7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #75: Featuring Brian Pinkney
August 10th, 2008 by Eisha and Jules
eisha: Did you hear that? BRIAN PINKNEY!!! Can you stand it? Can you possibly bear the full-on hard-core joy explosion that is this collection of illustrations? Look at that little boy! Is that not the most perfectly captured moment of summer sweetness ever? And how about this one:
I know, right? It’s like those kids are so vibrantly buoyantly happy that gravity has totally given up on them.
Oh, hey, I’m getting ahead of myself. Welcome to our weekly feature 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks, where we invite everyone to share Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week—whether book-related or not—that happened to you. And we feature some lovely illustrations. This week, we’ve got a few spreads from We Are One (Harcourt, 2008), a new picture book by Ysaye M. Barnwell (member of the a capella group Sweet Honey in the Rock). Obviously, Mr. Pinkney did the fabulous illustrations. Here’s another:
Hello, Van Gogh reference! I love that swirly sky.
The book also comes with a musical CD. I haven’t seen the book or heard the CD; Jules told me she has a library copy of the book but it was processed in such a way that she can’t get the CD out of the envelope. D’oh! Anyway, thanks to Harcourt for sending us the spreads. They’re a lovely way to set the tone for a listing of happy events.
So, ready for some kicks? Right on.
1* Well, obviously, those illustrations. Did I mention how much I love them?
2* My be-brave moment for the week: I got a little more serious about my creative writing. I even admitted to some people that I was working on a novel, and told them a bit about the plot. This is scary stuff for me. The more people who know about it, the more people might ask me how it’s going, or ask to see what I’ve done so far. So… yikes, now I’ve told you, too. PLEASE DON’T ASK!
3* When switching out my winter clothes for summer a few months ago, I realized that I no longer fit into some of my favorites. I’d gained quite a bit of weight since I moved – I think it was those months of being unemployed that did it. I mean, when you’re home all day and the fridge is just right there… Anyway, I started making an effort to eat better and trying to exercise once in a while. And this week I tried on my favorite old jeans – and they fit again! I’d like to say goodbye to a few more pounds, but I do feel much better now.
4* Haven Kimmel’s Iodine is so unbelievably gorgeous. Like everything else she does. But we’ll definitely co-review it someday, so I’ll save my gushing for that.
5* I made the final payment on my car. Now she’s really mine! Phoebe’s just a little Toyota Echo, but I love her. I love her like most people love their pets. Or their children. She just makes me happy in a way I can’t explain.
6* The neighbors and I had a yard sale Saturday, and I got rid of a few things – including a bunch of books. My bookshelves have room to grow again! Also, we met some of our new neighbors, who all seem pretty great.
7* We celebrated our successful sale with lunch at Moosewood. Mmmm.
eisha: Sorry, me again. Jules is out of town for her niece’s birthday, but she did ask me to pass on this bit of awesome: Remember a couple of weeks ago when we featured Rima Staines’s fantastical artwork? She’s got a new clock on display at her blog. I think it might be my favorite.
So, how about you? Anything good going on this past week you want to share? Please tell us in the comments!
Illustrations from WE ARE ONE by Ysaye M. Barnwell, illustration © 2008 by Brian Pinkney, posted by permission of Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved.
Brian Pikney’s illustrations *are* beautiful. They have such a sense of freedom and happiness. Thanks for sharing them, Eisha.
Eisha, I think it’s *wonderful* that you’ve been telling people about your writing. I understand it taking courage to tell people, and I’m glad you went through the fear and did it. It’s such a good thing to do. It’s a big part of who you are, right? A writer, someone who loves writing and books. So it means you can be more of who you are with people–and why shouldn’t they know about something that’s so important? I’m cheering for you.
My kicks:
– I had my first bloggiversary, and a bunch of people have come by sending me good wishes and recommending some great books to read. I didn’t know it would do this, but it made me feel happy. The kidlitosphere is such a supportive and good community, and I’m so glad for you all.
-The last few days have been good ones for me. I’ve read more, and edited a bit of my work, and taken time to just have fun, too.
