Sorry...wrong number!

So...my daughter is a substitute teacher (looking for a full time position, if anyone hears of one!) and, on Tuesday of last week, she had secured a half day job. While she was getting ready, she was called with an opening for the afternoon, which gave her a full day. I had gone back to bed so she left me a note, letting me know that she was working all day. I decided to text her because she hadn't started her workday yet and I was nosy. I should first mention that her phone went wonky last weekend and, since she depends on it to get sub positions, I lent her my phone and started using my old phone. I should also mention that Jamie lived in Georgia for two years and had changed her cell number to a Georgia area code. She has since changed it back to a Michigan area code.

Here's my texting conversation with "Jamie":


Simply a nosy question from Mom.
 I'm allowed this privilege so don't get all down on me!



Her reply, which confused me.
 I know that she was having a few problems with my phone
 so maybe the text got cut off.
Maybe she had suddenly decided to ask:
"Who discovered electricity?"
but the text was cut off before she finished.

So here's my reply.



And again, that funky "cut off" text.
Yes, my mind is sometimes slow to figure things out!
I thought of answering that, while Ben Franklin
is said to be the father of electricity, there
are arguments that try to prove otherwise.
But I didn't.

I replied with this! I am usually one of those texters
who has to use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
However, this is an old phone and it is harder to text.
Lazy texting is what I'm doing here.

In the meantime, I realized that I was texting her old
Georgia phone number, which was still in this phone's
address book. So, I totally "got" the above text! Go me!

I was so embarrassed.
I decided to apologize and move on.

But my new friend wasn't ready to move on, and was, in fact,
a little curious now. And to correct his text - I'm sure
he meant *or not *of.

I thought that maybe it wasn't a good idea to form a new
friendship by accidental text. I thought maybe this would
put an end to his curiosity.

It didn't.
I decided not to reply even though he politely
called me "ma'am".

A few minutes later, I received this text.

I felt bad then. So, okay, I'm sure letting him know
exactly how old I am should put an end to it!



It did. Still, he seemed polite till the end.





Simple Sunday

View from my office window

Simple Sunday

Little House log cabin dollhouse.

My Christmas present from my family.

I was "over the moon" thrilled!

Reading for 2011

Reading has always been a big part of my life. I can remember going to the public library with my mom and picking out my books. My mom always checked out a big stack of books so I know where I got my love of reading. Library day at school was one of the days that I looked forward to most.

My first favorite that I can remember, when I was very little, was Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle. I can vividly recall being snuggled up next to my sister while she read the tales of my beloved Raggedy Ann. I still have that book.

When I started reading the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder I can remember, like it was yesterday, racing to the section of the school library where her books lived so that I could check out one of her precious books. I was very shy and quiet, but one memory that has stayed with me, maybe because it was so out of character for me, was speaking up when one of the boys who knew that I loved those books got to the next book and checked it out so that I couldn't. Now, I knew that he did not want that book. His friends made a point of gleefully telling me what he had done. And then I did something that shy and quiet little me never did.

I told on him.

I went right up to the school librarian and told on him! And, you know what? She made him give the book back so that I could check it out. No one was going to come between me and those Little House books!

Over the years, I've read many books. I can remember loving series books. You haven't read much of my blog and not know that my favorite always and forever is Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books. I remember reading about Cherry Ames by Helen Wells and Julie Tatham (which my mom also read when she was a young girl) and Sue Barton by Helen Dore Boylston (I wanted to be a nurse). I can remember reading Nancy Drew. I loved Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. I still have the hardcover Trumpet of the Swan (also by E.B. White) that was a Christmas gift one year and Jonathan Livingston Seagull (by Richard Bach) from another year. Actually, receiving a book for my birthday or Christmas were some of my favorite gifts of all.

When I was a little older, I can remember sneaking one of my sister's books to read...The Exorcist (I didn't even try to find a picture of that book!). That was a mistake. I remember my mom catching me reading it and saying, "You shouldn't be reading that!", but she didn't take it away. I had nightmares for a very long time.

Okay, you get the point. I've always loved to read.

Somewhere along the way, though, reading took a backseat. When my kids were growing up, I just simply did not have time. There were years that I finished only one or two books. I took to leaving a book in my car because the only time I would have time to read was while I was waiting for my kids to get out of whatever activity they were in at the time. Sometimes, I didn't even have that luxury because I was also a professional volunteer :) and was involved in what they were involved in.

So, those days are behind me and I have the time to read now. My younger one has been out of high school for over three years and our business is slower than it used to be (very slow right now). I certainly have time! I would probably go looking for a paying job if: there were any to be had for someone who has been out of the "out in the world" workforce for 22 years and if Jim wasn't working alone. He needs a backup, even if it's just me. I'm cheaper than hiring someone right now! ;) So, here I am with time on my hands.

