Have You Ever Felt Like You Just Didn't Belong?

I recently finished The Moorchild, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, an honor award winner from 1997. For anyone interested in 'fair folk,' Scottish folklore, and an interesting commentary about who 'fits in' where, give this one a go. As I'm reading these Newberry books, I'm learning that a big part of what makes a Newberry a Newberry is a timeless story with several levels of meaning, that could hold meaning for an adult just as well as a child. A literary onion, if you will.

On the downside, this was kind of a chore to get through to the end for some unknown reason. I guess a great thing about the library is the deadline. And I'm nothing if not sensitive to a deadline. Ithink if I didn't 'have to' finish it, it would still be sitting on my nightstand. And my nightstand is a pretty busy place right now.

I'm taking a temporary Newberry detour for my next few books. Those pesky libraries and their deadlines! I've had these books on request from the library for so long, I totally forgot about them. But don't worry, I'll be back! Think Penguins and Pigs and Princesses, oh my!

Why Bri and Adam Should Sleep With Their Camera Under Their Pillow

Random Monday afternoon, not much to do but play with Bri's camera!

This little one definitely has the Hallstrom eyes, but her mother's Type-A tendencies. Remember how there is absolutely no middle ground with this little girl? Euphoric happiness or the depths of despair. Take your pick.

This tween of mine (yikes!) has discovered iPods, biking with friends, and e-mailing. Lucky for me, she hasn't discovered boys yet. I'm really not ready for that yet.

Apparently, Guy's pics were so great, the computer was jealous and won't let me post them. But trust me on this one, my Guy can take a picture.

I'm frantically trying to get prepared for the summer months. So far I've got zoo trips, movie madnes, lots of reading and (gasp!) music practicing, rec classes, swimming lessons, museum trips, art projects, maybe teaching the girls to sew (meaning I'd have to learn first myself) . . . I figure that should last us until about June 15th. Ahh, summer!