-I just got a digital camera in the mail, and I had a lot of fun taking a photos of a friend and me together, and also of my little dog, Willow–and placing her with one of my favorite picture books (Chester by Melanie Watt) which I then put on my blog. I haven’t had a camera in years and years, so this has been such fun and feels really good.
-I’m reading Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and right now it’s really gripping me. It’s so nice to be in a book that’s pulling me in and making me care about the characters (and is a relief) because I’ve been in a few books this past week that didn’t do that. So this feels good.
The water fountain illustration makes me want to jump into the picture.
Eisha, glad to hear you are working on a novel. That is brave!
Cheryl, I bet you find you will take your camera everywhere, they are so much fun.
My kicks:
1. Today is August 10, I have 11 blog entires between my two blogs.
2. Being brave by going with my husband as he got a cyst from front and back removed. Looks like he’s been speared. Later in the week, our Rustyboy tried playing doctor by pulling on the stitching thread.
3. Created a “book” of the script/photos of the play three 5th grade girls wrote as a thank you gift for them, had it printed and put together at FedEX Kinkos. Sent the info electronically and voila, it was ready the next day.
4. Bookclub is tonight…a garden party and time to decide books for the year.
5. Ordered books by authors attending the kidlit conference, which by the way there are cool things to buy at Cafe Press (not yet known to the world) Laini and Jim are designing away. Thank you, guys.
6. Chinese Food at our local favorite spot.
7. Hearing from my nephew.
Have a great week.
I hope Jules has a great visit with family!
Eisha,
Congratulations! It’s a big step–opening up to people about your writing. I know how hesitant I am of talking about my writing with friends and family. I just don’t say much…except to a few trusted friends and relatives who understand my passion for children’s books and writing poetry. (Of course, I’m not so hesitant to write about it for strangers who read my blog. Go figure!) I wish you well with your novel and writing career.
MY KICKS
1. My husband participated in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge last weekend to raise money for the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. He rode 192 miles in two days! He was one of the members of Team Daisy. Last year his team raised over $130,000. Their goal for 2008 is $200,000. I hope they reach it.
2. On Monday, I and ten of my close friends–some of us have known each other since first grade (a few of us even attended elementary, high school, and college together)–got together for a lobster roll and champagne picnic to celebrate the 62nd birthday of one of us. We had the party at the lovely seaside home of one friend. (Being the kind of person who likes to organize parties, I made the lobster rolls and brought the cupcakes and bubbly.) What a marvelous day we had!
3. My husband and I took my daughter and her boyfriend out for his birthday to a wonderful little Italian restaurant they suggested in Lowell, MA. Both my husband and I had the saltimbocca–one of my favorite Italian dishes.
4. I went to a cousins get-together yesterday–my sister and I and two first cousins who are sisters. We had a wonderful time talking, eating, and catching up on old…and new…times.
5. Although we have had mostly miserable weather this summer where I live, we had lovely days for our party and cousins get-together. Thank goodness.
6. Shopping, packing, planning the menu, making preparations for, and looking forward to our week at a waterfront home in Maine. We leave on the 15th. I can’t wait.
7. I got a box of unrequested poetry books in the mail from a publisher a few days ago.
Have a great week, everyone!
I love the water fountain illustration!
Eisha,That is so awesome about the writing! Best of luck!
Elaine, I am in admiration of your husband.
My brave thing…I yelled at two boys who were “dunking” another boy in the pool, trying to choke him and keep him down in the water so he was struggling. None of the other parents did a thing, which irked me to no end.
Cheryl, Happy Bloggiversary! And thank YOU for the book rec – I know the feeling of finally reading a really good, gripping one after a bunch of blah ones, and it can’t be beat.
jone, my goodness, poor Chuck! Please give him my best – I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.
Elaine, good for your husband! That’s truly noble and wonderful.
Vivian – OH!! That makes me so angry too. Thank you for being brave enough to stand up for that boy.
I love the swirly sky illustration, too. Starry night is one of my favorites. Eisha, congratulations on fitting into those jeans. It must feel great. Cheryl, happy blogiversary. And I can second the recommendation for the Hunger Games. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year, for sure. Jone, I’m glad that Chuck is going to be ok. And Elaine, thanks for sharing that mental picture of life-long friends getting together. And Vivian, brave is good. Congratulations! And a great example to your daughters, too, if they were around.
