Fed up Flump

Usually when I am in a bad mood I don't like to blog.  Writing takes energy and I feel sapped when I am grumpy.  Being in a bad mood sucks all the energy away.  Life has been hard lately and I am not dealing with it very well.  I was trying to think about how I could share being grumpy without sounding too whiny and miserable.  I was sorting out my feelings this morning so I could present them on the page to you.  That's when I remembered these little fuzzy brown creatures that captured our family's heart when we discovered them in England:

See the one in the middle?  That's me.  The one under the cloud.  His name is Perkin.

In this episode of the endearing, quirky show Mother Flump asks Perkin,  "Are you feeling alright?  You're looking sorry for yourself this morning." 

Perkin replies,  "No, I'm not feeling alright.  I'm feeling all wrong.  Sort of yucky, all horrible.  I feel umpty.  Fed up.  I'm a fed up Flump." 

"The flumpet music is too bumpy.

The water is too lumpy.

The floor is too wet and sloshy.

And the porridge is too loud.

 It's a too much morning."

Well said, Perkin!  That's it!  It's a too much life.  For now.  This too shall pass, I keep reminding myself.  And reminding and reminding.  Maybe one day I will stop being UMPTY long enough to listen.  After all, Mother Flump wisely tells Perkin,

"Cheer up or you'll be under a cloud all day.  

You can't see the nice side of anything under a cloud."

Dina

Seven Quick-ish Takes

1.  I am finishing the Chronicles of Narnia- finally!  My fifth grade teacher read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to my class and I have been a huge C.S. Lewis fan ever since.  Reread the book before the movie came out then read Prince Caspian (#4) and The Voyage of Dawn Treader (#5) for their releases.  Finally decided to finish the series when my oldest son said, "Mom, the end of the whole series is SO worth it.  I was crying like a baby at the end of #6 so I am bracing myself for The Final Battle.  Bless you Clive Sinclair Lewis for sharing your gift of writing with all of us!

2.  Sit down.  I am going to say something amazing.  I enjoy running.  The Couch to 5K app is fabulous and I am halfway through my journey from the sofa to being able to run 3 miles.

3.  We were with Mark's family for Easter and his aunt brought bags of photographs and other "stuff" that belonged to his grandmother.  She passed away in December about two weeks shy of her hundredth birthday.  Among the yellowed letters and kodachrome photos was a small box of recipes crammed full with handwritten recipes and a well-used and tattered cookbook.  My heart skipped a beat wondering what would become of this treasure.  Mark's aunt suggested everyone take a little something from the collection.  I immediately jumped in offering to make some sense of this treasure trove which I could then share with everyone.  I have no idea what I will do and I hope no one is holding their breath waiting for my finished product BUT I am thrilled to be the keeper for now.

4.  Funny aside that when I offered to do something with this disorderly pile of kitchen memorabilia Mark's cousin (who is single and childless, I might add) turned to me and said, "Well, that's good because I certainly don't have time to deal with it!".  Guss I should stop twiddling my thumbs and get to work.

5.  We are traveling to San Antonio this week to attend the celebration of a dear friend who has been a priest for 60 years.  60 years!  Just think of all the Masses, weddings, Baptisms, confessions and more.  What a blessing!

6. I am tired of feeling like I have handed the reins over to the weekend allowing it to run roughshod over me.  I am also tired of those darn Reese's eggs calling my name.  Can you hear them?

7.  It's fun to use the word roughshod in a post.  Just saying.

Dina

P.S. Conversion Diary hosts Seven Quick Takes every Friday.

For the Love of Reading and Writing

This morning I was doing my usual round of blog browsing and came across this post about The Art of Reading.  It describes a book called Shadow of the Wind.  In it, a young boy is taken to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.  He is asked to choose one "making sure that it will never disappear, that it will always stay alive." One character tells the boy, "Every book ... has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands ... its soul strengthens."

I immediately thought of my favorite book from childhood.

The story.  The illustrations.  Be still my heart.  My mom read this to me countless times.  Then I read it myself.  Again and again.  Andrew Henry is the middle of five kids, sandwiched between two older sisters and two younger brothers.  He is left out and misunderstood.  Andrew Henry has a passion for inventing and building.  He builds the most clever, hilarious things that have all his family members annoyed.  When everyone has had enough, he moves to a quiet meadow and builds a home for himself.  One by one, he is joined by the town's other misunderstood children- the girl who loves birds, the one who has too many pet rabbits, the boy who loves fishing.  The list goes on.  Each child gets a specially-designed house and before long, they have a lovely little village.

Eventually, the families go looking for the missing children.  The reunion picture is one of my favorites.  This illustration amazes me with the fact that pen and ink can be used to convey sheer joy.  The faces, the embraces, arms flung open, children running to their parents, even thankful sisters and brothers.  I scoured the internet but couldn't find the image to share with you.  In the end, everyone has gained an appreciation for each other.

