We're in trouble now!

(This was yesterday's post, but apparently the pictures didn't work so I took it down and am just now fixing it to repost. My apologies if you saw it correctly the first time!)


On Sunday afternoon I put the Bug down on this little quilt. We weren't paying close attention, but really, what could happen?

Um, bug?
Ah there he is, in pursuit of a toy.

I think this means it's time for baby gates around here!

(ok, now the pictures are sideways. You'll figure it out.)

Not on Our Watch by Don Cheadle and John Pendergast

Subtitled The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond, Not on Our Watch is really a handbook on how you as an individual can get involved in saving Darfur. It is not a memoir or a history of the region (though there are little bits of both) and it is not a retelling of every horrific thing that has happened in the region. I was a little nervous about reading about Darfur, as I know my limits and I was scared that anything I chose would hit every button (and rightly so), and that this would cause me not to finish the book. Not on Our Watch was the only book on the shelf at my local library, so the decision on what to read was made for me.

I found that this wasn't really a book I could sit down and read straight through. It starts off telling how Cheadle and Pendergast got involved, then moves on to a little history of Sudan and how the genocide came to be. It has a little history of notable activists and movements, and then devotes a couple chapters to how YOU can also be involved. There are six strategies:

• Raise Awareness
• Raise Funds
• Write a Letter
• Call for Divestment
• Join an Organization
• Lobby the Government.

I noted the the #5 suggestion under Raise Awareness is: If you are a blogger, blog to end genocide! (Note to self: check Maw Books to see if she read this one already!)

There is an example of a letter you can write on page 177 of the book, or you can go to the Enough Project website for more ideas of things you can do. If you don't have time to read the book, it is handily summarized in the appendix at the end with tons of ideas for raising money and holding events. ( I did read the whole thing, I didn't notice the appendix til I was done.) It pretty much walks you step by step through what you should do- I love that, because it's so much easier to follow directions than to come up with solutions. So even those of us who are lazy can manage to do SOMETHING.

The genocide in Darfur is not something that I knew a lot about. I am somewhat ashamed to say that my knowledge of the world has been pretty limited the last few years. This year I've read more about Afghanistan and Iraq and now Darfur. I feel like blogging has really increased my awareness of the world beyond my own country. I want to commend Natasha for all she's doing to raise awareness. Without her urging, I'd never had read this one.

The best laid plans...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... what? It's only September? Are you sure? I've spent a lot of time lately making Christmas lists of people and things and what I want to buy and what I could maybe make and which would be cheaper and which would be easier and can I really DO that in three months? I'd LOVE to make more gifts that I buy, which sounds cheap, but isn't cause making stuff is usually more than buying the equivalent. I still want to do it, and so I make lists. Christmas is three months away. If I work a little bit each night, I'll certainly have time to make everything I want to make. If I work a little harder each night, I'll have time to put stuff in the shop too.

So here's the plan: every child on my list, under the age of 6, gets a handmade gift. Every female on my list gets a handmade gift, with the exception of one, who I can't see loving the handmade. Every name on my list gets a handmade gift tag- I did this last year with the mittens and LOVED it. Then, a minimum of one new item a week on Etsy.

I'm also stockpiling books from Paperbackswap, some people on my list are getting used books for Christmas. Of course I want to READ those first, so I have to do that too.

I've got challenges to finish and goals to meet. (HAHAHAHA) (uh, looks like I need to add "Update challenges and books read pages" to my To Do list.)

The Pirate. The Bug.

Then there's this pesky thing called work to deal with 40 hours of the week...

A quick giveaway...

A month or so ago I recieved a copy of A Nation of Wimps in order to participate in an online discussion. While I agree with the basic premise that the book puts forth, I had a hard time with the writing style and ultimately did not participate in the discussion. I felt the author was stretching a bit to make her point, and I didn't think that her examples held true nationwide. Because I got this book for free, I'd like to offer it to another blogger/reader who is willing to read and possibly review it for the author. If you are interested, leave me a comment on this post and I'll draw a name on Sunday.