As for me, I’m easing my way back in after a two week vacation (we visited family for most of it, so it wasn’t nearly as decadent as it sounds). But I did get to spend some quality time with family and friends, attend a Red Sox game (which they won in extra innings in dramatic fashion), eat my favorite pizza in the world, and read a lot of books. I’m not quite ready to go back to work tomorrow, but I am feeling more relaxed than I was two weeks ago.
Happy Sunday!
That’s exciting and very brave, Eisha, about your novel! Hope you enjoy the journey of creating it, and don’t let outsider inquiries squelch your enthusiasm.
Hope you had a great time at your niece’s birthday, Jules!
Happy Blogiversary, Cheryl — I thought you had been blogging longer than a year.
Yay, Vivian! So glad you spoke up. I really wonder about some of these parents.
Elaine, your husband is awesome! I’m so impressed. Loved hearing about all your lovely gatherings — Enjoy Maine!
Glad you’re back, Jen. Missed your blog. And best to your husband, Jone!
My kicks:
1. Finally got a dress for the wedding I’m attending in 2 weeks. (I’d been searching since February.)
2. Received lots of good wishes for my Blogiversary on Monday.
3. Cleaned out my baking center — something I’d been wanting to do for several years.
4. I’m interviewing TadMack this week! Have been enjoying her answers and photos.
5. Michael Phelps.
6. Pollo piccata, fresh broccoli sauteed in olive oil, butter and garlic, homemade bread.
7. Played my piano for Jules and Little Willow (Henry Purcell, Bach and Mozart).
Have a great week, everyone!
Those pictures are so joyful!
Elaine, lobster rolls and champagne with old friends sounds like the perfect day.
Eisha, your brave moment is pretty hard to beat, I can imagine it takes lots of courage to be more serious about a secret ambition (now I want a secret ambition. The phrase is so cool).
Having said Eisha’s moment was hard to beat, your brave moment is cheerworthy Vivian. What horrible kids (and negligent parents!).
I’ve had a pretty good week but ‘m not feeling like numbered lists today. I thought I’d still share my be brave moment – I put a henna treatment through my hair! I have never dyed my hair beyond a few streaks years ago as I always feel weird when I change my appearance (eg it took me years to decide to get one set of holes in my ears for earrings). But I wanted to see what red hair looked like on me and didn’t want to think I’d never know in my whole life, so I bit the bullet. I don’t actually think it suits me, but I’m so glad I did it!
Oh, that swirly sky! Makes me wish the sky would actually do that, on my command.
Eisha, I was going to say welcome to the tribe, but I sort of made you a member a long time ago. I mean, really, people, have you not noticed how her posts SING? Hold your shield high, and carry on. We’re here NOT ASKING whenever you need us. 🙂
I had a roller coaster of a week, so I’m making my own kicks right and left to combat any suckiness that might still be lingering around. I took my two teenagers to the National Zoo yesterday, and it was awesome. Have you seen a clouded leopard? Like a cat with snake skin. Gorgeous. And red pandas? Impossibly cute. Really, the zoo surpassed my expectations by a million miles and it was FREE. And it was only like 80 degrees. And my teenagers don’t whine, need to be carried or escorted to the bathroom, and the only drawback is that they eat a lot. And know more than me about lizards. But that’s okay.
Also, today, I made waffles. Lots of them. And tomorrow, I’m making a key lime pie.
Jen, sounds like you squeezed quite a few kicks into two weeks. I can just imagine how fun that Red Sox game must have been for you.
jama, that broccoli sounds divine, I’m going to have to make some too. And isn’t TadMack awesome?
emmaco, I swear sometimes I think we were separated at birth. I’m the same way about my appearance – and I only dyed my hair once: bright red. Well, it was actually purple ’cause I bought the wrong color, but then I fixed it and made it red. Total mistake, but now I know.
Sara, you make me blush. Thanks. Actually, thanks to EVERYONE who wished me well on that endeavor that shall not be named.