I joined a book club late last year. It was brand new and the majority of women wanted to form a mystery book club, but agreed to open it up to other genres. It doesn't look to be going that way. Although I love a good mystery, I just don't want to be tied to them. I haven't left the group and, since January's meeting was cancelled because of the weather, I have another month to decide. In the meantime, I decided to try forming my own book club. I posted it on facebook and sent out emails. It generated a little bit of interest, so I decided to schedule a meeting and that was last night. So, my daughter, my sister, my brother, and my sister-in-law met and, after much discussion and straying off topic, chose a book. We will be reading Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. We went through quite a few book descriptions and finally agreed on this one. I'm pretty excited about it. We had all agreed that we would like to read some classics too, which is something that I really want to do. I do hope that the others are as excited as I am!

So, to make a long story longer :), I am going to be doing just a bit of book blogging here too. I am going to choose some (or all) of the books that I read and just do a quick summary (and my opinion) here. My goal is to read one book a week. Sadly, I've already failed there. I've only read one book so far, but I have started another, and have a couple that I started last year that I want to finish.

Goals not Resolutions

That's what I began doing a few years ago. I make goals for the year instead of new year's resolutions. I find that, if I make a resolution, I'm just setting myself up for a let down. If I make a list of goals, then I'm working towards something unlike a resolution where I'm looking for an immediate solution to something that I'm trying to fix.

So, I made my 2011 goals.

• Get routines in place. (I thrive on routines. I just want to make sure that I'm getting my daily jobs done.)
• Get dressed, make-up & hair fixed every day. (I feel better about myself when I fix my hair and just put a little make-up on, even if I'm not even leaving the house.)
• Keep caught up on business work. (I tend to put some things off, just do what I have to. That's not how I used to be and I need to get back to it!)
• Eat right and walk almost every day. (That one needs no explanation.)
• Be on time with birthday cards, etc. (I tend to be late. Don't know why, but I put it off.)
• Go to church weekly. (We've slacked off during the last few months of last year. Need to get back on track. Actually we've been going since Christmas. This one should not be difficult).
• Read more. (It's for me and I tend to put it off. I barely had time to read when my kids were growing up and I got out of the habit. I'm reading more, but I want to read even more.)
• Do more Laura research/develop program. (Laura Ingalls Wilder - I'd love to develop a program that I can present locally. Don't know if I'm brave enough yet, but I will start working on it. As far as research goes...there's always more that I can learn!)
• Write every day! (Love to write, find it therapeutic, but keep putting if off. That needs to stop.)

They are simple, do-able goals. Mostly things that I'd just let go over the past few years. It's more about getting back on track.

I think I can do it!

Simple Sunday

I met Dean Butler (aka Almanzo on Little House on the Prairie) at LauraPalooza last summer. :)

On another day I will finally write about my experiences.

Have a wonderful day,

Laura



Adventures in Swapping

Back in October, I read a post on Beyond Little House about a Little House Christmas stocking swap on a website called swap-bot. It sounded interesting and fun so I headed on over to check it out. As it turned out, the criteria for signing up for this swap were a little strict, with good reason. You had to have ten swaps with good ratings before you would be considered for this swap. As I was able to figure out swap-bot, I could totally understand. This was a big swap and there are swappers who "flake" (don't fulfill their part of the swap - receive but do not give). (If you're interested in more info head on over to swap-bot.) Mimi, who was the swap coordinator (and a super nice and creative person) graciously accepted me into the group. She was sure that I could get ten swaps in before sign-up time. Without going into a ton of explanation, I'll just say that I did get my swaps in and had a little fun doing it.

So, I did do the Little House Christmas swap. And I had loads of fun getting my Christmas stocking together!

In swap-bot you are assigned partners for each swap and, since this was an international swap, I knew that being assigned an international partner was a possibility. While the partner assigned to send to me was from the good ol' USA, the partner that I had to send to lived in Finland! I have to say that the cost of shipping this was way (and I mean way!) more than I thought it would be. I'm sure that there must have been a more inexpensive way to ship, but from what the woman at the post office told me I could only have saved a couple of dollars by not shipping flat rate and that wouldn't have made a huge difference. I enjoyed having an international partner, though, as I was able to send her items from the homesites that she may very well never be able to visit.

I really racked my brain trying to come up with ideas of what to send my partner. I know I could be crafty, but I have not taken the time to do crafty things in years. Now was not the time to start!

But wait! How about filling the stocking with a Christmas from each of the nine Little House books?

I did just that. I attached the passage from the book that goes with the item and also added personal notes on the back as some of the items came from the actual homesites or my own collection.

 I bought this stocking at Meijer. It reminded me of the illustration of Laura in Little House in the Big Woods when she was making snow angels in the Christmas chapter. I know I could have made something with felt, but I'm not that good yet! Reminds me...another day I will show what my daughter made for me!

 In the morning they all woke up almost at the same moment. They looked at their stockings and something was in them. Santa Claus had been there. Alice and Ella and Laura in their red flannel nightgowns, and Peter in his red flannel nightshirt, all ran shouting to see what he had brought.

In each stocking there was a pair of bright red mittens, and there was a long, flat stick of red-and-white-striped peppermint candy, all beautifully notched along each side.

They were all so happy they could hardly speak at first. They just looked with shining eyes at those lovely Christmas presents. But Laura was happiest of all. Laura had a rag doll.

~ Little House in the Big Woods

(Charlotte came from Walnut Grove)

He pulled out an orange, and he pulled out a little package of dried figs. And he thought that was all. He thought no boy ever had a better Christmas.

~Farmer Boy

(I knew that I couldn't send a real orange to Finland, so how about a chocolate orange?)

 

Something was shining bright in the top of Laura's stocking. She squealed and jumped out of bed. So did Mary, but Laura beat her to the fireplace. And the shining thing was a glittering new tin cup.

Mary had one just like it.
...

And in the very toe of each stocking was a shining bright, new penny!

~Little House on the Prairie

(This tin cup came from the Ingalls Homestead. And, yes, I did put a shining bright, new penny in the toe!)

In one of Carrie's stockings were four pieces of that beautiful candy. In the other was the button-string. Carrie's eyes and her mouth were perfectly round when she saw it. Then she squealed, and grabbed it and squealed again. She sat on Pa's knee, looking at her candy and her button-string and wriggling and laughing with joy.

~On the Banks of Plum Creek

(I've been collecting buttons for a couple of years to make my button string garland for my own tree. This is my one homemade item.)

Everyone exclaimed when Ma unwrapped her pretty apron. She put it on at once, and stood up for them all to see. She looked at the hem, and smiled at Carrie. "You hem very nicely, Carrie," she said, then she smiled at Laura, "And Laura's gathers are even and well sewed. It is a nice apron."

"There's more, Ma!" Carrie cried out. "Look in the pocket!"

Ma took out the handkerchief. She was so surprised. And to think that the very morning she gave away her Sunday best handkerchief, she was given another one; it was as if this had been planned, though none of them had planned it.

~By the Shores of Silver Lake

(This is a vintage apron that I got from ebay with a new handkerchief tucked in the pocket.)

Pa stretched his arms above his head. He opened and closed his hands and stretched his fingers wide, then ran them through his hair till it all stood on end.

"I believe this warm weather has taken the stiffness out of my fingers," he said. "If you will bring me the fiddle, Laura. I'll see what I can do."

Laura brought the fiddle-box and stood close by while Pa lifted the fiddle out of its nest. He thumbed the strings and tightened the keys as he listened. The he rosined the bow and drew it across the strings.

A few clear, true notes softly sounded. The lump in Laura's throat almost choked her.

~Christmas in May chapter from A Long Winter

(I had two fiddle ornaments and I gave this one away.)

Together Laura and Carrie had bought a German-silver thimble for Ma, and a blue silk necktie for Pa. And at Laura's plate was the blue-and-gilt book, Tennyson's Poems. Pa and Ma did not guess that she was not surprised They had brought from Iowa a book for Carrie, too, and kept it hidden. It was Stories of the Moorland.

~Little Town on the Prairie

(I wished I'd been able to get a vintage book of Tennyson's Poems, but settled for this. It did include the poem, "The Lotos-Eaters")

In the sitting room Carrie and Grace made little bags of pink mosquito netting, left over last summer from the screen door. They filled the bags with Christmas candy that Pa had brought from town that week.

~These Happy Golden Years

(Pink tulle with a little handfull of hard candy)

A hundred precious dollars had gone for doctor bills and medicine and help through the summer and winter so far; but after all, a Rose in December was much rarer than a rose in June, and must be paid for accordingly.

Christmas was at hand and Rose was a grand present.

~The First Four Years

(I bought this wee little china doll at the Ingalls Homestead when we were there a couple of years ago. I had a hard time giving her up, but she was perfect as Rose.)

That was my stocking! I packaged it up and sent it to my partner far away in Finland. Then I waited, anxiously, for her to receive it and rate me. I wasn't worried about the rating, but I really wanted her to be pleased!

Finally, she received it and this is what she wrote when she rated me:

Comment: I received your package yesterday and opening it really made the Christmas come right to me there and then! I´m totally speechless in front of your generosity and all the amazing things you sent me. First of all, you spent so much money sending all that this far and how thoughtfully you had prepared all the pieces. You really love those books and know every detail in them as you´ve chosen such great parts from them and the items fit those parts perfectly. All I can say is BIG THANKS :)!You´ve such a special person and I can´t believe I was so lucky to have you as my partner. May your Christmas be full of joy and happiness!

That made it all worth it!

In the mean time, I had received my stocking from my partner in Missouri. She put a ton of work into the hand-made stocking. It's beautiful! In the stocking she included a bookmark, ornament, heart magnet, board book, Whitman's sampler and mini M&M's.

Christmas

My intention, through the Christmas season, was to stay busy. I needed to stay focused on good memories or I knew that I would have a meltdown. I had my moments. I just missed my mom so much...and I always miss my dad. I guess it would have been easier to not "celebrate" Christmas this year. I have no small children and there are no grandchildren so no real reason to decorate or bake and all those things that go with Christmas. Something just pushed me. I felt the need to go all out. It's funny because for the last few years I just haven't put much effort into Christmas other than just what I needed to do.

This year...I decorated my tree just the way I've been wanting to. I have been on the lookout for more Little House inspired ornaments these last couple of years to fill my tree. I gave my kids the ornaments from their growing up years so I have more space on the tree to fill. I started making a button string garland which isn't finished yet (ran out of time :)). I love the tree this year. Even Jim doesn't want me to take it down yet.

This year...I baked like I haven't baked in a very long time...sugar cookies, gingerbread man cookies, candy topped oatmeal bars, peanut butter kiss cookies, and a huge favorite (with everyone but me) butterscotch bars. I made gingerbread, four pies and Jesus' birthday cake. My family was thrilled!

This year...I made our Christmas cards. I've never made Christmas cards before. I almost backed out, but Jim guilted pushed me to finish. They turned out okay, but I know I can do better. Next year, I may just try again. They were Little House inspired, of course!

This year...I participated in two gift exchanges related to Laura Ingalls Wilder and also a card exchange with the LIW listserv. I will write about one of the gift exchanges within the next day or two. It was a fun project to be involved in and, although I'm not a crafty person, my partner was happy with her gift(s)!

This year...I didn't totally obsess about shopping and gifts. Well, okay, just a little when Jim (who was in charge of shopping for Jon) waited until the week of Christmas to start his shopping. I cut down this year, but still did more than I had planned.

This year...I also hosted a Christmas Eve luncheon with my family. My mother started the tradition, when she moved back to Michigan after my dad died, of getting together on Christmas Eve for lasagna, salad, rolls and lots of desserts. It was important to keep her tradition going. My sister, who has wonderful cooking and baking talents, made the lasagna and brought some pies. So, it was actually a very simple and enjoyable day.

Jim, Jamie, and I then went to Christmas Eve mass at 10pm. It was beautiful. The music was just wonderful. Jim and I had stepped away from church for the last couple of months. It was just something we needed to do. Some things have come up and we needed to step back, take a break, and make some decisions. Christmas Eve was a good time to return...

New Year's Eve is reserved for Jim's family. For several years, we have gotten together with his siblings (and whatever grandchildren can make it) and eat and play games. It has become our time to get together during the holidays. I came down with a stomach bug this year and sent Jim on his own.

I missed not being with Jim for our New Year's kiss. He came home shortly after midnight. By then, I was having some kind of a meltdown. Really. It seemed to all catch up with me and I needed to cry. And I did. And that's what Jim came home to.

I'm okay now. Sometimes I just need to cry.

My holidays were good though. I got some really cool gifts. Little House inspired, of course. Laura Ingalls Wilder has had a tremendous presence here this year! That's a good thing, because that Laura has helped this Laura a great many times in my life!

Simple Sunday

Our Christmas tree 2010.

It's almost all Little House related, with some of my special ornaments.

This year, I gave the kids their ornaments from growing up.

Last night, I told Jim that I needed the storage boxes back down from the attic so that I can pack everything back up and he said, "Let's just leave it out for a little while longer."

He loves the tree this year,

 loves our mix of antiques and some old-fashioned toys that I have on the fireplace mantle.

He doesn't usually express such feelings.

I'll leave it up till he's tired of it...

Those outside lights and decorations?

They're outta here!

Yesterday was in the 40's.

Knowing today would be much colder (and it is), Jim wanted to get that job taken care of!

I usually pack away Christmas decorations right after the new year.

When do you take yours down?

Love,

Laura

New Year, New Start

Happy New Year to all who are so dear to me and to all who may trip into my blog by accident!

From my house to yours!

Love,

Laura