Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Playing Catch-up

Since our last chat, I've been up to, well, about 5 feet, 5 1/2 inches. Yeah, if my dear colleague answers with his height one more time when I ask him what he's been up to, I'll... I'll... I just don't know what I'll do.

Here's a random recap of what I really have been up to. After reading it, you may wish I'd just stuck with my vital statistics:

1. Reading spiritual memoirs. I'm in LOVE with authors Don Miller and Anne Lamott. I know I'm about a zillion years late falling in love with these two, of Blue Like Jazz and Traveling Mercies, fame, but I just gobbled up Miller's new book:



and an older one by Anne Lamott:

Love, love, love the way they write and the way they make me think about my life and my story. They remind me of one of my favorite bloggers, Glennon.

2. Homeschooling and negotiating. Okay, not really. My poor daughter has only been out of school 3 days and we've already lost her summer math packet. We also haven't decided where to send her to school next year. So much for stability.

We are, however, reading a book about Women's Suffrage from the Dear America historical book series. She's loving it and I guess has taken some lessons to heart, because after a huge blow-up with her dad last night (over stuffed zucchini), she marched down the stairs carrying her "picket" as they say in the book.


Fortunately, I intercepted her and used my crack negotiating skills to talk her back up to her bedroom banishment. Somehow a hate note on the very same white board he took her to buy at Michael's earlier that day didn't seem like it would further her case for justice.

3. Buying ill-filling pants at the thrift store. Yep, in an effort to save money, I've made the brilliant move of buying used pants. Without a dressing room. The question is, is it really a bargain when I suddenly look like I have BIFF--"butt in front?"

4. Watching movies! Grand Torino was awesome! Acting? Meh. Story? Stellar. Tom and I discovered after an electrical storm that for some reason we now have Cinemax and Showtime. I hope to watch a few more movies before it goes back wherever it came from.

5. Avoiding my bathing suit. Yep, we canceled our pool membership this summer to save a little money. Happily, that means no bathing suit for me. Sadly, it means no fun for the kids, who have been hanging out in our driveway wearing suits and goggles hoping neighbors with a pool with have pity on them.

6. Sending kids to 9 hour a day church camp without sun or insect protection. Crap. I hope to remedy this tomorrow. Tick check will be tonight at 9.

7. Watching TV! The four of us are hooked on "America's Got Talent." An early contestant who billed himself as a "Genital Daredevil" and put his privates in a bucket with a firecracker really grabbed our attention AND expanded our vocabulary. It was a real teachable moment. The other acts have either horrified or inspired us, too.

8. Admiring my hair. To the average person, my hair is not doing anything that special. But after my hairdresser gave me a straightening treatment, I look less like this:


and more like, well, a normal person.


A normal person who just smelled something icky, but still.

So I guess that's about it in my little kingdom-- apart from doing laundry, going to work and trying to discover my hidden talent-- definitely not genital daredevil-dom--What about you?

Do I dare ask?

What have YOU been up to?




21 comments:

  1. Firstly, your hair looks AMAZING. The straightening really worked well. You look gorgeous!

    I am definitely going to have to check out Donald Miller's new book! I love him. A lot!

    Have a wonderful week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love Donald Miller and Anne Lamott. And your hair. I love them all the same!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The story about the firecrackers in the bucket? now THAT is scary.

    I can't believe your daughter just got out of school! That's so late. how awesome for you.

    And 9-hr-a-day church camp??? DUde, I have to change denominations, I think.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, I love how kids think we're not in charge of them. According to my Visa account, I'm incredibly in charge of them. Thanks, random summer camps!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great hair and FANTASTIC sign. A little late for Father's Day, but still.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Apparently I need a straitening treatment. Who knew? I've been having the windows cleaned and getting bids for counter tops for a couple bathrooms. I haven't gotten any prices yet, which is why I'm still chipper. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Okay, I loved that hate sign. I mean, not love it like I'm supporting her hatred of her dad, but love that she would make a big statement about her rights. I just find things like that funny. Funny because it's not happening to me. :)

    I like Anne Lamott too. My plan this summer is to read more of her stuff.

    Your hair looks fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  8. HI! Found your blog from Young House Love.. whom I adore.. Anyways.. wanted to let you know we call the "butt in front" that you refer to a FRASS in our household.. Front ass :) Just thought I would share! Haha :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. First off, that picket sign is the kind of thing I LOVE so long as it's somebody else's kid showing all that spunk. (But, hey, she's reading and applying knowledge... ) Second: the hair is fantastically sleek and smooth. Are you tossing it around and imagining it's cascading in a slow-motion silky curtain? Like you're in a shampoo commercial? I would totally be doing that.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, and third: Anne Lamott is one of my favorites (cultishly so), so I'm going to check out both Donald Miller and Glennon. I'm reading and loving Sloane Crosley's new book.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Okay - you have to tell me about your hair straightener. I've always wanted to try that... And I've only ever heard the other gross term for that pants condition.

    ReplyDelete
  12. wow. anna. you never fail to entertain me. you are another person i think i would enjoy just hanging out sipping tea on a cool summer afternoon (although those don't seem to exist here in tn).

    i remember sending my kids to summer camp… it was some awful place that had the policy like this: your kids want sun screen… they have to apply it themselves. same goes for drinks. if they can't open them themselves, too bad. the counselors don't have time to open up 50 juice boxes.
    we called that camp "camp melanonma" funny in a not-so-funny kind of way. after a week, we pulled them out of the summer program.

    and my husband got donald miller's book for christmas. he loved it. it's on my stack of stuff to read. now all i need is four more hours in the day!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your hair looks great - and you are beautiful. I haven't either of those books, but I've been reading Rumi and Omar Khayyam and I just love those writers!

    Come visit me.
    http://ivyandhaley.blogspot.com

    Ivy

    ReplyDelete
  14. Without even reading others' comments (so I can pretend it's just US), let me just say the hair looks faaaaaaahhhbulous! That's funny, cuz I just posted about my hair (which looks a lot like your BEFORE picture, except with more roots) and my magician at the salon. How much and what's it called? Most important, how long does it last?

    Have read and loved Blue Like Jazz, so will put these 2 on my summer reading list. And I just bought pants AND a skirt at Good Will, but tried them both on first. I buy nothing without try-ons, since I would wearing exclusively BIF Pants--ill-filling? Loved your typo.It was, wasn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your hair looks awesome ; -)

    Ann Lamott has been a favorite of mine for years. I also love her book on writing, Bird by Bird. I don't know the other author so will add him to the summer list (it's oh so long!)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank goodness Molly remembered to include the menacing skull on the I Hate Dad portion of the anti-stuffed zucchini white board sign. Nice touch!

    Speaking of signs, what I am up to these days is commuting to work by walking, and I passed by a sign so funny I had to stop and take a picture of it. It was in a church parking lot and it said "If you park here when not at church, you will be TOWED." And then in tiny letters, "God loves you though!" Nice!

    jbhat

    ReplyDelete
  17. Your kids crack me up! Love the hair too! I can only imagine the luxury of wearing my hair NOT in a ponytail all summer!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Just found your blog, looking for mud room ideas. Love it.
    And your hair looks awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  19. That signed cracked me up. Your hair looks gorgeous and I am IN LOVE with camp in my little quadrant of the world.

    ReplyDelete
  20. what was the straightening treatment called? i have your 'before' hair on my head right now!

    ReplyDelete