Brian Pinkney rocks! I am so excited about We Are One. I can’t wait to get my hands and ears on a copy. Those illustrations are just gorgeous.
Eisha, I am so proud of you proclaiming your endeavor out loud. That is one of the bravest things. Any hooray for losing weight! Cheryl and jama, happy bloggiversaries! Jone, what a great idea making a book of the script and photos of that play. Elaine, Maine sounds divine! Take a lot of pictures. Sara, I really have to come to the National Zoo one of these days. It sounds too good to miss. Maybe when I have more teenagers…
My kicks:
1. It’s a cool rainy day so I baked bread and worked on a lap-size quilt for a teacher friend. It’s small enough to finish in a weekend and just the right size for a nap on the couch.
2. After the thunder rolled away we saw a rainbow from the attic window. Wonderful!
3.Yesterday the weather was PERFECT and we went canoing with good friends. No one fell in. We had a great time.
4. Hung out on my parents deck for a cook out and enjoyed their garden.
5.Started reading Joseph Bruchac’s Wabi; A Hero’s Tale. He is a master storyteller.
6.Asked for faculty tuition reimbursement at work for grad school and found out I can get a nice sum. Also found a grant source I can apply for this week.
7.I bought a new sewing machine. I saved this one for last cause it is the BEST. This is the first quilt I am making on my own machine instead of borrowing my mom’s. I actually had some extra cash this month and it was on sale so I got a quilter’s walking foot attachment too. I am a sewing fool for the rest of the month.
I forgot to say how much I love Sweet Honey in the Rock. They are one of my all time favorite groups. I could listen to them all day and night.
Hi, everyone. It’s kinda fun to be leaving kicks here like the rest of you normally do. Woot!
I’m back and had fun reading everyone’s kicks.
Cheryl, HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY! Like Jama, I assumed you’d been blogging longer.
Jone, poor Chuck! I join Eisha in wishing him a speedy recovery.
GO ELAINE’S HUSBAND! And have fun in Maine, Elaine (that’s my new poem).
Vivian, how cruel of those boys. Seriously, other people just sat around and let it happen? Yeesh. Can you believe some people? Good for you for stopping it.
Jen, so glad you had a restful vacation. You deserved it.
Jama, I loved our piano post. Thanks again! Can’t wait to read TadMack’s interview. And you know what? I saw Michael Phelps win, too, last night in the hotel with my girls. I was trying to explain the Olympics to them. I’m not even a sports person, but I love watching swim meets (is that what they’re called? See, I don’t even know). I was actually cheering and everything when he won.
Emmaco, congrats on the henna. I’m the same way about my hair, but a friend in college once — as I was going on and on and on and on ad nauseum about how it’d just be wrong to change the color of my hair — put me in my place when she said, “IT’S JUST HAIR, FOR ….” Well, I’ll bleep her real words. But I still don’t like to change my hair color either. I’d consider highlights, though.
Sara, love the National Zoo. But I’m still kicking myself that, after having lived near D.C. for a while, I NEVER MADE IT TO THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. …..I’m so glad your week was so kickin’, Sara. Getting your picture with Adam Rex could constitute 7-plus kicks in my book.
Cloudscome, WAHOO!! on that sewing machine. Please do take pics of your quilts.
My kicks, in no particular order, since they were all so great:
1). Getting to see old friends this weekend and kicking the weekend off with a deliciable* brunch with three friends, two of whom have the cutest little boy with the Best Laugh Ever.
2). Getting to eat at Knoxville’s Tomato Head for old-time’s sake.
3). Seeing how much Knoxville has changed and grown over the past couple of years. (They had to up and build an Amerigo’s AFTER WE MOVED? Wah. But ah well, we’ve got one in Nashville. Oh and all kinds of neat, independent, locally-owned shops here. Cool.)
4). Seeing family — and my girls got to play with their cousins. There’s almost nothing better than cousins.
5). Coming home to see that awesome tri-review from Adrienne and Eisha and LW. Can’t wait to read it.
6). Getting a belated thank-you from David Small for our interview with him. Email from David Small — I might have to frame it.
7). Reading everyone’s kicks upon my return.
