Evenings with Ramona

My childhood copies of Beverly Cleary's books are well-loved to say the least.  These books conjure happy memories of hours of free reading and of trips to the B.Dalton bookstore at Tri-County Mall where I thanked God that I did not live in Canada where those kids had to pay so much more for each book.  I've been tempted by the Cleary box sets at Costco on several occasions, but it seems so special to be sharing my actual books with my actual kids.  Tough to resist my second grade handwriting on the inside covers (usually my name written several times, often in an experimental cursive intended, I recall, to mimic my teacher's lovely script).

When my oldest was in kindergarten and first grade, I read all of the Ramona and Henry Huggins titles to him.  My middle guy got squeezed out of that tradition when he was at that stage.  Surprise, surprise.  But, happily, I am back on track reading the Ramona books to my kindergarten daughter and second-grade son (better late than never).  Big brother has found reason to be in close proximity for most of these read-alouds as well.

 

Is there a character more lovable than Ramona?  Her energy, her zest for life, her creativity, her spirit, her honesty.  I'm going to dedicate a long and more thoughtful post (or series of) to Ramona once the kids and I finish all the books.  For now, I'll just share two moments from a chapter of Ramona the Pest.

Ramona proudly shows and tells.

                                                                                                                                                                             
Miss Binney smiled encouragingly.  "Is there something you would like to tell us about your doll?"

"I can really wash her hair," said Ramona.  "It's sort of green because I gave her a blue rinse."

"And what do you wash it with?" asked Miss Binney.

"Lots of things," said Ramona, beginning to enjoy speaking in front of the class.  "Soap, shampoo, detergent, bubble bath.  I tried Dutch Cleanser once, but it didn't work."

"What is your doll's name?" asked Miss Binney.

"Chevrolet," answered Ramona.  "I named her after my aunt's car."

Ramona's frenemy Howie Kemp forgets to bring something for the first day of Show and Tell.  Urged by Mrs. Kemp and her mother, Ramona runs inside her house to grab an item to lend to Howie:  an old stuffed rabbit that her cat likes to beat up and chew upon.  Miss Binny tries to liven the bunny up with a bright red ribbon, the ownership of which becomes a source of conflict between Ramona and Howie.

"Is there something you would like to tell us about your bunny?" asked Miss Binney.

"No," said Howie.  "I just brought it because my mother made me."

"I can tell you something about your bunny," said Miss Binney.  "It has had lots of love.  That's why it's so worn."

Ramona was fascinated.  In her imagination she could see the cat lying on the carpet with the rabbit gripped in his teeth while he battered it with his hind feet.  The look that Howie gave the rabbit was somehow lacking in love.  Ramona waited for him to say that it wasn't his rabbit, but he did not.  He just stood there.

I could barely read that final paragraph aloud for laughing.

Here's to more cozy evenings with my old friend Ramona and three of her twenty-first century fans.

Welcome, November

October was a whirlwind.  Two (unheard of) trips out of town with my husband and the packing, planning, logistics, anxiety, and list-making necessary when leaving your kids for a few days (in the hands of beloved grandparents, but still, there are a lot of details to track).

A semi-stalled remodeling project that will be picking up steam very soon but for now has brought a layer of dust and the kind of disorder that comes with all transitions.  And did I mention piles of dirty laundry all over the house?  The end result is going to be beautiful, life-changing even, but it is easy to forget that when one has been 10 days without a washer & dryer.

Cub Scout popcorn sales.  If this phrase means nothing to you, count your blessings.

A variety of situations and conflicts in my community (of which I am aware but not necessarily a part) that have left me feeling tired and disheartened.

The guilt of feeling alternately stressed, annoyed, sad, tired, and/or resentful when I know (I really, really know) that my life is good. 

I'm happy October is over.

I decided to grab today's extra hour and step back up to the blogging plate to take some swings.  This month is about focusing on the things I can change--my attitudes, my outlook, my daily habits, my prayer practice--and seeking peace inside my heart and home.

I bought the print above (the artist is Emily McDowell) while on one of my October trips (I know, "poor me").  I'm going to frame it as a reminder to make November about gratitude.  My life doesn't suck.  It truly never has.  But, we all have those days when we are overwhelmed and anxiety-clenched by the feelings of too much and also not enough.  I had a lot of them last month.

This month is about saying "thank you," counting blessings, focusing on the good, being purposeful, and listening more than talking.  Maybe, just maybe, it will be about writing too.  Almost every year I consider making a NaBloPoMo run.  Here's day one.  

Snackshots -- September

 

September has not yielded as much time for snacking and relaxing as I had hoped.  The weather has been gorgeous, and my kiddos are settling nicely into the routines of the school year.  I started out strong, taking advantage of my longest-ever chunks of time to myself and doing things like cleaning out closets, taking walks, thinking clearly, and appreciating my life.  The reality of volunteer commitments, kids' extracurriculars, traveling husband, and on and on has now come crashing down.  I've got a good gig, and I know it.  I expect my days to be busy, of course I do.  But this week, I've felt overwhelmed by my to-do list, kind of as if a grayish cloud of ick is following me everywhere.

