jiggity jig

Home again. We bypassed our weekend in Chicago to cap off our trip north as the middle kid came down with a sinus infection. Spent three hours in a Med Point with her followed up by an hour at the pharmacy. So, Friday morning saw us packing up and heading south. We did experience a bit of the snow that moved into Chicago-land, but by the time we were midway down the Land of Lincoln, it turned to rain and then sunshine. I missed the sun, reaffirmed for me why I don't miss living in Indiana. The sun didn't shine the entire time we were there. Bleh, argh.....

Christmas 2007 has come and gone. I'm glad to be on the other side. Gift giving/receiving with the hubby's side of the family can be a bit of a challenge. My sister-in-law is the queen of the re- gift. I could fill pages with the assortment of ego bruising items foisted on me in the name of holiday cheer. You'd think that after 16 years of marriage to my hubby, his family would figure out that a gift card to Barnes and Noble would send me cartwheeling in ecstasy. No, instead I get used baskets, candlesticks and department store freebies. Ah well, after 16 years I've learned to not expect.

Today the hubby and I are headed to Costco for the major after Christmas shop. On the list are a flat screen TV and a laptop. Yep, we are going to splurge and treat ourselves. Of course this means that I really need to finish the edits on Maddy Blue. I can now work on that WIP in the van. Wahooo.

The house is still and quiet. Everyone is enjoying sleeping in their own beds...good lord I missed my electric mattress pad:) So good to be home, have that first cup of coffee alone and read the paper without having to make small talk. The little things in life are the best gifts of all.

visiting

We arrived in northern Indiana in good shape, even though the majority of Illinois was covered in fog. The kids are delighted it has snowed the last two days....they are happy with the flurries and not bummed over the fact it isn't sticking because the winds are so strong it blows away.

Had a fabulous time visiting some friends we haven't seen in 5 years. Way too long to wait for a visit. Cruised by the old house, it looks good. The big gathering with family and friends went well, no major drama. At mass yesterday we saw several families from our years here. That was such a treat.

So, we are sliding into Christmas in fine form. Merry Christmas Eve to all.

the Tea

Take a tall 40 something Yankee, a tray of cucumber sandwiches and a house built in 1877. Mix them all together and you get the Christmas Tea I attended yesterday. The house was amazing. Fireplaces in every room, stained glass windows, original hardwood floors and bead board ceilings, it was just beautiful even before you added the antique furniture. The tea was way too yummy, never thought I'd be a fan of little fussy cucumber sandwiches, but these rocked. The average age of attendees had to be 70; lots of gray hair, gold shoes and holiday sweaters. I did learn that this club only admits new members when one of the existing members passes away and the club has been around since 1936. They were the driving force behind establishing a town library back in 1956. Pretty dynamic group of women and living examples of the phrase 'steel magnolias.' Think a houseful of Miss Julia's....which reminds me, I really need to finish reading that series.

We leave tomorrow for parts north. I've almost finished packing and instructing the daughters on how/what to pack. Today I hand my bookstore keys off to the Friends treasurer for the duration of my absence.

Enjoy the weekend and if I don't get to log in before Christmas, hope you have a very Merry one.

stuff

Beware, this post is going to be a hodgepodge of random stuff.

To update, the kid earned a 99 on her research paper. She got dinged a few points for one section being a bit too short, the teacher deducted one point from everyone for their historical verification section (because something could always be made better), but then she earned a few points for her incredible cover art.

The latest bookstore update is we sold a s&*tload of movies and books on cassette Saturday to the tune of $1600. Incredible. The store itself is still averaging about $100 a day in sales.

I'm off to a Christmas Tea tomorrow....this is a major event as it entailed being invited to attend a very 'native' social club. Not sure why this is thrilling me so much, but getting an invitation from these ladies is just a treat. I'm sure I'll be the youngest there, probably by a good 25-30 years. A Yankee youngster in their midst.....just hope I don't spill my tea or show up with a run in my hose.

No reading, editing, writing etc this week. I'm in the process of readying the family for the jaunt to snowy climes for Christmas. I hope to blog from there...if my fingers aren't frozen.

how to wield the red pen

The oldest kid is working on her first 'research' paper. I've helped a bit with this project, but only when asked. The teacher has done a fine job of keeping the kids on a schedule by using their rough drafts as quiz grades. The finished product is due on Thursday and now the kid is looking to dear old mom to help polish the paper.

I've restrained my tweaking to this point and have verbally issued warnings to check the punctuation, the tense, the spelling etc. She has caught a few things, but others slid past her radar. The teacher didn't do a hard edit on the rough drafts and instead wrote general comments similar to what I verbally issued.

Do I get out the red pen at this point or do I let her attempt this on her own? I'm not sure if I'm taking this problem more seriously than some because of my background. My daughter has told me stories of how much other parents are helping on this project....basically it sounds like some are doing all the writing or they are doing some major editing.

And I thought the science fair was bad.

finished Follett

After a very busy weekend full of standardized tests, band competitions and the mall, I plopped on the bed and plowed through the last 300 pages of Follett's latest.

The appeal of huge books is the author can really delve into his characters. By the time you finish, you know those folks better than the majority of your relatives. Follett doesn't let you down in that regard. Caris, Merthin and crew are very real to me now and given the chance I'd read more about them. He included a nice twist at the end and although that plot point wasn't explored often during the book, he visited it enough to keep it relevant when crunch time came. I enjoyed the story and the few elements that struck me as 'awkward' aren't really worth mentioning as the good far outweighs the bad.

To tie back in to my lead in, the middle kid took the ACT for the first time. Just a hoot to watch those big old high schoolers glare in total shock at my very petite 7th grader....we should get the results in the typical 3-7 weeks.

The oldest kicked some major band booty at the regional competition and earned fifth chair...our of 85 players. Woot!!

And of course, my Hoosiers won in a trounce over Kentucky.....GO IU.

I survived the mall and the purchasing of the new outfit for Junior Beta induction....anyone who has shopped with a middle schooler will realize the magnificent accomplishment this is.

Didn't open Maddy this weekend. I seldom have the chance to do any writing when everyone is home. Plan for today may be scrapped, but I'm hopeful to carve out a few hours this afternoon and start back into the edits on chapter six.

I'm still laughing

If you have a moment, watch this one.....if you have kids, you may watch it more than once.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0ZpuA8_YYk