiancée Jeanette giving us their old TV when ours died yesterday. (It was 28 years old — it was time.)

From the learning rooms… Daniel was a pill for his Child Development person this morning. He refused to use his sign language or talk to her. Gotta love two year olds! (His Child Development person made him work nevertheless.)

In the kitchen… baked potatoes made with Yukon Gold potatoes.

I am wearing… green v-neck shirt and Jon’s Left Behind shorts.

I am creating… this entry and some super-secret family crocheting.

I am going… out as soon as Daniel has a nap and the Fed Ex people get here.

I am wondering… when Fed Ex will show up.

I am reading… two murder mysteries from the library. My copy of Scones and Bones by Laura Childs arrived (I was on the waiting list for it) and I saw a copy of the newest Leslie Meier book, The English Tea Murder, when I walked in. I think the library staff are still laughing over the sight of me clutching it to my chest while saying, “Mine! Mine!”

I am hoping… Daniel participates well in his therapies for the rest of the week.

I am looking forward to… my massage on Friday.

I am hearing… “Winnie the Pooh” on DVD and Daniel ripping apart a diaper box with his teeth.

Around the house… laundry really needs to be sorted and folded.

I am pondering… a lot of things that I can’t put words to. I function internally so I usually have a bunch of things ruminating in my mind.

One of my favorite things… the pizza with pesto, mozarella cheese, feta, and olives that I ended up making for myself on Friday night.

A few plans for the rest of the week… speech and physical therapy for Daniel tomorrow, Ladies’ Night out on Wednesday, and my massage on Friday.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing… Daniel and the Sumatran tiger at the Sacramento Zoo. I should add that the tiger has an amazing exhibit with lots of enrichment opportunities and places to nap… and it preferred to hang out in the window of its exhibit and people-watch.

Daniel and the Sumatran tiger at the Sacramento Zoo

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 19, 2011

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 19, 2011

Outside my window… sunny and in the 90’s. I’m seriously jonesing for four distinct seasons here — 97 F in September is unacceptable.

I am thinking… that I hope “the Buffet plan” passes and the millionaires and billionaires start paying their fair share.

I am thankful… for our “Winnie the Pooh” DVD. It kept Daniel quiet last week and it’s allowing me to get some web work done.

In the kitchen… nothing exceptional. Lunch for me was a baked Yukon gold potato. (I prefer them because they’re smaller and they have a better flavor than the russet ones.)

I am wearing… black Arabic shirt and black shorts (my “around the house” clothes).

I am creating… details for my NaNo piece.

I am going… to Walgreens today if my doctor’s office calls in my prescriptions.

I am wondering… where my regular cookbooks are and when I’m actually going to feel like cooking from scratch again.

I am reading… Stealing Lumby by Gail Fraser. The A.J. Jacobs book isn’t keeping my attention and I have the Lumby books until October so I’m re-reading them now that I’ve read the first one.

I am hoping… that I’m over Daniel’s bug though I haven’t had the issues that he has — in my case, it’s just a fever.

I am looking forward to… the fall season priemieres on CBS this week.

I am hearing… the refrigerator humming and “Winnie the Pooh” on the DVD player.

Around the house… echoing Dawn on this: don’t ask.

I am pondering… how people can call themselves Christians and yet support Tea Party politics. I’m not trying to start a fight here — the Tea Party rhetoric goes against EVERYTHING in the Bible about taking care of each other in both the Old and New Testaments. They truthfully disgust me.

One of my favorite things… the quiet time I get after Daniel goes to bed.

A few plans for the rest of the week… Daniel’s various therapies on Tuesday and Thursday and the Sacramento Zoo on Friday with my parents.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Lumby Books

Posted on by

I was playing on my Shelfari (the bookshelf on my sidebar) and it suggested one of the Lumby books as a compliment to the Dearest Dorothy books that I was adding. I got them from the library and read them on the way to and from L.A. I can sum them up as thus: they held my attention so much that I didn’t notice any changes of geography.

The books revolve around a town called Lumby that is nestled against the Rockies and my guess is that it’s in Idaho or western Montana. It’s a town of eccentric people (like most Montana towns are) and I loved the interaction of the town with the monastery in the county. The monks were part of all of the books and that made it more interesting.

I definitely recommend the books highly and one of the things that influenced that was that a bevy of my favorite authors were amongst those who wrote comments and reviews.

7 Quick Takes — On the Road Again

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

–1–

This is our first serious “travel” time since my sister-in-law’s wedding in April. We had a church thing in Lebec and my father-in-law’s 60th birthday celebration is this Saturday. This means… ROAD TRIP!

–2–

We had an uneventful drive down to Lebec. It’s south of Bakersfield on I-5 and about 5 hours from where we live in northern California. I got two books read: All the Pretty Little Hearses by Mary Daheim and Stealing Lumby by Gail Fraser. I find that having reading material (if I’m not driving) makes the trip go faster (a good thing because I hate road trips).

–3–

Our hotel room in Lebec was awesome. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express and had a beautiful and spacious room with a decently-sized bathroom. Considering that Daniel and I spent most of our time in there, this was definitely a good thing. Daniel loved all the drawers and having a mini-fridge to play with. He also had long corridors where he could crawl or practice walking.

–4–

Three hours of NCIS on Tuesday night = a happy Jen. Finding a marathon of NCIS on USA yesterday = ecstasy. It’s probably good that we don’t have cable at home — I think I’d be permanently attached to the recliner.

