Weekend Wrap-up

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I love titles that might turn into memes…  Not that I would ever work that hard.

I have been reading like crazy lately, so a quick review on what is on the shelves at my local library seems to be in order.

Put on Your Crown by Queen Latifah — Thank you for talking me off the bridge that weekend when I wanted to kick someone.  And her name is Dana.  Thank you, Dana. This book is about women’s self-esteem or empowerment or something.  I don’t think that I was her target demographic.  She is on the short list of celebrities I think I might like to know in person.

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich — Very nearly all the fiction I have read as an adult has been Christian fiction, so when I finished reading this, just imagine me like someone on tv whose hair is blown back and their face is frozen following an explosion.  I have since read Three to Get Deadly (because Two… is not on the shelves anywhere).  I can look out for myself where “adult themes” are concerned.  However.  Back when the 16th book in the series came out, SO many bloggers were writing about it.  I mentioned it while working in the church library and someone recommended it who is the most conservative human being I probably know.  “Wouldn’t say s**t if she had a mouthful”.  I will always wonder if the woman has a secret life.  I have concluded that these books are not for me.

The Maeve Binchy Writer’s Club by Maeve Binchy  Cute and informative.  Sort of contradicts my favorite book on writing for writers, Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See.  Still.  Binchy is more appropriate for this season of life.  See was fun for the time I was in when I read it four years ago.

The Leader in Me by Stephen Covey  Still riding out the unwarranted unparalleled success of his 7 Habits Series.  This book is full of the advantages of  teaching the 7 habits to children in small, upscale public school systems (if the photos are representative of the actual experiences described).  Perhaps I don’t understand, and God knows I am disorganized (bitter? Well, sure.).  I didn’t finish the book, because there are only three people in my classroom, and I am not trying to make them into “Another Brick in The Wall”. (Having written that, I will have to eat crow to my husband who thinks Waters is a genius.  I think there is no one-to-one correlation between genius and tragedy.)

Well, it seemed like a lot of reading.

This week saw an end to the unprecedented string of doctor visits.  Until January.  The doctor told my child she can’t run until Spring.  He can entertain her now that her “main thing” is gone.

My favorite pair of pants ripped.  Not in a place that reflects the lasagna having found a new home on my hips.  In a place that reflects poor workmanship, R*lph L*uren.

And a continuation of the financial “journey” (read: Life’s a s**t sandwich and everyday you have to take a bite.) we are on.

Joyeux Noel, Husband’s Boss.

Luckily for you, we are fake tree people.

Last summer, Husband’s Best Friend gave us a really good artificial tree.  We have been doing the “It’s Walgreen’s after-Christmas clearance, Charlie Brown!!!” tree, for 8 or 9 years.  Per tradition, last weekend was the Victorian Christmas Home Tour; we decorated after the tour was finished and the prizes had been passed out.  It is the best tree we have ever had.  On the poorest Christmas we have ever had.

Feliz Navidad.

My best friend and I have had a chat.  Traditionally, she always asks me two questions.

One is: where is God in all this?

God is refining me.  Purging wrong attitudes and habits.

The other is: Why are you taking this so personally?

I am taking it so personally, because I don’t freaking need another horrible thing to happen in December and January.  In the last five years, five family members(Great-Grandmother, Grandmother, Mother-In-Law and Grandfather.  A cousin overdosed and died on my January birthday.) have passed and my children have gotten into very seriously damaging trouble(I found out on…yes, you guessed it, my birthday).  Generally, there are expectations to fail to fulfill and I have a parent whose way of maintaining the relationship is simply to ruin Christmas as many years as s/he can.  This year the other parent told me that s/he had found satisfying family relationships with the step-family they have become a part of, and didn’t need to be in relationship with me.  As they say on the playground, “Same to ya and more of it.”

Seasonal Affective Disorder…look for me on their posters.

I’ll be standing next to the multi-ethnic group of children holding homemade coupons redeemable for Christmas in March.

God clearly has His work cut out.