less and more

I realized recently (for the seventy-twelfth time), that I spend way too much time on Facebook.

I like facebook. I like "connecting." But the problem is, there's not been a lot of connecting going on. Mostly just me, looking through my newsfeed, checking people's pages, waiting for something interesting to happen in someone's life that would move me to comment or think or something.

How. Pathetic.

And so, another unofficial resolution this year is to spend way less time with Facebook and more time with actual books. So far so good. To help with this resolution, I've started a 52 Book Reading Challenge for myself at goodreads.com. You can click on my challenge link to see what I've finished and reviewed. So far, I've got one book knocked out and I'm well on my way to finishing the second. If I keep motivated, I may heighten my challenge to more than 52. However, this new ambition will probably wear off with a little more time. We'll see. :)

I'm having a lot of fun rediscovering goodreads while on vacation from facebook. So, to my reading blog-friends, if you have an account, add me! And if you don't, it's worth checking out.

I feel like an advertisement.

So, I think I'm going to run off and finish my current read. Happy Monday!

Caitlin

Literary Update

Hello!
It's Literary Update Time.

Did you know that being sick is a great opportunity? For me, anyways. I got to take advantage of all the down time by reading.

What did I read?

You're probably thinking I read another classic. Those are my favorites, after all.
Let us ponder, shall we?

Charles Dickens? No. (Though I do still have plenty of his work on my to-read list)
Jane Austen? No. (Been there. Own the books. ;-) )
C.S. Lewis? No. (... well, I did start piddling through A Mind Awake last week.)
George Eliot, Charlotte Bronte, Mark Twain ...? No. Excellent guesses, by the way. lol

Stephenie Meyer.

**GASP!**

No, I did not read Twilight. I mock twilight. Without ever having read it. Hypocritical, I know.
I read The Host, upon the recommendation of my weirdest friend, Keith. (Hi, Keith!)

This is the part where I'm supposed to get wordy and creative and write a mini book review for you.

...

I think this cold drained my creativity. Will you mind too much if I just tell you that it was super good? Because it was. It was about a Soul named Wanderer who finds herself a misfit among her fellow Souls. The human body she inhabits still houses the willful consciousness of it's former owner, Melanie. Through circumstances beyond their control, Wanderer and Melanie become allies, working together to save the people they love.

That sounds amazingly weird and corny. But it wasn't... really!

So. I never did listen to Big Fish. I turned on the first disc and decided I really wasn't interested.
I was going to watch BBC's miniseries version of Tess, but since I'd already listened to the audiobook, I wasn't that interested. It was very prettily done, though, and I may still watch it.

In other news, I'm making a new pair of fingerless gloves and they should be ready to show you by the time I get around to posting again. :)

Sorry for neglecting you all! I'm going to try to pick up to blogging around 3 times a week like I used to. It's a lot of fun.

Now I must go - my little brother is 7 today, and we're having some friends over soon!


(this is him a year and a half ago.)

Happy Birthday, Ben!!

-Caitlin

Re: hats, adjectives, and audiobooks

Wow. My blogging skillz are dying!

**dramatic noooooooo**

At least I'm here though, right?

Just thought I'd drop by and show off some more new stuff in my Etsy shop. Told you I'd jump on that ball, didn't I? ;-)

So, here's the new lemongrass beanie. I can seriously whip up one of these in a few minutes. Minutes, I tell you! Did I ever mention that I love instant gratification?
Perhaps now I need to work on my flower-makin' skillz, because it does look a little plain, doesn't it? But I think it could be a good boy hat, too, and boys don't like flowers.

I also just so happen to be very proud of this "eggplant" beret. I hated purple up until sometime last year. Now I love it. (all purples not included. for example: Barney purple. yuck. Also not a fan of pastel purple.)
I haven't done a good literary post in a while. Maybe that's what I should do next.
I listened to Tess of the D'urbervilles last month. You know why? Because it was the only other audiobook in the library narrated by Davina Porter. I seriously love that lady's narration. The book was fantastically devastatingly, depressingly romantically beautiful.
I'm pretty big on the "ly" adjectives. ;-)
Cumulative adjectives, too.

I'm moving on past Davina Porter, though. I plan to listen to Big Fish this week. It's narrated by some guy. I don't remember his name.

And in case you're wondering what's with the audio books instead of lovely, real-life pages, I shall tell you why. It's because it's awfully hard to read and crochet at the same time. Really, I prefer to read pages than listen to someone else narrate, but when I do so much crocheting the books get neglected.

Sooo... If you'll excuse me, I believe I'll be off to notify the DOR that my business has changed locations.

goodbye!

Oh hello!