BONUS: Brian Pinkney.
I had little to no time to read this week, trying to catch up on work. I hope to remedy that this week.
As Mouse would say to Bear (since I just read that to my girls at bed-time), “Toodle-oo!”
*Deliciable = very yummy. My four-year-old made up this word and uses it pretty much daily.
cloudscome, I actually thought of you when I heard about this book – it sounds right up your alley. And yay for having your own sewing machine, and finding creative ways to pay your tuition.
jules, WELCOME BACK! It was so lonely here without you for two whole days! *sniff* And you jut made me so nostalgic for Knoxville. Tomato Head = soooo good.
The illustrations you picked to post here are exceptionally summery. Thanks, Brian!
eisha: Congrats on the writing, the health, the car! I’m not asking about it, but I am encouraging you to keep writing.
Happy blogiversary, Cheryl!
jone: Healing thoughts for your husband. Have fun at the book club! Now I’m singing Garden Party by Ricky Nelson. I love that song.
Elaine: It sounds as though you and your family and friends are so connected. That’s so good.
Vivian: Good for you. Thanks for helping that boy. I can’t stand it when people stand-by and watch or ignore what’s going on around them.
Jen: “Relaxed?” What does that mean? 🙂
jama: YAY for piano playing! Oh, YAY! Thank you. What color is the dress?
Go emmaco.
Sara: I love clouded leopards. They are gorgeous and graceful. Have you read the book Like the Red Panda? The title was inspired by a zoo exhibit, I believe. The story is about a girl who is not truly the image she projects outward.
cloudscome: Enjoy the cool weather and watch the flowers drink up the rain. Have fun with the machine and craft projects.
jules: I’m glad that you had fun!
My kicks for the week:
1. Working on websites
– Opening Jen Calonita’s site
– Redesigning Kristen Tracy’s site
– Preparing some new sites
– Speaking with potential clients
2. Dancing
– Being moved to dance
– Choreographing and planning
– Watching rabbits and others dance
3. Discussing books
– Talking about The Great Gatsby with a teenager shortly after she finished it
– Putting together the Generation Dead tri-review
– Discussing Play Me for a co-review
4. Dreaming
– Seeing my cats again
5. Being the Pied Piper of animals
– Coaxing and petting a cat
– Being a point of interest for a dog (same dog said hi to me three times in an hour)
– Talking with a squirrel
6. Making good use of my time this weekend
7. Finding amusement in little things
– . . . such as television movie lineups
eisha, why’d they have to up and make Market Square so flippin’ awesome AFTER we moved? it’s amazing, but then you saw it recently, too, right?
LW, i love that you’re the Pied Piper of animals. i’ve never even met you, and i can totally see that.
those illustrations *are* perfect for summer, huh? if Brian Pinkney ever wanted to be interviewed, i’d pretty much squeal.
Gracious, Little Willow, your list has BULLET POINTS. I just love you. Did the squirrel talk back?
jules, yeah, and for serious, it’s way cooler than when we lived there. AND there’s a parking garage.
Those illustrations are so full of light and joy! Perfect for a happy summer Sunday.
I am late as usual, but here goes:
GO EISHA! That is truly brave and I too will be silently supporting you and not asking.
Happy Blogiversary, Cheryl!
jone, that was brave to go with your husband, and I find your saying it looks like he’s been speared so fitting and moving – I think whenever people have to fight any kind foreign object/cell/cyst on the body they are warriors.
Elaine, I am in AWE of your husband – 192 miles in 2 days!!!?????
Vivian – you rock. More kids need people like you to come to their aid when no one else will.
Jen – What a wonderful vacation – I am jealous of the Red Sox game.
jama – I agree, Michael Phelps is great. But that broccoli sounds great too.
Go emmaco! As someone very attached to their hair and to having it look a certain way, I understand.
Sara, I am not sure what sounds better, the zoo or waffles – both sound wonderful!
cloudscome – canoeing sounds awesome – so happy no one fell in!
jules – one of my kicks this week was catching up with old friends – its always so uplifting!
Little Willow, all I can say is wow.
My kicks this week:
1. Reconnecting and catching up with some old friends from undergrad. So nice to see them and their families doing so well and being happy.
