I'm A Pile-Er

What is a pile-er you may be wondering?  A pile-er, is one who stacks things, of all sorts, into piles.  It is a disease of the inherited kind.  I received a double dose of the pile gene from my parents.  Both are certifiable, grade A, top notch piler-ers.  So I am here to say, and admit publicly, that I have a pile-ing problem.  My husband must be snickering into his shirt as he reads this.  For the record, my husband is not a pile-er.   My pile-ing drives him bonkers.

I have a thing with magazines.  Love them.  Most of my magazines are of the knitting variety, but I have plenty of Martha saved, along with fashion, favorite pregnancy issues, and a few design publications.  Most of my knitting issues are sorted into file holders, but not all.  I have two tall stacks of mixed magazines which keep getting moved from room to room since I started working on the girls nursery about a year ago.  I recently tried to place them in plain sight to guilt myself into dealing with them.  The guilt thing hasn't really worked.

A few years ago, I worked for Melanie Falick when she was the editor of Interweave Knits.  It was an awesome job.  Of all the things I took away from my experience of working with Melanie, the introduction to idea sketch books, ranks tops in my book.  Melanie introduced me to the idea of plain sketch books filled with inspirational ideas from favorite, ripped magazine pages.  Why hadn't I ever thought of this before?  I'd always pasted Duran Duran posters all over my bedroom walls along with clipped words and typeface I liked, and had filled countless scrap books with cuttings from the local paper.  A project idea book, of all things pretty that I stumbled upon, had never before entered my mind.  Part of my job was to sort through Melanie's never ending, oh so inspiring, pile of torn pages, and turn it all into mini look books which we could use to inspire ourselves and occasionally, the designers we worked with.  I'd trim the images and lovingly tape them onto pages while at the same time, tried my best to sort scarves with scarves, knit dresses with other knit dresses, and so on.  It was heaven.  It didn't take me long to begin ripping, sorting, and taping up idea books of my own.

My two stacks of mixed magazines have been waiting for me to sort out issues which need to be kept whole from those which need to be ripped and then tossed into the recycling.  Cesar loves a good recycling pile created by me.  I think it sends happy chills up his spine all the way to the dump.  I also believe that our girls are in cahoots with their Papa.  The magazine piles have recently made their way next to the blue chair in the living room, smack dab in our girls eye line.  Well, both of them, not just Marlo, nor has it been just Sabine... they have both been up to no good!  They're in cahoots with Cesar, I tell you!  The little turkeys make a quick combination of army crawl/swimmer crawl/regular crawling right over to my piles and, and, and...   They have begun ripping pages from my hoarded magazines all on their own!  Like everything and anything is being ripped!  Cesar must have piped the words "No discrimination!  No prisoners!" into the girls Sleep Sheep on a continuous loop for them to listen to after I've passed out.  Marlo tries to eat her scores,  Sabine simply bats her eyelashes at me, and poor Hugo jumps around as he hollers out, "Mom, Mom, come quick!  The babies are ripping your magazines!"

This weekend I am going to sort those two piles of magazines and buy a baby gate.

 

Great Finds

Have I ever mentioned that our Mr Hugo l-o-v-e-s his airplane swing? He says swing now and "peass" for please. Once in the swing all we hear out of him is "Weeeeeeeeeee!" and "Again!" or "More peassss!"

What a great buy I scored in this airplane swing. While in Providence I went shopping at the awesome Savers with my Mother-in-Law when Hugo was small. Much smaller, infant like. I found this swing, his slide, and a brand new rocking horse on that shopping day. I also run, not walk, to the back wall where the books are kept. Can't keep from grabbing up books to add to our collection. People in Providence read super books and donate them to Savers to share with families like ours. Nice.

Oh yes . . . we have reached a stage in life where removing our monkey, fire truck, or in today's case - rocket pajamas, is a tremendous tragedy. Hugo wore his rocket pajamas until late in the day when he woke from his nap. At that time I was able to bate him with swim trunks for the pool and we thankfully had happiness.