I hope you've all been having a nice life. My blog subscriptions are all backed up. I have no idea what's going on with anybody except for the Looneys and my "church people." Which really isn't all that bad, actually. It's kinda like things used to be before the internet took up 75 percent of my life.
haha...

During my prolonged absence I've been doing more reading. I feel like I need to apologize for the impersonal nature of my last post (The Remains of the Day). Summer reading, I decided, would be a little more fruitful if I wrote something about each book after I finished it. And so I did. However, since the completion of The Remains of the Day, I've also finished Fahrenheit 451 (which was fantastic), and Romeo and Juliet (I've never read Shakespeare before). I've not written about those yet.

Etsy sales have picked up some! Three or four sales in one week! Yeah!

Yesterday I went and had some fun with my friends and didn't exactly keep good track of my money... I almost spent more than I had, but fortunately I made a sale and got paid during the day, so nothing bad happened. Thank you, God!

Today's plans : Go pick up "The Beautiful Fight" from the library. Make some slippers. Ship some orders. Go to church. Oh wait. The things that require driving to town might have to wait til tomorrow...

So, anyways, now you know what's going on with my life.

Enjoy the rest of your week!
Caitlin

The House of the Seven Gables

Today, I picked up my book with a resolute determination to make some headway.
(pretty book, isn't it?) After trifling with the introductory chapters, and feeling as though the story was trying to escape me, I decided to just buckle down and dig in. If the story wasn't going to show itself, I was going to find it.

Buckle down I did. Previously I had read more than I assumed I had - turns out, I was already halfway through. So, today I finished it. 11 or so chapters.

The plot revolves around the House of the Seven Gables and the ancestral curse said to plague all offspring of the builder thereof. Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? Despite the mysterious secrets lying undiscovered in the souls of certain characters, the house itself, dark and decaying, so like its cursed inhabitants, and the two young people, come to stay at the House, so unlike, yet "held united by the stiffened grasp of Death", I was not intrigued.

A good book pulls you in, draws you into the life of the characters, tugs at you to keep reading until the end. Sadly, I felt as though I were plowing through this book. "Keep going, there's only 5 chapters left. I can do this!" Usually when I read, I get so absorbed in the story that I lose all track of chapter breaks. Not so this time. I kept waiting to be intrigued, and it just never happened.

However, I pulled a few quotes I really like from the depressing depths of this dark drama:

"...it should be woman's office to move in the midst of practical affairs and to gild them all, the very homeliest - were it even the scouring of pots and kettles - with an atmosphere of loveliness and joy." (written in contemplation of young Phoebe Pyncheon)

How idyllic! I should wish to do just such. Too bad I'm not a character in a book. We real life people don't usually pull that off so well.

"It was the Eden of a thundersmitten Adam, who had fled for refuge thither out of the same dreary and perilous wilderness into which the original Adam was expelled." (description of the gardens in which aged, troubled Clifford found solace)

I should mention that Clifford, upon gazing into Maule's Well, beheld a colorful "phantasmagoria" -shifting faces, mostly beautiful ones. Any joy in these visions was fleeting, though, for a horrible, gruesome face would always appear and ruin the splendor he found in the rippling water. (Hm. I think that was supposed to be a picture of his life. This book had lots of metaphory type stuff.)

I just had to throw that in there because I'd never heard the word phantasmagoria before and thought it was awesome.

"She knocked a third time, three regular strokes, gentle, but perfectly distinct, and with meaning in them; for, modulate it with what cautious art we will, the hand cannot help playing some tune of what we feel upon the senseless wood."
(Hepzibah Pyncheon, aflutter in alarm, knocking upon the door of her brother's chamber)

So, it is finished. I have conquered the House of the Seven Gables.
No longer shall its shadow fall over the stack of other books I've planned to read this summer. ;-)

Random Weekend Update

Today my siblings and I are off to Six Flags. Feel free to come hang out with us. ;-)
Ooh! I just realized it's Christian Music Weekend! Cool.

I'm currently reading Deadline by Randy Alcorn. The power went out because of the storm last night, but I stayed up reading from like 11:00-1:30 by the light of an oil lamp. Yay! It's a super good book.

It's making me excited about Heaven. I always pictured it as standing around a throne singing forEVER. Which isn't too bad, I guess, since Jesus is there, but it did seem a little boring. Mr. Alcorn's vision of heaven is pretty cool. But I guess I won't derail this post and go into it here. :D

Trading on Etsy is fun. I'm trading these slippers
for this pendant. Thanks Lori!

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday! It's going to be busy, but fun. The choir is singing in both services, then my family is going to hang out at Mema's house with lots of other great family peoples, and then we have communion service at church, and youth choir practice afterwards.