I need to do the hard work of rethinking my priorities, values, and commitments; deciding what I can and cannot do well; and how to best take care of my family and myself while also serving others.  

In the meantime, I'll grab five minutes when I can and treat myself as I always have, for better or worse, with a little snack and a cold Diet Coke.  Paired with a favorite cheese and some crackers, the American Spoon Red Pepper Relish is delicious.  Plus, its texture is more pureed than jellied, which makes it easier to spread.  I picked this up when my husband and I were at a wedding in Charlevoix, Michigan.  

I do indeed relish my life.  So punny.

Last Breath of Summer Reading

 

These are my feet on Labor Day.  I had just dropped my daughter off at the pool so that my little fish could get in a couple more hours of swimming with her Daddy.  It was the last day of the season for the pool.  Her brothers were tired of swimming and at home device-ing.  I opted to go home and do laundry and life stuff rather than sit in the sun and feel the sadness of summer being over.  This past one was the first summer in nine years when I had three capable swimmers and dared to do some reading poolside (while also sneaking glances at my peeps, obviously).  It was glorious.  I can't face an exhaustive overview of my summer reading, but I happened to read four books I loved in the last few weeks of summer.  I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy to share Quick Lit reviews of my last breath of summer reading.

 

I always enjoy Jennifer Weiner's novels, but Who Do You Love was really something special.  I'd rank it right up there with Good in Bed.  The love story spanning many years worked for me, and the friendship between Andy and his mentor brought me to tears.  Just a really satisfying read.

Cara Nicoletti is a hip twentysomething Brooklyn butcher, baker, blogger, and author of Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way through Great Books.  I'm a forty year-old suburban mom of three, room mom, cub scout coordinator, and children's church leader.  And yet, I feel like Nicoletti and I are kindred spirits.  I too am a hungry reader.  Our taste in books is very similar, and I really like how she writes about books and food in an honest, accessible way.  Her passion is cooking and baking in ways inspired by her reading.  Most of her recipes were beyond what I would attempt at home because I am no longer ambitious in the kitchen and my kids are picky eaters.  Yet, I enjoyed reading the recipes and love how she is a voracious reader in all senses of the word.  I ordered my own copy of Voracious because I am obsessed with the gorgeous cover, the beautiful illustrations throughout, and the thick paper of its pages.

I am totally cribbing from my GoodReads review here:  "I think most readers will give All Together Now three or maybe four stars.  Maybe they'll think it's cheesy or kind of lame or too dang sunshine-y at the end.  Maybe they are right.  All I know is that this book made me happy.  It has so many of the threads I love:  strangers become friends, community bands together, woman learns her own strength, fresh start in life/career, good guys/girls "win," music is a bridge, and more.  Plus, I just cannot resist a British setting.  I imagine All Together Now has been (or will be) optioned for film.  I can already picture my mom and sisters and I laughing, crying, and singing along.  Rolling your eyes?  That's fine.  Haters gonna hate."  Clearly I was in an odd spot when I drafted that one, but I stand by it as a five-star read for me.  Find more of my interesting but uneven reviews on GoodReads -- I'm booksandcarbs there.

 

In one of the blurbs on the back cover of Elisabeth Egan's A Window Opens, J. Courtney Sullivan compares its protagonist, Alice, to Kate Reddy and Bridget Jones.*  I didn't connect to Alice quite as much as to those other fictional friends of mine, but I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a wife and mom trying to figure out "what all" she can have and "what all" she wants.  The fact that Alice is a reader and book lover and is (sort of) working in the publishing world added to the appeal of this novel for me.  Very worthy read! 

Gorgeous weather outside these days, but it's back to the real world of to-do lists, volunteer commitments, packing lunches, chauffeuring, and homework supervision.  I'll still find and make time to read, but summer is very much over.  

*Kate Reddy of Allison Pearson's I Don't Know How She Does It and Bridget Jones, who needs no introduction.  Also, check out J. Courtney Sullivan's novels if you haven't:  Commencement, Maine, and The Engagements.

Borrow and Buy

At the various branches of the Chicago Public Library I frequented from 2001-2011, I bought books from a cart of discards and donations.  I fell into the habit of checking the sale cart on my way to the checkout counter and often found something that seemed worth the 25 or 50 cents being asked for it.  I paid when I checked out the books, and I always took pleasure in that transaction.  A little treat.  I actually found many great books on that cart -- Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, for example.

I could not have been more excited when we migrated to the suburbs and found that our beloved Elmhurst Public Library had a small room dedicated to selling discards.  Stopping to browse in that little room on my way to checkout is one of my favorite library rituals.  There's a wall-mounted box where you slide in the suggested $1 donation per book.

Today I had five minutes and five bucks to spend in that little room.  I was pleased with my finds.

Part of the ritual is removing the clear plastic overlay from the library books (with the tools pictured) and then carefully peeling off the stickers on the side of the book.  I put the original dust jacket back on (sometimes damaged from impatient sticker peeling, but usually looking pristine).  If I tried to tell you how much I enjoy handling the books and doing these small tasks, you might feel sorry for me.  But don't. 