Here's the full description:

From Publishers Weekly

Marano, editor-at-large at Psychology Today and author
(Why Doesn't Anybody Like Me? A Guide to Raising Socially Confident Kids), takes
a penetrating look at the growing trend of invasive parenting. Marano likens
many parents to hovering helicopters or snowplows trying to remove all
obstacles. The unfortunate result is that children become increasingly fragile,
unable to make decisions or cope with failure. Interspersing her text with
interviews from experts and cutting-edge research, Marano follows the trail from
heavily programmed preschoolers and overprotected grade school kids to stressed
out, overachieving high school students and dependent college kids caught in a
rising campus mental health crisis (thanks to cellphones, the new umbilical
cord, they carry their parents in their jeans pockets). Rather than helping
children to find success and happiness, the author argues, this over-involvement
has exploded into a generation of infantilized wimps who can't handle everyday
life. Instead, she advises, help your kids fail—more is learned from mistakes
than from success, including critical thinking skills. The book is chock-full of
fascinating information, some of it controversial, such as a suspected link
between a diagnosis of ADHD and insufficient free play in the early years.
Marano's dire warning to back off will hit a raw nerve with many parents, but
her message may come not a moment too soon for their kids.

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Have y'all seen this?

Cass is donating $3 for every comment made on this post to breast cancer research. Her husband's company is matching that, and then her mother, a breast cancer survivor, is throwing in $3 more. That's $9 for EVERY comment. She's up to 176, head on over, add another $9.

(Thanks, Janssen, for sharing that one.)

Argh!

Finally, successful camping!

Since the first couple camping trips of the year met with rain and sickness, so we were a little worried last Friday when we set out under cloudy skies. We stopped for gas on the way out of town, and sure enough, it started to rain. It's about an hours drive to the campground we were at and it rained almost the entire way there. Just as we got in the park the rain stopped and we were able to unload the car, get settled in the cabin, and have a quick run at the playground before dark. We were booked for the first cabin as we entered the campground, and while we had hesitations about being right inside the gate, it turned out that we were directly across the street from the playground, which was awsome. The playground was occupied by these sheep as we arrived, but they moved on before we were ready to play.

After a tough time getting the Pirate to sleep that night, we all slept fairly well. We had the window open and the heater on (what? it's not like we had to pay utilities!) and it soon started to rain and rained most of the night. As usual, the babybug was the first one awake in the morning. He and I took a little walk to the bathroom and as we came back to the cabin we saw this guy out for his morning stroll as well. We only saw one other person awake and moving then, and the sun was just peeking over the trees. Bug and I wrapped ourselves well and sat by the (non-burning) fire until the other two woke up.

We loaded in the car for a drive since it's more common to see elk in the early morning. We saw white tail deer, mule deer, antelope, and turkeys, but no elk. We swug by the camp store for some bait (corn) and some coffee and headed back. The big boys fished for a while (no luck) while buggy and I read.

About noon, the inlaws showed up and we made some lunch. Some fishing, some hiking, some napping and it was dinner time. We all went for dinner at the lodge, then took another elk-less nature drive. The second night we had a huge fire and some marshmallows. I don't love eating them, but the smell of marshmallows on the campfire has to be one of the best smells ever. Everyone went to sleep without a hassle the second night. We woke up early and headed back into town to get some things done. All in all, a GREAT trip and best of all, no one got sick!

PS Anyone know the secret to putting pictures in blogger and actually having the spacing turn out like you want it to? I can't seem to do it.

About politics, the media, and voting

I am not ready to talk politics on my blog- but I just saw this video at SuziQoregon's Occasional Other Stuff Blog and want to spread it some more. It's not about the issues or the candidates, it's about the election itself, and YOUR (and my) responsibility to VOTE. It's kinda long, but it's worth it to watch to the end. (If you are my husband, I think you can watch it all the way to the end without blowing a gasket.)