May we remember the reason for all the celebration during the flurry of activity! Jesus Christ is Risen! YAY!

Oh - my Morning Thunder tea is steeping, and it's probably nasty and bitter by now. :|
If you like black tea, you should try Celestial Seasoning's Morning Thunder. It's gooood.

This is so random. But I felt like posting, and decided to just write whatever I thought to write.

Oh! Another thing! I'm almost done with sorting out "the businessy stuff" in regards to my Etsy business. By which I mean that I finally got my business registered, my trade name registered, and got a tax ID number to take care of sales tax and all that. Phew. Now if I could just figure out how to submit sales tax. They sent me a whole packet full of papers that I don't really understand how to use. I'm seeking help for that... And help needs to come fast... I'm running out of time to file for the last quarter!

I thought y'all would like to know that after all the whining I did before about not being able to figure it out.

So. I'm going to get ready to go to Six Flags now. After I drink my tea.
Have a happy Saturday, and rejoice! Our God is alive. :D

Caitlin

Life Lesson Monday

Most books would be pathetically short if people just said what they were trying to say.

It's a good thing for us readers that so many of our favorite characters can't just come right out with what they mean the first time. Imagine how little of a book would be left if you cut out all the hemming and hawing, waiting, worrying, secret meanings and sub plots. Case in point:

~Pride and Prejudice~

(The Extremely Condensed Caitlin Paraphrase)

Bennet Sisters: Hey look! Two rich guys! We have to marry them!

Bingley: Jane, please marry me.

Jane: okay!

Darcy: I don't like you. Your family's creepy, and you're not so hot yourself.

Lizzy: Well, I don't like you either, cuz you're prejudiced against people who aren't rich. Snob.

Darcy: You're spunky and captivating. Whaddya know! I do like you!! As a matter of fact, I think I - no! I LOVE YOU!

Lizzy: You stupid jerk!

Darcy: I really am a nice guy. **tosses money around** See? Plus, I guess you do have nice eyes.

Lizzy: Oh, good. I'm sorry we were both insensitive idiots. You're rich and handsome, and I like you.

Darcy: So, can we get married?

Lizzy: Absolutely.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

(switching it up with the life lessons. Believe it or not, I seem to have run out of my blonde stories. lol ... and apologies to any of you who may recognize this post... it has been modified from it's original format posted in 2007. )

Happy January 3rd!

So, my friends, January is moving right along. Have you begun tackling your list of resolutions? How's it coming?

I have congratulated myself on taking baby steps for two of my unofficial resolutions:
Spending less money, and journaling more.
Last night, I wrote five pages in my journal. Goodness knows I probably could have written ten, it's been so long since I've written! But it was getting late, and my hand started aching, and I still wanted to read a couple chapters of Surprised by Joy.

Today, I went to starbucks with a dear friend from my Sunday school class, and bought a cappuccino instead of a macchiato (my fave!) because it was a little cheaper. Of course, I promptyly regretted it, because I really wanted the macchiato. lol But hey. If I'd gotten the macchiato, I probably would have had to start counting change, and when I do that I inevitably drop some, or miscount, which is embarrassing, so... yeah.

After Starbucks (where I diligently worked a few rows of a scarfling) I took my amazing yellow shoes ( have I told you about those? I got them at Etsy) to have the heel repaired at this very humble looking shoe repair shop. Indeed, it was so ... humble... looking that I was a little scared to leave my shoes in the hands of these strangers. But as the interesting man behind the counter informed me that business was booming, and as I beheld the many, many shoes stacked neatly around the workshop, I thought to myself "Well, if they have this much business they must be reputable. Otherwise, there wouldn't be this many shoes in their care." They're supposed to call me when my shoes are done.

The coming week promises fun - and tiredness by the time I reach the end.
Monday ... well, I guess nothing's planned for Monday.
Tuesday work at preschool starts back. Tuesday evening is **drumroll** girls' movie night!! YAY!! Thank you, dear Looneys for being such wonderful, marvelous, awful nice hosts. (**cough**movie reference**cough**)
Wednesday - church.
Thursday - work.
Friday - another movie night at the Looneys'! This time lots of people, not just girls. lol

So, as you can see, the holidays are over, and the schedule is packed.

I don't think there was a point to this blog post. I just felt like rambling.
Enjoy your tomorrow!

At Barbara's House

"Hello! I'm at Barbara's house! ... in a petticoat! ...
**giggles** ... hey, what is a petticoat?"

I hear the strangest bits of conversation around here sometimes. Above was issued by my 8 year old sister Emmie.