Blue Dolphin

Since devouring the Twilight book series I've been longing for something else to capture me. I thought about checking out Stephanie Meyer's new book The Host but ... I don't think so. I did read the book The Other Boleyn Girl. I liked it. I wasn't swept away with it. In a way that was good. I was able to read and enjoy the story while still able to do housework and feed my son while reading it. I liked it. I also liked that fact that it wasn't so racy, especially considering the subject matter.

The Twilight books being targeted at a younger reader than myself, have me remembering books from my youth. My sister Maggie and I loved a book and its trilogy called Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce. I believe they were the last books I read before I graduated from the young adult section at the library. Every couple of years Maggie and I will remember back and say, "How about those Darkangel books. Read them lately?" Maggie owns them.

I bought this blow up dolphin at the dollar store for Hugo. He loves it. Plays and plays with it. I didn't think much of the blue dolphin while we were at the pool besides the fact that Hugo and every other kid there, wants to ride on it. Tonight as I download these photos into the computer I finally saw the dolphin. A blue dolphin. I can't recall the number of times I read the sweet book Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. I read it over and over and over. I wanted to be Karana's friend. I wanted to keep her company on her island and play with her wolves. I wanted to learn from her. I don't remember reading the sequel - I might have to check it out soon.
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Couldn't Put it Down

I am a day behind. Today is Monday but I need to back track to yesterday, Sunday. As church ended and I was rushing to clean up the Young Women's room, Dannielle a Mia Maid, stopped me and asked if I was still interested in reading the book Twilight. Dani is obsessed with reading. She reads during our lessons. She reads through the majority of our Mutual activities. She has admitted to reading at the dinner table. And I believe she does. For our YW in Excellence program the girls are being video taped showing off a talent, which could be anything. I told them they could even make their bed if they have a "talent" for it which they enjoy and would like to share. Trying to help them think out of the traditional talent box. For Dani's video she is going to read.

Dani (and almost all other females I know) have been talking about this Twilight book since last summer. Everyone devoured the book in mere minutes it seemed. My sister Millie read all three books in three days. My friend Shara stopped all housework and barely fed her children while reading the series. I didn''t take the bite. I have a problem reading or watching whatever I know everyone else is into. I may read a book years after the initial craze and then run around excitedly telling everyone I meet how great the book is. Strange, I know.

Dani had the book in her car. She tempted me and I caved. While Hugo napped I started to read. I didn't want to read much because I was looking forward to my Sunday afternoon nap. I was torn. Nap or new book, nap or new book? I decided on a little of both. So I began with a slow start. Hugo woke me and we played outside. Then, into the house I went to pull dinner together. Decided on my own version of shepherds pie. First though, I brought the book down to the kitchen. I read a bit more in between preparing the meal and cleaning up while it was in the oven. After dinner I whipped up some caramel, walnut brownies while Cesar and Hugo played in the yard. As the brownies baked away, I picked up the book again. Once Hugo was settled for the night I eagerly began to read in earnest. I read and read. Cesar passed out in front of the TV with his tummy full of brownies. I looked at the clock and left him to sleep on in his oversized chair. He looked comfy and I just wasn't at at good stopping place! Finally I woke him. I told Cesar it was time for bed but, would he mind if I read with the light on for a little bit?? I read in bed with my nightstand light burning away until 5am. Poor Cesar. . . I wasn't quite finished but my eyes were beginning to cross and then I heard a crash from Hugo's room and two seconds later crying. He had fallen out of bed. So this morning I finished the final few pages plus the teaser for the next book. I gotta get the second book and soon. Here comes my plug - If you haven't read the series, start now! The fourth book and the movie are both due out sometime this coming summer. Check out the the author Stephanie Meyer's website for info on her books and upcoming movie at http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilightseries.html