TBR Day: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Most people read The Thirteenth Tale last year or the year before. I added it to my wishlist at Paperbackswap right when the reviews first started to show up, and I got it reasonably soon after. Then it sat on my shelf for over a year. I finally added it to my list of 12 (scroll down) that I was definitely going to read this year- this is the 5th one I've read off the list. It's not looking so good for the rest of them, or my other challenges, and I really doubt I'll hit 60 this year either. These darn kids taking up all my time! Maybe I should quit my day job?

So, The Thirteenth Tale is the story of two writers, Vida Winter, who writes fiction, and Margaret Lea, a biographer. Miss Winter has spent her life NOT telling her storyy, and in fact telling every possible lie about it, and now wants Margaret to come write it for her. The story has a gothic feel to it. For example, Miss Winter lives in the middle of nowhere in a big home with formal gardens,Margaret travels by train, there are "ghosts". It's really hard to put a date on the book, but it definitely is before the computer age. There is a parallel plot line about Margaret's own life and the connection both women have to twins.

I liked Miss Winter, I thought she was well written and believable as a slightly crazy old woman. She started off stiff and foreboding, but by the end she was softening and becoming human. Through the course of the story, her character becomes more human as well, and I thought this part was very well done. Her part of the story becomes more real as she tells it, which fits perfectly with the story line.

Margaret was ok, but at times it felt like the author picked a stereotype for her and refused to bend- bookish, would never harm a book, spinster, a bit OCD, close connection with Daddy while distant from her mother, etc. The side plot about her twin seemed almost silly. I thought Setterfield was using it as an obvious way to add a bit of a ghost story to it, and I didn't think the book needed that. (There are no ghosts in the story, just ghosts from their past. This is not a paranormal book.) It could have been left out without hurting the story at all.

The rest of the characters were just obvious- Aurelius's background was obvious from the moment it was questioned, likewise, you knew who Ambrose was the minute he showed up. From the moment the doctor almost smiled, you knew he'd be back. Miss Winter's mystery did catch me by surprise, but I thought the story kinda went downhill from there. From the end looking back, the hints were there, but it almost seemed like a letdown after the buildup it was given, almost like a cop out. I wanted a more complicated explanation.

Overall, compelling story, but full of weak points. I enjoyed it while reading it, but it won't be a keeper.

I reviewed this book as part of avidbookreader's TBR Day. You can read the other participants reviews by following the links on this page.

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We're home!

Weekend planning...

We're taking one last summer camping trip this weekend, before it's too cold here to think about going. This time we rented a "tent cabin" instead of taking the tent. It's a little one room cabin, not any bigger than a large tent, but it does have beds and electricity. So, not so much camping as spending the weekend away. We'll still grill burgers and have a campfire with marshmallows. I packed hot chocolate and we'll heat water on the fire. We just won't be sleeping on the hard hard ground.

I have three books packed: The Thirteenth Tale (which I hope to finish), Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer (my first Heyer), and Not On Our Watch (for Natasha's Darfur reading month- click on the graphic there in the sidebar for more info!) I'm not sure how much Darfur I'll read, this is supposed to be my last relaxing vacation, so I may not get into any details while we're out.

I've gotten a TON of new books from Paperbackswap lately. It seems that it goes in cycles, with nothing incoming or outgoing for a few weeks, and then suddenly everything comes to the top at once. Here's the last week or so, have you read any of these?

• The Pregnancy Test by Erin McCarthy


• Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside by Katrina Firlik


• Strangers in Death by JD Robb (#26, I'm only on like #23)


• The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra


• Some Like it Wicked by Teresa Medeiros


• Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker


• Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande


• Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella


• You're Not the Boss of Me: Adventures of a Modern Mom by Erika Schickel

Then, because I didn't have enough books, the library was forgiving fees if you brought in canned goods, and since I had a nice fee there I ran in at lunch one day. It's a fact that you can't go to the library without bringing more books home. So I got these:

• Not On Our Watch by Don Cheadle for my Darfur reading


• Books by Larry McMurtry


• Everything They Had: Sports Writing from David Halberstam (not so much for me)


• Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence by Gerard Jones


• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (I caved to the cult of this book.)