I am tired. And have lots to do. And am getting little of it done. Dear Etsy customers, forgive me. Life is gaining on me. I'm working on your stuffs, I promise, I am.

Guess what?
I made cute slippers a while back. (during a break from custom orders) Pixie slippers. Or at least, I like to call them pixie slippers. I made them rather biggish. Maybe someone out there with biggish feet will like them. I like them.

And then I decided to try my hand at a scarflette with the
remaining green yarn. It, too, turned out satisfactory, though also a little on the big side. Next time I'll make it a couple inches shorter.

M.S. (mid-script) I made my 100th Etsy sale today.

And I'm getting close to the end of To Kill a Mockingbird. 'S'good.
I could really use a cup of coffee and a brownie or something.

Tomorrow's going to be crazy busy, too.
Maybe Friday will be a little more low-key. I could use a little low-key after today.
I could also use some sleep.

Did you know I like my friends? I do. They're nice.
So is rest.
Good night. :)

Headaches , Cupcakes, Coffee

There.
Rhyme and alliteration in one title. Boo ya!

Tom said that when he was leaving school today. "Boo ya, Miss Caitlin!"
His big brother taught him. What cuties! Wish I had a pic of them together.

Today was picture day at preschool. Half an hour before quittin' time, I was totally losing it.
I won't go into detail. :)
But I will tell you part of the problem - Miss Coffee Addict missed her morning fix. Ohhh not good. I had a pounding headache all afternoon. Don't try sugar-free caramel vanilla coffee mate powder when you run out of your regular creamer. It will render your coffee unfit for human consumption. Or any other sort of consumption, for that matter.

I bought a caribou coffee espresso drink thingy on the way to drop Laura off at school. I knew I should have gotten a Starbuck's frappuccino! Hang saving 75 cents. That thing was strange. And I drank every. last. drop. Figuring it would make my headache go away. Guess what? Didn't work. Funny thing about weird coffee drinks, though. Once you're past the first couple of sips, it's usually tolerable. It was definitely better than the caramel vanilla sludge I tried to drink this morning.

The title of this post was originally Books and Buttons. (more alliteration!) I changed it when the first two topics turned out to be headaches and coffee. So, the cupcakes really don't have much to do with this post. I just finished eating one, and I had one earlier. That's about it.


But, along the Books and Buttons theme, I feel compelled to rejoice aloud in my new Calvin and Hobbes collection. I should have taken a picture of it. Tis the Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes. I already had the Authoritative. Now to get my hands on the Essential. Did you know I love Calvin and Hobbes? I do. Swaptree, too. For that's how I got it. Who wants a boring old book about handbags when you can have a book full of the best comic strips ever?!

I returned lots of books to the library today, including House of the Seven Gables and The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. House of the Seven Gables I still plan to read. Just not yet. I just have other things on my priority list. Like Calvin and Hobbes. :P

Actually, I plan to read To Kill a Mockingbird. We'll see how that goes. I got it on Swaptree, too. The Ernest Hemingway stuff, however, I do not plan to read. Ever. I flipped through it the other night, and it was pretty vulgar. There's no point reading a bunch of distasteful stuff just because it's "classic" or well written.

I suppose I could keep rambling about the other books I've read recently, or the other ones I plan to read, but that's enough book talk for now. Time to move on to the buttons part.

I went shopping today to pick up some yarn. I needed buttons, too. Browsing the store, I was beginning to despair, for there were no buttons to be found. Which makes sense - it's a craft store, not a sewing/notions store. Anyways. Then I stumbled across "Grandma's button bags." Little baggies full of random buttons. Yay! Behold - what is this next to them? Vintage button bags! Sweet! They had plenty of buttons that would work for my slippers, and they were way cooler in general than the buttons in the other bag. (I mean, they're vintage. They've had a previous life. If that's not cool, then, ...well... it just is.)

I pulled out every bag and looked into them at all angles to decide which was the best. I never decided which was best, but I did decide which one I wanted, because it had a great big peachy button right in the front. See?

Nifty, huh? I already put some of them on these slippers.
And there are enough of that same kind to do another 2 pairs. Can't wait to see what the rest of them will come in handy for!
So. I need to get back to crocheting.

If anyone has any good book recommendations, let me know. Even though I can't seem to read what I've already got, I'm in the mood for tackling a reading list, so might as well add a few more as I scratch a couple off. :-)

Later!
Caitlin

Just finished

Villette by Charlotte Brontë

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brilliantly written, full of feeling and detail, Villette follows the story of Miss Lucy Snow, told in her own words.