2. Going to see a friend’s Roller Derby team compete this Saturday – not only was it fun, but they won the championship! Woo-hoo!
3. Doing Portland’s BridgePedal this morning – it was a beautiful day to be outside, and so nice to be reminded of how beautiful Portland is from so many different bridges and angles.
4. Pancakes for brunch!
5. Using the cucumbers and green peppers from the garden in tonight’s salad.
6. Walking the dogs at dusk. Then seeing a grey bunny in the field down the street on the way back.
7. Jury duty starts tomorrow! I know most people hate it, but I have never done it before and am very excited to do my civic duty. Plus, I just picked up Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam from the library, which I plan on reading while waiting to be called up for a trial.
Have a great week everyone!
jules: I love critters. I want to play with leopards and otters, among others.
Ask him! (Though I’m sure you have…)
eisha: That was kind of long. I’m kind of crazy.
That particular squirrel didn’t speak to me, but he did approach me, and he got very close before someone else came by, which frightened him so he scurried back to and up his tree.
I just love reading these lists. Somewhere on the Web there’s a site to which people submit grocery lists they’ve rediscovered in bureau drawers and old boxes in the garage and glove compartments and such… would love to see something like that for the “7 Kicks” lists, too.
Years back, I saw a PBS tribute to Joni Mitchell (there was an audience, and JM herself sat up in a theater box while others performed her music, which was a little strange). Sweet Honey in the Rock did “The Circle Game,” I think — it was amazing.
Wow, such amazing kicks everywhere–I’m like JES, I just love reading the lists. And as usual I’m really late, but I have an excuse (really, teacher, I do!): I was giving my talk at Terminus and then traveling all day yesterday. So here are my (belated) kicks:
1. going to Terminus, which was a hoot! 1500 Harry Potter fans in one place. But why were so many people in Slytherin? Why were there so many Lucius Malfoys? Inquiring minds want to know…
2. Hearing Cheryl Klein’s talk, and then meeting her later.
3. Hearing John Green read, and seeing Hank there, too.
4. Getting a good response to my paper, even though it was late Sunday afternoon and people were dragging (I know I was).
5. Hanging out with excellent children’s lit friends and scholars at Terminus.
6. No delays on the way home, even though lots of other flights were delayed.
7. Finishing Breaking Dawn, and seeing the amusing revisions and reviews (check my blog post for links).
RM, have too much fun with jury duty. I’ve also never had to do that.
JES, in high school, my friend and I, who were rather surly and mostly misanthropic, made what were called Hate Lists. These would get us in trouble today, what with high schools being so hyper-aware of any sort of misfit-ism and what with high schools being what they are today, but they were perfectly innocent and never included people’s names, unless they were annoying celebrities. It was things like: “The way menu items are misspelled in the cafeteria” (because we were nerds); “Debbie Gibson” or “Tiffany” or “Def Leppard” (because we just didn’t get them); “Pep rallies” (because we also just didn’t get school spirit); “excessively cheery people” (because, again, we were Surly Nonconformists who were probably very annoying, in retrospect).
I’m a different person now — sorta — and I don’t think I’d ever make a Hate List, but it is rather cathartic when you’re feeling frustrated.
Also: We have some Sweet Honey in the Rock on some children’s CDs, too. They sing one of my favorite lullabies. They’re just all-around awesome, and I hear one of the members signs on stage when they perform.
Libby, CONGRATS on getting such a good response to your paper and for generally having a kicky week.
I meant to respond to others’ kicks but I got stupid/lazy the first time around. But: Sweet Honey in the Rock, yes! I saw them in concert once, and someone does sign while they sing (ooh, hard to type that) and they are all-around fabulous. And I love the Pinkney illustrations above, too. (Any relation to Jerry Pinkney, btw?)
Also, I’m with everyone else in thinking it’s really brave, Eisha, for you to “out” yourself as a writer. You go!
I’m awed, impressed, and vicariously happy for the zoo, the homemade bread, the henna treatment, the newly-fitting jeans, the grants and tuition reimbursement, brave acts (which for me would include Little Willow’s dancing), delicious meals, catching up with old friends…wow! I’ve just vicariously had another fabulous week! Thanks, all.