Sunday, I hope to get home early enough to do a little cleaning the the basement. We have decided to give up on the idea of making it a den for adults, and instead throw ourselves full into a craft area/ play room. The kids have so many big plastic toys, and it'd be nice to quarantine them into one area. Much furniture shifting must occur first though, so that ought to be fun. Once it's all settled, I hope to spend a lot more time down there with the boys, and therefore, have more to show for it. Right now, sewing is a challenge as there are piles everywhere. My ironing board hovers over the elliptical, my light balances on the desk, my poor fabric slides around on the table and chair. I can't wait to have a little more order in my life. Ha, as if.

Death's Acre by William Bass and Jon Jefferson

Did you ever read Patricia Cornwell's The Body Farm? Watch Forensic Files? Bones? Death's Acre is the non-fiction version of that. Subtitled "Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales ," this book is about the Body Farm (as you may have guessed by now.) The Body Farm is in Knoxville, TN and is a research facility dedicated to death. The brainchild of Dr. Bass, anthropologists there study every conceivable aspect of death to determine how and when a person died.

The book is a series of chapters about various case studies beginning in 1981 with the opening of the Farm. It tells in great detail about what a person can learn from a dead body and what can and can't be hidden. For example, it's hard to burn a body, if a body rests on a coin, the coin will be imprinted on the corpse, maggots appear almost immediately, and the soil under a body will show traces of the body's decomposition. Both fascinating and a little bit gross, the book held my interest and I flew through it. My only complaint is that at times it was painfully obvious that Dr. Bass was in charge of the writing as it would veer into weirdly self-congratulatory talk. I was unable to read their first fiction novel for the same reason- the writing style- so if the writing bugs you this might not be for you. Otherwise, if you're at all interesting in the forensic sciences, you should pick it up. This book would be a nice companion to Stiff by Mary Roach as well.

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In other news, no sewing was completed this weekend, and I have discounted one item in the shop by 10%.

A quilt for me

After making quilts for babies for years, I finally made one for ME. The pictures kinda suck, it won't stop RAINING here, but I can't stop wanting to post the pictures so you get sub-par pictures. It's lap quilt sized, 54 x 45 or so. It's gonna be so great to cuddle up in the chair with this winter.

Happy Labor Day!

It's Labor Day! Are you working? I'm not. THANK GOD. My husband took the Pirate to work with him, which kind of turned out to be a bad idea, but for now they are gone. The bug is sleeping on my lap. It is quiet. Ahhhh. I'd go back to bed but I hate to waste time to myself that way.

We've had a hugely busy weekend. On Saturday I took the boys to the park where we discovered a PIRATE SHIP. Ok, not really, but a large wooden play structure that seemed very much LIKE a pirate ship. We played on it for hours, literally. Saturday evening the Pirate and his daddy went to a local high school football game and watched his cousin play his first Varsity game. The bug and I stayed home and I did some sewing. Yesterday, the boys and I met a friend at the newly found pirate ship and then went for lunch. Things fell apart yesterday afternoon, when the Pirate CLEARLY didn't nap enough. Fortunately, we have today to try and recover.
















(Yeah, that COULD have been a good picture!)


I've been reading and reading- I finished Death's Acre and hope to review it today or tomorrow. I've been working hard to read A Nation of Wimps. My online discussion starts on Wednesday and it's not looking good for finishing it. I really want to read it, but it's just killing me. The idea is that parents are too overprotective and are raising kids who can't think on their own and (I think this is his point) will weaken our country when they are in charge. It should have been left as a magazine article. The author repeats himself over and over. I think a high school senior could have written it better. Plus, he keeps talking about how it's the Stay at Home Moms who are increasingly insane about parenting, and is so insulting that I want to scream. And I'm NOT a SAHM. Anyway, you can look forward to that review soon too.

Finally, I got some sewing done and posted two new items to my store this morning. This is called the Christine Correspondence Kit, named after a good friend of mine who persists in sending actual letters through the mail, even when I suck at returning them. Head on over and check them out.