That is why I immediately thought of this book to save from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books BUT... it would appear, after searching the internet, it is not so forgotten.  I found several blogs that wrote about sharing this book with their children.  I even found information on a film adaptation that is in the works.  That makes me happy and sad.  Happy with the possibilities that it could be a fabulous adaptation, sweet and meaningful.  Sad with the thought that it could be an over-the-top modern day adaptation relying on fart jokes and smart-mouth kids for laughs.  I'll remain cautiously optimistic, hoping for the best.  Either way if you are interested in the story or sharing it with your children, I suggest you buy a copy and enjoy it before the film version threatens to ruin it.  But that's just me.  I consider myself a bit of a "book Nazi", requiring reading any book before seeing the movie.

Now back to Shadow of the Wind.  Near the end of the book, there is this quote:

On page 444, "Julian had once told me that a story is a letter the author writes to himself, to tell himself things that he would be unable to discover otherwise."  And on page 484, "Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind ..." 

What fabulous thoughts on reading and writing.  I love when an author presents sentences that feel as if they pierce your heart, take your breath away and make you sit and ponder them.  These ideas combined with the Cemetery of Forgotten Books have me wanting to add this to my already-too-long list of books to read.

What's on your to-read lost?  What book would you save from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books?

Happy St. Paddy's Day,

Dina

For the Love of Blogs

I love browsing blogs.  I love ALL kinds of blogs- mom blogs, style blogs, fashion blogs, craft blogs, food blogs, blogs with lots of writing and blogs with mostly images, blogs written by young, urban singles and blogs written by homemaking country dwellers.  All this blog hopping often has me wanting to be a better mom, dresser, crafter, cook, baker, home decorator, writer, photographer while relocating to the inner city with a weekend home in the country.  All of which has me paralyzed and dazed in front of my computer not sure who I am or where to begin...accomplishing...anything.

Most of the time, however, it is fun to read others experiences and be inspired by new ideas, recipes or even just eye candy.  I found a blog called Eat Drink Chic.  It is a cool design blog hosted by a graphic designer.  My last visit to her blog had me linking to a website called Typo and another called NoteMaker, both perfect for fueling my paper obsession.

While browsing the assortment of notebooks and NoteMaker, I had to laugh.  There is a search that allows you to narrow down what you are looking for.  First is brand.  Well, I don't want to limit myself since I am not familiar with any of the brands listed so I choose ALL BRANDS.  Next comes size.  What size?  Not just small, medium and large, which would be distressing enough.  No!  Those three standards are joined by pocket and extra large.  Don't even look at the options for your cover.  And then there is the debate over ruled or unlined which is actually not a debate for me.  I am too much of an anal perfectionist.  I need those lines to make me feel safe.  So I choose ALL on every option, except ruled and am completely overwhelmed by notebooks.  Of course, this is the first and last notebook I will ever buy.  I am marrying the notebook just like I marry my hair color and coffee creamer.  Then I shake myself back to reality.  An intervention of sorts occurs.  "M'am, step away from the notebook website!"  You aren't even really going to buy one of these, Dina!  You would never buy a notebook you couldn't see and touch in person.

You can see the fun of browsing through blogs.  How else can you feel completely inadequate, totally inspired and in need of an intervention to stop your hyperventilating without leaving the comforts of home all in one afternoon?

Dina

Steps, big and small

Sunday mornings are such a treat.  Coffee, computer and time.  Sweet, sweet time.  No rushing out the door.  No lunches to make or permission slips to sign.  Weekday mornings are a flurry of activity.  Saturday mornings are a bit of a flurry as well with a teenager who has a job and dance lessons for almost everyone else.  Sunday mornings are when all the dust settles.  Sure there's Mass but 10:30 seems so blessedly late when compared to other mornings.

Last Sunday I was reading one of my favorite Mom blogs and she mentioned a program she had started which included a link.  I was intrigued and followed it.  The program is called Couch to 5K.  It didn't take me long to decide this is just what I have been looking for.  My brother-in-law shared a website called Zen Habits as part of his New Years' resolutions.  It is a great blog about forming habits slowly and thoughtfully.  I am really enjoying it.  So far, however, I have been enjoying the IDEA of starting a new habit but haven't had the courage to actually pinpoint something and start.  Well, Couch to 5K was just what I needed.  It follows the principals of Zen Habits, forming the running habit slowly.  The plan is all laid out for you so there is no thinking about it which for me leads to also thinking about NOT doing it.  There is an app on my phone that tells me what to do every step of the way.  DING!  Begin warm-up now.  DING!  Begin walking now.  DING!  Begin running now.  It's fabulous.  The best part is I convinced my 14-year-old to do it with me.  Mom-Daughter time and getting into shape.  Who could ask for more?  Well, me...