Here are my finds from today and my reasons for choosing them ...

I loved the audio of Us by David Nicholls.  I actually own all of his books (except One Day) in hardcover and thought I'd add this one to the shelf.  Sometimes it's nice to have a physical reminder of a great audiobook.

I borrowed Courtney Maum's I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You from the library (possibly this very copy?) last year and enjoyed it.  Will I reread it?  Not likely, but owning it allows me to share it with others.  When one of my friends headed to Hilton Head for ten days this summer, I chose three great books for her to take along -- one was a library book sale room find and the other two were from the AAUW book sale (which deserves its own post).  She loved the books* and then passed them on to another friend.  They'll probably make their way back to me eventually, but if not, no biggie.

My mother-in-law loves to read, and I now have a sense of what she enjoys.  I am always finding her reading material in the book sale room.  

The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer has been on my radar.  I follow her on Twitter and happen to know she hails from Cincinnati, which makes me want to read her book.  Duh.

Fair Shares for All: A Memoir of Family and Food by John Haney was not on my radar, but food writing is something I enjoy even though I don't browse in that section of the library.  Worth a try.

Seeing Better Nate Than Ever in the book sale room felt like fate.  I started following Tim Federle on Twitter last month.  His feed makes me laugh, and I'm eager to see what he can write when he has more than 140 characters to use.

Someone (someone like my husband, who is apprehensive about the number of books flowing into our house) might ask this obvious question:  "But aren't they selling the books no one wants?"  In some cases, sure, they are selling books that don't circulate often or at all.  Nonetheless, the book sale room is a great place to find semi-recent bestsellers.  Our library will buy many, many copies of a hot new release.  After the initial demand dies down, there's no longer shelf real estate for twenty copies of the same title.  To the book sale room it goes!

If your library has such a magical place, pop in next time you're there.  You may find a new read or an old favorite that you can treasure or share with others.  You have nothing to lose, except a few dollars ... a donation to the local library that you love.

* The books my friend borrowed for vacation and loved were:  The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand, The Good House by Ann Leary, and Left Neglected by Lisa Genova.

NOTE:  The produce ridiculously staged with my book stack was purchased this morning at the Farmers' Market:  zig zag zucchini, big fat tomato, and purple peppers.  The light in the background of the picture is our oven pre-heating for the Red Baron pizza I was actually serving for dinner.

August Snackshots

 

I made myself a G&T for the last Saturday evening before school started and had a few minutes to sip and read (Jennifer Weiner's latest) before it was time to start dinner.  Glorious. 

 

I saw these glazed pecans at Costco and said to myself, "Well, wouldn't these be lovely in a salad with some strawberries and soft cheese."  And then ... I loaded all of my Costco purchases into the back of the van except the pecans.  The pecans sat shotgun.  I went through the McD's drive-thru for a DC and the rest is history (or will be soon -- note the shadow just under "PECANS").  Delicious.

Summer Soundtrack: The Odyssey Years

We spent the first month of summer desperately trying to find the song "Biscuits" on the car radio after being introduced to its quirky cool lyrics and great message by my sister Lappie.  Never once heard it on FM radio or on any Sirius country station.  So, we bought Kacey Musgraves' new album, Pageant Material, over Fourth of July.  The CD has been pretty much on repeat in the Odyssey ever since.  "Biscuits" is our favorite track, followed closely by the single "Pageant Material."  I love hearing my 9, 7, and 5 year-olds belt out the words and attempt to give themselves a little twang.  "Biscuits" does have two "bad words" in it.  The kids know what they are and know they're not supposed to say them.  We entertain ourselves replacing them with more innocent alternatives.

"Biscuits" is our song of the summer for 2015.  It's official.

The other day, we tried to recall our summer songs for the previous few years and did pretty well.  We could go back to 2010, the first year we were rolling in an Odyssey.  In the pre-Odyssey years, I think we mostly rocked out to various Music Together Collections (Fiddle, Drum, etc.) and to a Wiggleworms album.

If I keep track of our songs of summer every year, I can someday make my kids a cool Odyssey playlist (I almost wrote mix tape and then thought, no CD, and then thought, there probably won't be CDs years from now when I want to give them this sort of sentimental gift).

Here's the Summer Soundtrack: The Odyssey Years ... at least so far:

2015 -- "Biscuits" by Kacey Musgraves (plus "Pageant Material" and really the entire album)
2014 -- "Happy" by Pharrell Williams
2013 -- "Wagon Wheel" (Darius Rucker version) & "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
2012 -- "Teenage Dream" (Glee version)
2011 -- No memories, just a big swirl of super hot days, house-for-sale showings, packing, moving, and trying to survive summer in the city with a 5, 3, and 1 year-old.
2010 -- "Party in the USA" (KidzBop version -- oh yeah)

Any time I hear these songs, I hope I will think of wet bathing suits, sunny days, and sweet kiddos in booster seats behind me in the van.  I hope my kids will have the same happy memories and that even years from now, possibly in a vehicle that is not a mini-van, we will still belt out the songs from our summer soundtrack.

What are your songs of summer?