Quiet, observant Miss Snow recounts her life for us in detail, and with feeling. Through the secret sorrow of unrequited love, through the joy of finding true friends, through confusion, and restless torment of waiting fulfillment of things still a mystery, we see into the depths of her character. We find her pain, loneliness, happiness, and hope, all underscored with steady, forbearing inner strength.

(I listened to this book on CD - narrated by Davina Porter. Excellently narrated. Her reading did justice to Charlotte Bronte's novel. Highly recommended.)

View all my reviews.

70

This post has nothing to do with the number 70, except for the fact that
this is my 70th blog post.
On blogger, anyways.
I'm sure I've hundreds of blog posts in other places. Xanga, for instance.
See, a xanga screenshot from a while back!

So, I want to blog, but I have no set topic, or any particular point of interest. No Etsy ramble to bore you with. I've made a sale or two lately, but nothing exciting is going on over there.

Perhaps an update on my reading habits would be in order. My phraseology and choice of words change as I read. I find it amusing to find myself writing differently depending on how much literature I'm taking in.
The most influential literature in days precedent has been Villette. You will remember my hesitation to begin the narration due to the undoubtedly depressing nature of the story. Begin it I did. Once I was listening, I could barely stand to pause the CD player, and eagerly jumped up for the next disc when the first was over. I do so love Charlotte Bronte's style.

In a way, I was right. It's a sad story. Unrequited love. Alas, alas. But it's so interesting! Such diverse characters, and such interweavings of plotlines! Though sad, it's not nearly so depressing and gloomy as I thought it may be. Granted, it's not a cheerful tale - how could it be? But it is lovely, and most things are enjoyable if well written, and Villette most certainly is that.
I had listened to so much of the story at once on Friday that by Friday evening, I was thinking in the narrator's voice. Now that is a weird experience. I've just finished the first disc of part 2. Perhaps you can guess what I'm going to do when finished with this post.
(That's my CD player/alarm. I asked for it for Christmas a few years ago.)

I began reading The House of the Seven Gables yesterday. I'm hardly past the first chapter, but I'm looking forward to the rest of the story. Beginning a book with a housewarming party, at which the new homeowner is found mysteriously dead in his office is certainly a way to pique curiosity.

You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.
-C.S. Lewis

The paragraph that used to be here has been written, deleted, re-written, edited, and deleted again. It had been my intention to write something about church today, but that wasn't working out. Though I shall reiterate (for perhaps I haven't made it known through my blog) how glad I am to find myself once again part of a fun, learning choir. It'd been far too long since the olden days of Senior Choir led by Pastor Powell. Yay for singing! I sing more on Sunday than any other day of the week, and singing makes me happy.
That random bit of information over, I think I'm going to find pictures with which to punctuate this post.You poor dears. I'm going to have to do better than this. Perhaps I should have you all interrogate me with unusual questions, so as to have new and interesting blog topics. Yes, yes, do ask me a question, and I shall answer it in a blog post. That sounds like fun. Please?

Well, I shall try to get around to some sensible blogging soon.
Until then, I bid you farewell.
And in case you were wondering, all of the word-pictures were taken from my real-life journal.
:)

Books and Yarn are Happy Things

I've finally finished reading Mere Christianity!
( It took me far too long to read, thanks to the growing yarn stash I'm trying to whittle down.)

It was a really enjoyable book. (I seem to be at a loss for good adjectives tonight.) Well written, and easy to understand, it was serious without being heavy or dull. Lewis had a great sense of humor, and a knack for explaining things with neat little analogies. A very quoteable sort of fellow, too.Whether you're looking for the meaning of Christianity, a little encouragement and guidance, or simply an enjoyable non-fiction read, Mere Christianity comes highly recommended by me. ;-)


I went to the library today and checked out House of the Seven Gables, a book of Ernest Hemingway's short stories, and Villette on CDs. House of the Seven Gables I had gotten on CD before, but decided not to listen to it after the introduction. I could tell by Hawthorne's style and wit that it will be one of those better read. Somehow those long, rabbit-traily sentences, and ironic jokes don't have the same sort of effect when someone else is reading.

I'm not anxious to begin Villette, because I'm sure it's going to be dark. I like dark (Dark like Charles Dickens, and the Bronte sisters. Not dark like... well, creepy and morbid), I'm just not sure that I'm ready to dive in yet. I know it's going to be a good story, though. It has to, right? ...

I'm curious to see how I will like the Hemingway collection. I listened to The Old Man and the Sea on CD a few weeks ago, and couldn't wait to put in the next disc every time it stopped. Of course, that wasn't very often - it was a short story, you know. But still. The narrator was very talented, and combined with the vivid, prosaic imagery, I was pulled right into the tale. On the other hand, Laura read A Farewell to Arms, and dubbed it "crummy." We shall see.