I decided to take this plan a few steps- well, miles actually- further.  I had been inspired by a friend's post on Facebook about her participation in the Disney Princess Half-Marathon.  I liked the IDEA of having a goal, especially a fitness one and seeing it to completion but had no idea how to even begin.  The Couch to 5K program has all the steps to get you first to 5K then to 10K then half-marathon.  So, we have set our sights on participating next February.  It's just shy of a year away, a very doable goal.  Yet, it isn't so far off as to lack real motivation.  Today is day 3, which sounds so silly but as the saying goes,

 The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Now if only I could find the Couch to Novel website with mobile app that walks me through writing a book...

Dina

On Travel

My earliest memory of traveling was when I was six and my family piled into our Oldsmobile for a road trip to Texas.  We were going to visit a family friend in Carrizo Springs.  I loved everything about the experience.  Waking up early, the books and activities for the ride, being in a new place, just breathing air in a different location on this planet of ours.  Coming home was hard.  Back to the ordinary.  The normal.

When I was eleven, this same family friend, a Catholic priest from Belgium, mentioned that he was going home for a family wedding.  I immediately chimed in that I would like to go.  I can still picture having the conversation at the kitchen table.  To this day, I don't know what possessed me.  I also don't know where I get my wanderlust.  My parents rarely travel and when they do, you get the impression they are holding there collective breath until the moment there arrive back on their doorstep when they exhale and begin to live again.  I, on the other hand, live to travel.  My grandmother used to call me her little butterfly.  She said it was because I was always flitting from place to place.

Mark and I just returned from a trip to Austria so I am suffering a bit from post-travel depression.  I know all the signs.  Heavy sighing.  Staring at ticket stubs and boarding passes.  The feeling of sadness and longing deep inside.  Reminiscing.  My head and heart remain here just a little longer.

Sometimes this post-travel depression is combined with not wanting to return home.  This makes it far worse.  The good thing for me is I came home to a place I love filled with people I love and even at a time I love.  To arrive in New Orleans with Mardi Gras and the Superbowl right around the corner is good medicine for my condition.  The BEST medicine, however, is this:

Holding my breath until the next trip...
Dina

A Gray Day (in a pink sort of way)

Today was one of those days weather forecasters love.  Lots to talk about in their department.  Lots of drama.  Today had it all.  Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, high winds and flash floods- all in the form of advisories, watches or warnings.  In my little corner of the city it didn't amount to much, just a dreary, rainy day.  The kind that makes you wish you were sipping a warm drink by a toasty fire in your flannel pajamas.  I almost bought into the drama.  "Don't go anywhere between 10 and 2 unless you have to."   Hmmm...does lunch with a friend fall into the HAVE TO category?  Well, truth be told sometimes it does, with certain friends, especially when you miss them very much.  Besides, a doctor's appointment does fall into that category every time so that got me out the door.

If you find yourself facing a gray day, what better way to arm yourself than with a spiffy pink raincoat.  If I was asked to name ten things I own that make my heart sing, this would make the list.  I often have a hard time naming my favorite color but this coat reminds me just how much I love pink.  It has a classic cut that will never go out of style.  It has a really cool pattern on the lining.  It is well-constructed and will last forever.  All those things said I still haven't mentioned my two favorite reasons for loving this coat.  The first one is that I got it on a fabulous sale at the Talbot's outlet.  The other is that I bought it  in Virginia with my mom when she came to visit us there, when we were evacuated from Katrina.  My mom loves a good bargain and she loves Talbot's so the Talbot's outlet is pretty close to heaven for her.  I don't remember anything else either of us purchased that day but I remember enjoying ourselves.  I also remember the yummy burgers we had at Five Guys after.  That was back in the days before Five Guys was a chain and it was a big treat to eat there.

Now, if you are sporting a pink raincoat on a not too warm, not too chilly day a lightweight pink scarf with just a touch of sheen to it really fits the bill.  Add a chunky silver bracelet with black and silver balls that swing and clink just enough to add a little drama and you are ready for anything.  That's how I felt walking out the door this morning.  I think that is how Clinton and Stacey on What Not to Wear want women to feel every time they walk out the door.  Even my hair frizzing from the weather couldn't dampen (pardon the unintended pun) my spirits.  Honestly, I think I could get by on an entire wardrobe of black, white and pink with silver thrown in for a little sparkle.  Well, at least I felt that way today.  Tomorrow I'll tell you about the plum gown I bought for a ball I am attending and how I can't live without the color purple.

When I arrived at our meeting place, the first thing my friend said was how much she loved my raincoat and that I looked so put together.  SIGH.  She's the kind of friend to whom I could immediately respond- I know!  That's just how I feel.

Put together.
And pretty in pink.
On a very gray day.

Dina