I did get to go out later that afternoon when Abe got home to finish running my errands.  Abe was wonderful & kept both kids for the hour I was out.  I hit Verizon for a portable wifi device & then Wal-mart for the antibiotics.  There was a lot of standing in line which tested my patience.  Walking to checkout I spied the women’s section & something in bright pink.  A quick detour showed that yoga pants (the nice ones from Danskin) were not only in my size (I was hoping) but a very reasonable $12.  I knew time was running short so into the self-check lane, a quick stop at Subway & off to home.  Everything was well under control when I got home (much to my relief but not to my surprise).  Marit was ready to eat so everybody had dinner & we vegged out on the couch.  I tried on my new pants and after a little LOT of obsessing decided they don’t look awful & I can wear them in public w/o being openly ridiculed.

Wednesday night was not a good night.  Magnus was up a lot with his ear ache & Marit decided she didn’t want to sleep her normal 4 hour cycles.  Thursday dawn found me blearily dealing with diaper changes & finding all the stuff I needed to take along for a day at my sister-in-law’s house.  Her usual daycare helper was gone so I went over to lend a hand with the 5 kids she watches.  Add in my 2, her 1 & the one kid that comes after school is out & it was chaos.  All of us were exhausted when we crashed at home later that night.

In the meantime (great, now that song is gonna be stuck in my head for the rest of the day…) I was listening to Falling Deeper by Anathema & trying to formulate a review for Dante’s Prog Blog Inferno.  I was procrastinating as I much prefer to be the silent editor & gal Friday over there.  However there was much insisting that I get with the program & just write already.

Friday morning I was able to sleep a little later & we had a nicely relaxed start to our day.  Errands & browsing for home decor with my sister-in-law Jilli in the afternoon went fine & the kids were great.  We ended the night with dinner out at Tinner’s (mmmm… egg & cheese burger), dessert at PeachWave (blueberry cheesecake fro-yo is teh nomz) & eventually home to tuck the kids in bed.  I attempted to write my review that night but didn’t get more than the opening paragraph done.

We were out again on Saturday morning & moving considerably more slowly.  Abe helped my brother & sister-in-law pick out doors for their basement which is slowly being finished.  Then the guys went to unload the doors & do “man stuff” while we girls (Marit included) went to the giant craft show at the convention center.  I popped Marit into her sling & into the hoard we went.  There was a lot of nice stuff but I was mainly there to browse.  I did find a very cute dress, knit hat & headband w/flowers for Marit in one of the doll clothes booths.  I looked in some of the other booths for a Halloween costume but didn’t get anything.  I may have to look again & get one of the fairy dresses…they are too cute for words.

After all our roaming about was done we spent the night in & relaxed.  I finally managed to write my review & then it was bed where we all got a pretty decent night sleep.  Today is football day & the Vikings haven’t totally fallen apart….yet.  This week should be a quiet one though we are hoping for a visit from Grandma B.  Hope you all have restful weekends & can face the week ready to tuck & roll as each day comes.

I’ve moved from northern Minnesota to southern South Dakota (forests & beautiful Lake Superior to corn fields & wide open plains).  I’m pregnant with my second child.  I’ve witnessed births, deaths, weddings & divorces.  I’ve made some amazing new friends, reconciled with dear old friends & shed people who weren’t good for me.

So in light of all that I’m going to share some of the favorite, most interesting, posts that amuse me.

In Arsenal of Impossibility I explore my evil genius side & plot my eventual world domination.  Who doesn’t like miniatureized (and easily controllable) natural disasters & ninja midgets?  Then there is of course The Great Rock Magnet Escapade—follow me as I am tasked with spending a ridiculous amount of money on polished rocks attached to magnets…really one of my better pre-parent shenanigans.

No mention of my writing would be complete without a mention of The Bra Rant (Lots of great comments on that one…) and the various poetry I’ve posted.  On the other hand I could be wrong.

Thanks to my readers for sticking with me, for occasionally leaving a comment & for not throwing hard objects at my head.  I hope you stick around & see what comes next.

It’s that time of year again when all the writers take pen in hand to participate in National Novel Writing Month.  It’s a way for them to accomplish a lot of writing in a relatively short amount of time. The official website has all the information including rules etc. Some of the writers I know set up websites where you can follow along (once you register) with the writing, provide feedback if you choose & observe the process of creating a novel.  If you are looking for some great writing & are interested in this process I highly recommend following David Niall Wilson as he writes Scattered Earth.  Also this month is National Blog Posting Month…well every month is NaBloPoMo…anyway.  Here bloggers make a commitment to post something on their blog every day for the entire month.  The official website contains all the information & also prompts for what to post each day.  There is all sorts of information on the site & if you are interested in either event I encourage you to visit the websites & see what’s going on.