Libby, yes, isn’t Brian Pinkney Jerry Pinkney’s son? I believe so, but I’ve been wrong many times before.
rm preston – you have a friend on a roller derby team? Ooh! You are so very cool by association, at least in my book.
JES, are you talking about Found Magazine? ‘Cause I love them.
Libby, I’m still jealous, but ultimately glad you had such a great time at Terminus and hanging with the Brothers Green.
eisha — not Found, no (although I love their site and their magazine). I was thinking of grocerylists.org, which isn’t as comprehensive or… uh… literate as Found. But ultra-focused.
jules — A big passing fad during my h.s. years was something called (for no reason anyone ever offered, or maybe even knew) “slang books.” These were composition books in which two or three pages were devoted to a numbered list of the people (mostly but not exclusively girls) who contributed to the contents. The books would get circulated among the contributors to add their own contents.
As for the contents themselves, each page was headed by a single question, like “Who do you love?” (which today would probably be “Who do you think is totally HAWT?”), what teacher is a jerk, and so on. You’d write in your answer and then add the number associated with your name. This was supposed to provide some sort of anonymity. And somehow, magically, it was impossible to use someone else’s number. Somehow I don’t see this translating well to the trollish Interwebs.
I’m new to reading this blog, but I’d like to write a couple things that lifted me up last week:
#1 With valid cause, I used to have serious a serious fear of failure when it came to baking. Last week, I made homemade cupcakes from scratch for the first time– and they rocked! For weeks I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the lemon gem cupcake recipe from Vegan with a Vengeace. Now I have to make more because there was frosting leftover– oops.
#2 When I was frying tofu for pad thai, my four-year-old asked for a taste. As he walked away with a mouthful, I heard him say, “My gracious, this is yummy.”
#3 Earlier in the week, my four-year-old asked to watch some TV. and I said, “No.” Then, he threatened me: “If you don’t let us watch something, then we’ll. . . make a salad that has stuff in it that doesn’t go in salad. And that will really happen!”
#4 We had a short-notice visit from a dear friend, and I got to cook lunch for him and send some get-well tabouleh home with him for his wife.
#5 My four-year-old got a mohawk!
#6 My two-year-old turned three!
#7 My two-year-old has been detremined to go shirtless for weeks. We insist on a shirt to ride in his car seat (which, for the most part, leads to being dressed in public) and at the dinner table. Well, I picked up The Jungle Book for 50 cents at a yard sale and let them watch it. Later that day, he was wearing a shirt (I don’t remember how I had gotten it on him) Joey said, “I want no shirt on like the girl in the movie.” Shocked, I said, “What girl???? What movie????” Then I realized he meant the boy in The Jungle Book. Now he has a shirtless hero and runs around calling himself “Man-cub.”
When I started writing my comment, I thought I was going to write just a couple things, not 7. I should have proofread before I posted. How embarassing. (“A refrigerator full of condiments and no food. . . how embarassing.”)
JES, I remember those slang books, too, but I think we called them “slam books.” Or maybe those are different things?
Kathe, don’t be embarrassed. Your kicks are…well, a kick to read. A MOHAWK! Right on. Congrats on those cupcakes, too. I wish I could say I baked a fudge pie tonight, but it was only my idea; my husband carried it through.
And I also have a four-year-old. The things that come out of their mouths now…it’s too much fun. “My gracious” is pretty classic.
JES, that grocerylists.org is oddly entertaining. I totally needed another internet time suck, too.
Kathe, your kids are a HOOT! That salad threat is so awesome I want it on a t-shirt.
1. Tried sushi for the first time
2. Stood outside in the rain for the fun of it
3. Watched old movies and ate peanut butter cups
4. Read Dog Park Diary by Kim Pearson to my 7 year old son and he Loved It!
5. Read the book again, 4 nights in a row now.
6. Promised myself to start exercising
7. Visited some of my favorite blogs.
Melissa, yay for leaving kicks on a Thursday! I love that.
#2 is one of the best. things. ever, isnt’ it?
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