Those aside, I'm expecting another book from Amazon to come any day now. But let's move on to my other topic, shall we?

You will recall my mention of an ever-growing yarn stash. I have discovered the most wonderfullest place to buy yarn online. Dangerous. Today, in a valiant effort to organize the masses of yarn attempting to entangle my dear little room, I pulled it ALL out, and TRASHED some of it! **gasp** Only the bits and peices of leftover stuff I'm never going to use. You know how I know I'll never use it? Cuz I've had it for 3 years and never used it. Anyways. Now I have a whole boxfull of new yarn from that great website. I've only used a bit of it so far to make a custom hat for a very nice lady.

I've got a couple things made already that need listing, and then even more things in mind that I need to get started on. ... Not to mention the partially finished pairs of gloves that are all stashed in a bag under my bed. I'm pretty much hating those gloves right now. They're a pain to make. But I NEED to make them! People like them! **sigh** I like them, too. Just not making them.

I have also added a few new items to my shop.

A nice little scarfling,
and slippers in a new color.





I plan on making the scarfling in a couple different lengths and colors.
Just need to do a little more shopping. ;-)
I'm really proud of the picture of this one, actually. Methinks it turned out pretty sweet.

Today I put to use some bits of yarn left over from slipper-making. They turned out so cute! Guess I'll list them over this week. The sad part is, hats are my favorite thing to make, but they are certainly not the best sellers. Nevermind, though. They make me happy. :)

So, I suppose that's all the bookish, crafty talk I shall bore you all with now.
I'm off to have a little more tea before I sleep.
Wishing you a pleasant weekend,
-Caitlin

First Day of School!

Today was the first day of school! I was so excited. Really, I was! And I'm still excited.
And all the other teachers think I'm nuts. But I love teaching, and I love little kids, so... Of course, some of the love and excitement wears off by the end of the school year, when you're sick of saying "don't climb the slide!" and chasing barefooted kids, germy (and prohibited) crocs in hand.

Anyways, where was I? Right. First day of school, in a cute clean room, with cute little boys.

There's my door, with all our names on it. Nifty, isn't it?






Here's my room as seen from the door! This photo turned out really blurry. Hm. Oh well.

I really enjoyed preparation week... playing with sticky tack, construction paper, and foam pieces... Painting my tree on a bulletin board was really fun. I laminated it so that I can put different art projects up for the different seasons. Jessica liked it so much, she had me paint one for her room.
I got her to cover my extra board with yellow paper in return. I still haven't decided what to put on that one... Any ideas?


I also brought in my bean bag chair, a fluffy dog, and lots of pillows from my room that I never use. Makes a super cute and comfy little reading/music corner. No success reading today, though. We're gonna have to work on our circle-time skills... But they're only 2. We have time.





I asked Mrs. Dawn to hunt down all the trucks for me. As you can see, we have no shortage of wheeled vehicles. And for good reason, too - all of them were employed today.

I used sticky foam letters to put the boys' names on their cubbies. I really like the way it turned out. ... Only, Nathan isn't coming. lol

I had his name on a couple of things already, and then Mrs. Nancy told me Tuesday that plans changed. It's ok. I can handle six boys, but five is just fine, too. :D

Well, I was going to go ahead and post pics of the little guys, too, but I've got to get off the computer now. Ah well. It was a good day, and I'm ready for bed.

I leave you with a picture of one of the cutest moments of the day.

-Miss Caitlin

Of Life and Leisure

There has certainly been enough leisure time this summer. Strangely enough, it passes by so quickly that it seems I was hardly able to make good use of it. Whether or not that makes sense...

But I'm ready to get back to life full-force. It's all coming up at once, and I'm bracing myself. Not to say that in a negative way. Like when you brace yourself at the top of the first hill on your favorite roller coaster. :P

Laura started school this week. (I believe I'm going to get to do a little chauffeuring now)
This Saturday we have choir practice for our great big homecoming service at church. (I joined the choir. Hoorah! I didn't want to at first, but our new director is great. Singing is fun.)
Awana kick-off is on the 20th. I'm going to be a Sparks teacher! (5 and 6 year olds, I think. Cute!)
Preschool starts back in the beginning of September.

Yes, dear people! The decision has been made, and I am, indeed, going back to work. I suppose my last post on the topic was rather seemed like I was against going back to work. This is not the case. Really, I was just sort of thinking aloud (perhaps a little dramatically?). Anyways, I'm really excited! I'm certainly not going to become rich teaching preschool a couple days a week, but I'm doing it because I love it. We were in a parking lot somewhere yesterday when I saw some little kids at daycare playing outside. It made me so ready to be back!

This has the potential to grow to be a very long post. Hang on.

Yesterday we went thrift store shopping. Fun stuff. For me, anyways. All the little people may as well have been hanging by their toes, they were in such agony. I got two pairs of really nice, brand new jeans. And a little green fondue pot. Which, I admit, is a little pointless. Especially as it's missing it's base. But it's SO cute!! All vintagey, with the different colors on the ends of all the little sticks... lol
Check out the other kitchenware I'm longing for:

Wouldn't these little bowls just be perfect for some beef stew or something?
And then for dessert, you could put a great big brownie (mixed in one of these bowls) in the bottom of these, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and some caramel sauce that you warmed in this little yellow pot.

And, then there's just the coolest set of Pyrex I've ever seen.
( Oh, the amazing quantities and vast color palettes of Pyrex and Melmac! Oh, how I could just go on and on with the hyperlinks!)

But, you know, perhaps once I'm old and sensible, I would regret owning such fabulous dishes. I would think to myself, "oh, you odd self. Whatever for did you want green and yellow and orange kitchenware?!"

But perhaps not.

I certainly thing my ramble about kitchen stuffs is quite long enough, so let us diversify.

Yesterday, during our travels, I busied myself with reading. My dear Katey left a book at our house, and I carried it with me in case we should stop by. I decided to do a little skimming, and before I knew it I was chapters deep. So now, I highly recommend Not a Tame Lion - The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis. I'm not a huge-mongous Lewis fanatic, but I do enjoy his work, and I think he was definitely someone to be admired. This books was a great introduction to the man himself, and his... well, spiritual legacy. Certainly more interesting a read than I usually expect to find under the category of "biography." Something in my mind has caused that word to become near synonomous with "boring." Boring it was not. It was full of quotes that made me eager to read the next on my library-list : Mere Christianity. One of such quotes was this,

" Friendship is born at the moment when one man says to another,
"What! You too? I thought no one but myself..." "

I've experienced that number of times! Such wonderful friends have I.
Speaking of friends, I wish a happy 15th year to my dear friend, Alicia.

I like baloney sandwiches and ice skating.

So! Where was I going with this post? ... Sorry, derailed train of thought. ... Um...
Well, I know I was supposed to write about the Prayer Advance. But I thinkI'll pass for now. Perhaps I'll get around to it, perhaps I shan't. Laura wrote an excellent post including thoughts from all of the sessions. Great stuff, you should check it out.

I seem to have completely lost my thought flow here, and this epistle is of sufficient length now anyhow.

I bid you all a happy week!
<3 Caitlin

Til We Have Faces -a book review

Til We Have Faces was written beautifully. The characters were real, the story believable, passionate, and gripping.

I set about reading this not knowing what to expect, having pulled it off the library shelf without knowing a thing about it. I didn't know it was a retelling of Cupid and Psyche until halfway through, when I read it somewhere. I'm unfamiliar with it, but I like myths.
Strangely enough, though, I felt very unsatisfied when I reached the end of the book. I felt as though it had no definite meaning or resolve. Of course it had a moral. It was full of philosophy and theology, all about the conflicts of emotion and knowledge, the spiritual and physical.
Somehow it just felt to me that after all the conflict, it simply ended with few enlightened, and everyone dead.

Of course, this is coming from a happy-ever-after lover. So, take it with a grain of salt.

Lately

So much has been going on lately!


I've been working at VBS this week.
The first night was crazy and fun. The second night drove me crazy and wasn't really fun. The rest of the week was a blast. And I wore my pirate belt all week! I was glad to have a reason to wear it.
You can see more photos here and here.

I read Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. I wrote a review on GoodReads, and decided to make it into a post on Caitlinesque (so that those of you who don't want to sign up at GoodReads can see it, too.) I would have posted it here, but that would have made this post - which looks like it may be longish- even longer. Of course, you're not under any obligations to read it, but if you would, here's your link.

I've also been reading Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Roald Dhal) the past couple of days. Just a snippet here and there. I love some good, light reading. :) It's absolutely hilarious. Reading it makes me think Tim Burton and Johnny Depp did a brilliant job portraying Roald Dhal's characters in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the movie. ... Not to say that duo doesn't still give me the creeps...

I listed more fingerless gloves on Etsy today. It's been a while since I made any.
These are bone colored. I think I like black better.
I also went to Michael's and bought yarn to make more black ones, and some gray ones. The red pair I made for myself has disappeared on me.

In other Etsy news, I got my peppermint lip balm today. Tis lovely.

In other Michael's news, I bought 3 photo albums and a poster frame for all of the prints I've got from the trip to Wisconsin. And everything was on sale. Hoorah!

Y'all, I seriously want a cup of coffee. I'm probably going to have to give in and make a little cup of decaf in about 10 minutes. I've been resisting for the past hour.

So. Guess how late I stayed up last night? ... Actually, you know, I don't think I'm willing to admit to that right now. It was very late ...erm, early. (Get it, Katie?) Laura and I didn't show up at Katey's house for our movie night until around 10 PM. They had watched Mansfield Park before we arrived, but I brought the feature film of the night - North and South. No, not the war one. The romantic one, adapted from Elizabeth Gaskell's novel. Which I have yet to read. (Horrors!) Anyways. This brings me to having watched the whole thing in it's entirety four times. You could say it's a favorite.

Dear, tired Laura went to bed sometime during the second episode, around 12:30, I think. The rest of us not only finished North and South, but we watched Persuasion afterwards as well. Think we like period dramas much? Erm ... and maybe handsome British men with their awesome accents. But I didn't just say that. =D

Katie, Katey, Alicia, and I stayed up talking for a couple more hours. So. Yeah. That was fun. We won't see them again for quite some time, because next Tuesday, Laura and I are going to be out of town for 4 weeks.

Yes, friends! 4 weeks. Going to stay with our dear aunt and uncle and cousins in Florida. That'll be fun. :)

This week, I'm babysitting Gen's kids 5 out of 7 days. I expect to be thoroughly tired out afterwards. But she has 4 very cute boys, and I love little boys. :) Although in this circumstance, a girl would probably be helpful. Which is why Laura is going to come hang out with us some of the time.

Yesterday some survey guy came to our house. I was randomly selected to complete a survey on my travel habits. If I took it, I would receive $50 cash right then. So, I took it. And I got the $50. Which was very cool. Until I had to put $30 of it in the van today.

More random news: I have been dabbling in French. Only dabbling, I assure you, but I would love to honestly learn. I can say a few phrases that do me no good on their own, but it's fun.

And now, away with me. I shall speak with you again some other time.
Have a lovely whatever day it is you're having as you read this.
Sincerely, and most Unusually,
Me

Happenings of Late

Not a lot has been going on ... Teaching, crocheting, laundry... the usual. I had a great babysitting job recently, and I've already been called on for a second time, so that's quite pleasant.

The lack of "reading" in the first sentence has brought to my mind the fact that I really ought to be reading some or other good book. I've been meaning to get started on at least a few the past couple weeks, and I just haven't.

Another random thought: I have been using the word "ought" a lot lately. I don't recall using it so frequently before. And while we're speaking of words, if you really wanted to know the definition(s) of SO, here is the link for you. Quite interesting, and much too long to paste into my rambling blog post. Thanks to those of you who were brave enough to reply. There are so many definitions, I'm sure you at least hit one of the nails on the head. :D

And now for some crafty revelations.
I designed a new hat pattern! WOO HOO! And it turned out right! I thought to myself one morning, "Self, I should like to crochet something new." "So?" said my other self, "what do you have in mind?" "Well, I was thinking of a hat." "A hat? Haven't you already made a bunch of hats?" "Yes. But this time I'm going to make a sort of a cabby hat. I'll invent it as I go." "Oh. Good luck."

Ha ha! I showed me. I was SO thrilled that it turned out the way I wanted! I think I said "Yay! it's the right shape!" like 5 times.


Halfway through the hat, I lost the hook I was using, and switched to a bigger one. And, what do you know! As luck would have it, that size change turned out to be very important for the right sort of shape.



I didn't think it would be noticeable, but it made a difference. I know this, because I tried to make more like it, but used one hook throughout, and they weren't right.

Anyways, I'm proud of my little brain-child hat, and I shall recreate him as soon as I find my other hook.





Another idea of mine, sparked by my cloak:

Gnome baby. hee hee... I have another fairyesque addition to my crocheted stuffs, but I shan't show you just yet. Savin' it for later.

And now I have come to the point where I am sitting, scratching my head, and wondering what else it was that I was going to say. Surely there was something, something more interesting or important than my crafty prowess (lol), that I had planned to tell you. Alas. If there was, I cannot recall it.

Since I've been sitting for quite some time now, trying to think of something else to write, and have come up with nothing, I leave you with this thought:

Anything is possible when you're a child. Take, as proof, this dead-serious statement from Silas. "When I grow up, I'm'onna be Ooby Doo."

Hoping your legs weren't pulled harder than they ought to have been on this unusually warm day of April First, I wish you a happy week.

Love, Me.