–5–

Daniel will soon have an REI wishlist for climbing things. We found out that he could climb out of his crib twice last night — once onto the desk where he was trying to have a conversation with the front desk (or ordering room service on the phone) and then onto the TV table where he was blocking the TV. His crib got moved in such a way that there was no surfaces for 5 feet in any direction.

–6–

We had an easy time driving down to Claremont. It’s strange coming back down here after living down here for a year and then moving. it’s surreal. Thankfully, we avoided rush hour getting there. I made it through most of a book and am wondering how it ends.

–7–

I’m hoping for a good party on Sunday. I’ve offered my services to my mother-in-law to take her to Trader Joe’s. My father-in-law was doing OK when we got there today and got to hang with Daniel. It should be a great gathering on Saturday though it’s going to be a long drive back that night. I need to invest in a flashlight or something so I can read on the way back.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 8, 2011

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 8, 2011

Outside my window… dark of night. It was an OK day though in terms of heat.

I am thinking… that it’s going to be hard to get up tomorrow for Daniel’s speech therapy. (It’s at 8:45 and it’s a 40 minute drive away.)

I am thankful… for the snuggle nap I got with Daniel today.

From the learning rooms… nothing new, I’m afraid.

In the kitchen… butter thawing in the fridge for cookies. (It had been in the church freezer.)

I am wearing… black t-shirt, black sweat capris, and a black scrunchie in my hair. Edda (my house panther) approves.

I am creating… entries for Michelle.

I am going… to Sacramento tomorrow with a probable stop at WinCo on the way home.

I am wondering… if we’re going to use up all the cookies from Wednesday at the farmer’s market on Thursday.

I am reading… the Dearest Dorothy books by Charlene Ann Baumbich, a long-ago friend of this blog.

I am hoping… Daniel’s clot is gone. The ultrasound tech didn’t see it on the Doppler this afternoon so I’m cautiously optimistic.

I am looking forward to… baking with two of my favorite people on Wednesday.

I am hearing… Jon reading to Daniel and He Man and the Masters of the Universe on TV.

Around the house… chaos — trying not to think about this.

I am pondering… various and assorted things.

One of my favorite things…Trader Joe’s Iced Tea Lemonade.

A few plans for the rest of the week… speech therapy tomorrow, physical therapy tomorrow or Wednesday, farmer’s market on Thursday, and possibly the Train Museum on Friday.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing… Daniel with his “laptop”. He’s addicted to ours so my mom got him his own.

Daniel and his

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes — More Late Night Randomness

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

It’s 11:30 and I’m online again on a Thursday night. Not a good thing for sleep, I guess. Here are my seven random thoughts.

01.) Rachel on Big Brother needs to be eliminated… NOW. With Dani as HOH, it might conceivably happen?

02.) What is up with drivers cutting across 3 lanes of traffic without signalling? Seriously… somebody is going to get hurt one of these days… especially at the 580/680 interchange when there’s a line backed up and it’s impossible to get in or out.

03.) I’m down in San Jose with my parents. It was supposed to be in the triple digits this weekend up in Sac (which they’ve now amended to 95F) and it’s at least 10-15 degrees cooler down here.

04.) I’m hoping Daniel sleeps in tomorrow. It would cause much joy in my life. I’d also be a nicer person.

05.) I’m trying to find time to record the first episode of my podcast. It’s going to be about faith, life, and raising a child with developmental delays. Details will come later.

06.) I forgot my sister-in-law’s birthday. Bad Jen! No cookie! Actually, one of them had a birthday last weekend and one has a birthday on Monday.

07.) I’m re-reading the Dearest Dorothy books. If you haven’t read them and are looking for Christian chick lit, I *HIGHLY* recommend them. The author, Charlene Ann Baumbich, also has stopped by my blog and left comments so she seriously rocks.

(For more quick takes, go see Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.)

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: July 18, 2011

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY July 18, 2011

Outside my window… actually very nice and temperate. The 90’s don’t come back until the end of the week so it’s not bad being outside.

I am thinking… actually about nothing in particular. It’s kind of nice to have a quiet mind though mine is probably due to fatigue.

I am thankful… we were able to get more Pediasure for Daniel today without the checker having to call a manager to approve it. Thanks Win Co!

From the learning rooms… still working on the sign for “more” and working on learning parts of the face.

In the kitchen… figuring out what is going to trigger my IBS and what is going to make my fibromyalgia worse.

I am wearing… light green v-neck shirt and khaki capris.

I am creating… entries for Michelle.

I am going… to Sacramento a few times this week.

I am wondering… what other books I should ask for from the library.

I am reading… The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. I took a break from it to read The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg.

I am hoping… I get to work on my Arabic soon. (Our library gives us access to free language lessons through the Mango language database.)

I am looking forward to… my massage on Friday.

I am hearing… Daniel’s child development person from Easter Seals working with him.

Around the house… picking up after my little bear.

I am pondering… if we’re in a season of fighting Daniel to go to bed.

One of my favorite things… playing clapping games with Daniel.

A few plans for the rest of the week… speech and physical therapy tomorrow, bloodwork for Daniel on Wednesday, and my massage on Friday.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing… Snow in Montana — I figured it would be nice for people in a heatwave to see.

Snow in Montana in January 2009.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook