Can't quite decide.

The bangs remind me of:
a) my fourth grade hair cut (minus the perm)
b) my mom's hair
c) a character from Mad Men

But, there's no turning back now.

Kitchens

I dream of having a kitchen that is big enough to cook and eat with friends.





Oh, and I'm trying to learn how to use Tumblr.

I used to. . . Now I

I used to drink sweet white wine (like Riesling).
Now I prefer Shiraz.

I used to drink black tea in the morning.
Now I choose coffee with milk.

I used to think I would be a professional harpist.
Now I am a teacher.

I used to hate onions.
Now I add raw onions to salad and can tolerate red onions on pizza.

I used to avoid watching all versions of CSI.
Now I like it - not enough to program my DVR but enough to watch it.

I used to tape things on my VCR.
Now I use record on a DVR, but I still say tape.

I used to (when I was 13) think I would be single and live in a big city.
Now I am married with a dog and a house in a small-ish town.

I used to like super sweet coffee (like white chocolate mocha)
Now I crave a chai latte or a caramel macchiato.

I used to drive an SUV.
Now I have a little car.

I used to be a size 10.
Now one leg would fit in a size 10.

What I Read: When You Reach Me

This one was my book club's pick for April. It was the 2010 Newbery winner, but I'm proud to say that I already had a copy on my "to read" pile before the big award.


When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead

Miranda, a twelve-year-old living with her single mom in New York City in 1979, receives a series of three mysterious notes, each written in the same handwriting on crumpled and folded squares of white paper. The first note says,

I am coming to save your friend's life, and my own.
I ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.

Miranda is confused, worried, and, above all, curious.

The mystery that unfolds with the letters is not the entire story, though. Miranda must learn to make friends when her life-time friend and neighbor, Sal, suddenly stops talking to her. Miranda's mom is preparing for an appearance on the $20,000 Pyramid, and Miranda is reading and re-reading her new favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time.

When You Reach Me is a lot of things. It is a mystery. It is realistic fiction. It is historical fiction. It even has a science-fiction twist. The chapters were quick (sometimes as short as a page), so I was willing to keep reading even though many details sometimes felt isolated and unimportant. Things come together quickly in the final pages of the book in a way that made me want to re-read for clues I knew I missed.

I'm not entirely sure that kids (maybe fifth or sixth grade kids?) will enjoy this book; there isn't a specific kid I can't wait to tell about this book. The main character is wrapped up in A Wrinkle in Time. When You Reach Me might appeal to fans of L'Engle's novel, but the elements of science-fiction and fantasy in Stead's story are probably not intense or significant enough to entertain hard-core science-fiction readers. Because of length and pace, the book might appeal to reluctant readers. The complexity of the plot might make it difficult for that group, though, too.

Mostly, I'm just not quite sure I can clearly enough explain what the book is about well enough to convince others to read it without giving away the really interesting parts.

You'll just have to trust me. Read it. You might be confused, but I don't think you'll regret it.

Meal Plan

Monday:
(book club at my house)
Chicken Noodle Soup

Tuesday:
(timing at track meet and yoga)
Spaghetti - sauce from freezer

Wednesday:
Lasagna

Thursday:
(timing at track meet and yoga)
Tacos

Friday:
(cut and color)
Out to show off my fancy hair

Dance

Natalie had her first dance recital Friday night. Between the big birthday on Wednesday and the dance recital, there is no mistaking that Natalie is not a little girl anymore. She is officially a kid.

I'm not sure that she's headed for a career as a ballerina, but she sure was adorable and brave.

I will say that the whole dance recital thing freaked me out just a little bit. I kept having flashes of Toddlers in Tiaras; there was plenty of blush and braided hair and glitter and beauty queen going on.

What I Read: Olive Kitteridge

Confession 1: The post should technically be titled "What I Listened to," but that just doesn't have the same ring to it. I do feel like I should confess, though, that I listened to all nine discs of this one while driving around the great state of WI (and a little bit of northern IL).


Olive Kitteridge
by Elizabeth Strout

Confession 2: I've gone back and forth for several months about whether I actually wanted to read this book. Several reader-friends reported that they really didn't enjoy it because they didn't like the main character and were confused by the many simultaneous story lines. I decided to move forward when I needed something to listen to on several back-to-back road trips (which takes me back to confession one).

Confessions out of the way. . . Olive Kitteridge is a series of short stories (each occupying a chapter of the novel) that tell the story of the novel's namesake. We see scenes of Olive's adult life in each chapter. Some chapters provide only a snapshot of Olive - she was the seventh grade math teacher of a troubled adult, she was the friend of a widow, she was a favorite customer of the waitress of Dunkin' Doughnuts. In these chapters, I found myself enjoy a story that could stand alone while also waiting anxiously to find out how Olive fit into the story. Some chapters gave only a sentence or two about Olive; other chapters gave stories Olive was more closely intertwined with.

Other chapters were entirely about Olive - she provides care for her husband after his stroke, she loathes her son's first wife and learned to love her son's second wife, she watched as her own father lost his life to mental illness.

Really, the reader doesn't just see Olive's life. The reader experiences Olive through the town she lives in (Crosby, Maine) and the people she interacted with. Olive does many things that are unlikeable, but she also has tender moments with her husband, son, and self. I couldn't help but like her just because she was so real. I especially enjoyed seeing how Olive was shaped by the people and landscape around her.

I would be interested in reading more of Elizabeth Strout's work including:
Amy and Isabelle
Abide with Me

Paper and Glue

I spent last Friday night at a crop with Stephanie. I'll spare you the details of the crop (held at a banquet room in a bowling alley) and the lovely women seated next to us and just leave you with the finished product.

I do need to say that these are all made from the same Studio Calico kit and one add-on. I didn't think that I would use much of the kit when I first opened it; the colors and embellishments seemed a little intimidating. But, I ended up making these four pages plus another one. Not too shabby for a kit I didn't think I liked!


Lift of a page by Christine Drumheller
Beautiful child property of Em and Justin Spahn

Alphabet - American Crafts; Cardstock - Bazzill; Embellishments - Hambly (rub-ons), Jenni Bowlin (butterfly), October Afternoon (stickers), and Prima (gems); Kit (partially) - Studio Calico Bakers' Dozen (February 2010); Patterned Paper - My Minds' Eye, Sassafras, Scenic Route; Tools - Unknown vintage (typewriter)


Some photos by the fabulous Em Spahn

Cardstock - Bazzill; Embellishments - American Crafts (chipboard frames), Making Memories (paper ribbon), Prima (fabric paper), Sassfras (buttons), Sweet Vintage (vintage doilies); Ink - Staz On; Kit - Studio Calico Bakers' Dozen (February 2010); Patterned Paper - Fancy Pants, My Minds' Eye, Sassafras, Scenic Route; Pen - American Crafts; Tools - Fiskars (punch)


Another photo by the fabulous Em Spahn
Alphabet - American Crafts; Cardstock - Bazzill; Embellishments - Hambly (rub-ons), Making Memories (paper ribbon), Unknown (staples); Ink - StazOn; Kit - Studio Calico Bakers' Dozen (February 2010); Patterned Paper - Basic Grey, Fancy Pants, My Minds Eye, Sassafras; Tools - Heidi Swapp (edge distresser), Unknown vintage (typewriter)


Cardstock - Bazzill; Embellishments - American Crafts (Brad, Flair); Kit (partially) - Studio Calico Bakers' Dozen (February 2010); Patterned Papers - Basic Grey, Sasafras, Studio Calico; Tools - Fiskars (punch), Unknown vintage (typewriter)

April 21: Then and Now

Five years ago my life got a whole lot more interesting.
Happy birthday, Miss Natalie.










Thank you to Nicky and Chris not just for being such great friends they must as well be family but also for letting us be part of the lives of their beautiful children. I am a better person because I've watched Natalie learn and grow.

From the Past Five Days

1. Paper + Scissors = Happy Barb
I didn't think I really liked the February Studio Calico kit, but I've actually made five pages with it. Here is one of them; more to come later.


2. A new recipe.
Grill-ability has been very high.


3. A quiet Sunday morning at home.
It's been awhile since everyone has been around on a Sunday morning.


4. the Kiddos.
Miss Dottie and Sir Luke.




5. A funeral.
My mom's brother, Joe, has been missing since November. His body was found last Sunday, and his memorial service was Monday night. My brother wrote a great poem.

What I Read: Paper Towns

Paper Towns
by John Green

Sigh. I loved this book.

It's about unrequited love.
It's a mystery.
It's about popularity and perception and friendship.

It starts when Margo Roth Spiegelman climbs through Quentin Jacobson's bedroom window in the middle of the night, and ends with Q on a 24-hour road trip (in a mini-van) with his best friends.

It is about Q's search for Margo. It's a physical search for Margo, but it is so much more than that. It is Q's search for who Margo really is - what is important to her, what she dreams about, her true self.

John Green's characters are hilarious. Take Ben. He's a complete nerd (who refers to girls as "honeybunnies") and total genius. Or Q's other friend, Radar, whose parents own the largest collection of black Santa Clauses in the nation.

But, John Green's characters are also smart. Margo leaves clues about her disappearance in the lines of Whitman's Leaves of Grass.

I told some eighth graders about the book last week. I think they would be drawn in by the mystery and interested in the adult language, underage drinking parties, and sexual tension. I don't think they would really understand the subtle messages about pressure and identity, though, and especially not the literary allusions. But, Paper Towns would also be completely appropriate for high school or adult readers.

Completely appropriate and totally entertaining and thought-provoking.

Paper and Glue

I have very much been in love with the paper and glue lately. I made these during spring break and am looking forward to a Friday night crop.


Philadelphia
Cardstock: Bazzill Paper Basics; Flowers: Sassafras; Gems: Prima; Ink: Tim Holtz; Kit: Studio Calico (January 2010) "Whodunit"; Letters: October Afternoon; Patterned Paper: American Crafts, Basic Grey, October Afternoon, Studio Calico; Pen: American Crafts; Punches: Fiskars, Marvy Uchida; Rub-ons: October Afternoon


Family Photo
(lift of Laura Kurz)
(photo by Homburg Photography)
Cardstock: Bazzill Paper Basics; Gems: Prima; Ink: Tim Holtz; Kit: Studio Calico (January 2010) "Whodunit"; Letters: Harmonie; Patterned Paper: American Crafts, Basic Grey, Studio Calico; Pen: American Crafts; Staples: Making Memories; Stickers: Studio Calico

Meal Plan

Monday
Spinach Salad with Salmon and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Tuesday
Asian Pork Tenderloin
Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Wednesday
Tequila Lime Chicken

Thursday
Pork Burritos

Friday
Crop. No food needed - except junk food snacks.

Saturday
Spinach and Artichoke Risotto
Carrot Salad
(from Moosewood Restaurant's Simple Suppers)

Anatomy of a Spring Break Stay-cation

Friday:
Travel to Madison
Scrapbook with Emily
Dinner at Great Dane

Saturday:
Travel to Milwaukee
Lunch with Aunt Amy and Jennifer
Pick up Brad
Short visit with Kevin, Jess, Noah, and Chase
Begin visit with Mom and Dad

Sunday:
Easter at with Angie, Mike, Luke, and Dottie
(featuring Pioneer Woman's Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting)
(also featuring artisan bread made by Angie)




Watched the Blind Side

Monday:
End visit with Mom and Dad
Whole lot of nothing = Fabulous
Some cleaning of the scrapbook room
Lots of napping
First brat of 2010



Tuesday:
Visit with Angie, Mike, Luke, and Dottie
Cook gourmet dinner
(featuring Asian Marinated Pork Tenderloin)


Wednesday:
Massage and Scalp Treatment
Lunch with Stephanie and AJ
Recipient of AJ's first "on-purpose" kiss
Babysat for Natalie and Katelyn

Thursday:
Awoke to 55 degree house and 3" of snow
Found plants outside covered in snow
Defrosted plants

Pretty much nothing except television watching
(How I Met Your Mother, Big Love, 17 Again)
Chased Memphis through the neighborhood - naughty dog!

Friday:
Scrapbooking (with Studio Calico January kit)
Spaghetti Feast for Brad's big return

Watched the Brewers lose to the Cardinals

Saturday:
First iced Starbucks of the season (Caramel Macchiato)
Pedicure (toes done in Domestic Goddess)
Grocery shopping
Homemade pizza and Chocolate Cupcakes with the Brandts




Sunday:
AJ's baptism

Afternoon nap

I made stuff

I spent Friday at Archiver's with the fabulous Emily. We scrapped for hours, sustaining ourselves on Easter candy and soda. Here are the results.

Made with Studio Calico November 2009 kit:



Made with Studio Calico December 2009 Kit:





We did, of course, enjoy some dinner afterward.

There is plenty of other news. . .
Brad came back from his crazy biking vacation
We enjoyed Easter at Angie's
My spring break started
There are lots of things I want to buy for my kitchen