I’ve always wanted to write a novel.  Since I was a teenager I’ve felt that somewhere inside me was a book waiting to be born.  However, I have not yet discovered what that book might be…I mean I can’t even post to my blog with any regularity (not to mention I don’t seem to have anything of interest to say) so a novel is a bit beyond my ken. I am considering some ideas to make this space a little LOT more interesting…I haven’t decided yet if or how I’ll implement any changes.  I’m also thinking of doing a month of blog writing but this month is definitely not it…Mostly because I’m caught up in being a mommy.

Speaking of mommy stuff— Magnus tried rice cereal for the first time the other night. He is most certainly NOT a fan. The little bit I made he ended up wearing.  So we will wait until after Christmas & see how he feels about it then.  The other big thing going on is I’m off my meds right now.  Due to a whole range of circumstances that I don’t feel like explaining I’ve been unable to refill my prescriptions.  I must say that going cold turkey off a combo therapy of anti-depressants sucks mightily.  It’s been a week & every day is very difficult.  I spend a lot of time crying or fighting back the tears….if Magnus weren’t in need of care I’d probably never get out of bed.  He is my saving grace right now. Every day I start with the attitude that I will survive until Abe comes home. So far it’s worked.  Other than that I’ve got a multitude of questions without answers.

The Rules

? “The Honest Scrap Award” must be shared!

? The recipient has to tell 10 true things about themselves.

? The recipient has to pass this prestigious award along to 10 more bloggers.

? Those 10 bloggers need to be notified they have received this award.

? Those 10 bloggers should link back to the blog from where they received their award.

1.  I am afraid of heights! I mean terrified, petrified, completely phobic about heights yet I still want to walk to the edge of the cliff & look down.  I guess I’m trying to face my fear but it never seems to help…instead I’m just paralyzed at the edge of a cliff which seems like a bad thing…. 2.  I am also terrified of drowning…needless to say while I love the architecture of bridges crossing them can be my own personal Waterloo.  The Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth, MN is a classic example…I never get tired of looking at or photographing it.  Crossing it is just plain out of the question…. 3.  I have 2 tattoos.  One on each shoulder.  My first tattoo is a head shot of Betty Boop & I’ve had it for something close to 12 years.  My second tattoo is a grouping of 4 flowers…each represents a grandparent that Hubby & I have lost.  I am anxious to get a 3rd tattoo which will be a representation of my life with Abe.  If I’m lucky I would also like a 4th tattoo designed by Abe…I have to be patient & wait though as Abe has some ink of his own he’d like to have added on.

4.  I am an incurable insomniac.  Even though right now I’m so tired I’m sliding out of my skin I’m typing away on my laptop.  It’s very hard for me to turn my brain off at the end of the day…even lying in bed trying to clear my mind often ends up having the opposite result.  This will lead to me wide awake in the dark listening to Abe softly snore & wondering if I should have worn different shoes with a particular outfit when I was 14.

5.  I am terrible at keeping my own secrets.  Yours I will take to the grave (maybe I’ll tell Abe but you can trust him…he talks a lot less than I do) but mine I blurt out all the time.  I want you to know what I’m getting you for your birthday/anniversary/Christmas etc so that you can be excited too.

6. I am slightly envious (ok, maybe I’m really envious but in a totally good way) of anybody who is an artist.  I wish that I had the talent to paint, draw or sculpt.  Unfortunately I can’t even draw a decent stick figure so I’m out of luck. I do however love the feeling of movement & swirl of emotion I get when looking at someone else’s creation.  It’s a truly intimate thing to share what comes out on canvas or marble (or any other media) with an audience & I applaud those who do it.

7.  Kids….I adore kids.  There are few things I won’t do to earn a smile & laughter from a child.  Nothing in this world is more fleeting & pure than the sound of a child or baby bubbling over with joy.  It melts my heart every time.

8.  Someday I want to own the following: a motorcycle, a horse, a sailboat & a late model Chevy Corvair convertible.  Preferably all at the same time…yes I realize that it’s impractical because where exactly can one own a horse & sailboat and but them both to use?  I have no idea but in my land of make-believe it’s not only possible but mandatory.

9.  I knew (but wouldn’t admit) the first time I saw Abe that I would marry him.  He picked me up at my apartment, walked me to his car & opened my door, holding it until I was in & then closing it for me.  I leaned across to unlock his door & as I did that I knew I wanted to do it for the rest of my life.  How a nice quiet guy like him ever decided to put up with a crazy, insecure girl like me I will never know.

10.  Books…what can I say?  First off I guess I should mention that some people (looking pointedly at Abe) think I read fast.  I don’t know why anybody would come to that conclusion…just because I can read & retain major portions of books of 500+ pages in a 24 hour period does not mean that I read fast.  Seriously, didn’t all of you read the 7th Harry Potter in 18 hours?  Second I should mention that since I have been a rabid, ravenous, rapacious reader since the age of 3.  I vividly remember checking out the complete works of Shakespeare at age 10.  Both the librarian & teacher looked at me as if I were mental…yet I devoured it—enraptured.  I can read a book with a singular focus…blocking out all things around me (including natural disasters, fire drills & screaming in my ear).