7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #78: Featuring Hyewon Yum

h1 August 31st, 2008 by Eisha and Jules

Jules: I really, really hope that folks are around this weekend, despite it being a holiday weekend, to see the art work of our featured illustrator today, Hyewon Yum, who studied painting, printmaking, and illustration at both Seoul National University and the School of Visual Arts in New York.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, let me quickly say in case we have any new folks reading: 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks is our weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on 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. We also feature the work of an artist/illustrator every Sunday.

So, back to Hyewon: She now lives and works as a freelance illustrator in Brooklyn. The above illustration—as well as the below two—are from Last Night, set for a Fall release from Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Hyewon contacted me after my Suzy Lee interview, and I’m so terrifically glad she did; I quickly went all ga-ga over Hyewon’s style as soon as I saw the art work she had sent. I’m looking forward to seeing Last Night, which looks great.


The next two illustrations are from a book Hyewon’s currently creating, entitled Mommy Told Me Not to Go Out Alone. I know nothing about the book, but I can show you that this art work is also slammin’ good:


“The last image is from my personal project about {my} twin sister,” Hyewon told me:

Many thanks to Hyewon for sharing her beautiful work with us today. If you want to see more or her illustrations, please visit her web site.

* * * eisha’s kicks * * *

Miles, riding Tameka like a horsey. Goofy little cowboy. God, he’s so CUTE.1* Well, first off let’s talk about this week’s art. There’s something about that fox all kicked back in that first picture that just tickles me, as do the little girl’s Chuck Jones eyes in the book cover beneath it.

2* Barack Obama.

3* As I mentioned in Friday’s post, I’ve been rereading Salinger all week. It’s very interesting how my appreciation for him has changed over the years. As a teen, I was most drawn to the alienation of his main characters, but now I find myself more interested in their redemption. His ear for dialogue has never failed to amaze me, though.

4* When I opened my lovely hardcover reissue of Franny and Zooey, I rediscovered Jules’s inscription from when she gave it to me in 1998.

5* On a very different note, my husband and I watched Anchorman. There were about three scenes that made me laugh so hard I thought I’d have a stroke.

6* New nephew pics. In the one above, he’s pretending to ride my brother’s dog like a horsey, and clearly cracking himself up. He’s turning into quite the performer. Also, he’s still just about the cutest little boy EVER.

7* As you’re reding this, I’m actually in Boston hanging out with dear old friends. I hope you’re all having a lovely long weekend, and I look forward to reading all your kicks when I get back.

* * * Jules’ kicks * * *

1). You won’t hear me talk politics a lot, because I am extremely terribly no-good cautious about my optimism with all politicians. But things are different this time, and my first kick is the DNC and Obama’s wonderful speech. Author Haven Kimmel took the words right outta my mouth over at her blog (to which I’m addicted) when she wrote, “I’d watch the whole thing again just to see him hold up his hand and say, ‘ENOUGH.'”

2). When I was having a really crappy day one day this week, Eisha obliged my request for a really sick, funny joke. Plus, my husband brought me a latte.

3). Long story how we got on this topic (no, I’m not pregnant), but my husband said if we ever have a boy, he’s totally gonna give him the middle name “Danger.” Yes, DANGER DANIELSON. This was over food, and I about choked. (Of course I reminded him that a girl could be Danger Danielson, too, especially if she were a superspy.)

4). The Hubster and I rented and saw—yes, for the first time ever—“The Godfather.”

5). Home-made apple crisp with apples from our neighbor’s tree.

6). Watching my four-year-old’s face as she heard “Rubber Soul” for the first time in her life. She had a wide array of responses for each song and could be heard singing “Nowhere Man” later. I figure she’s a Beatle-in-Training, which is what Eisha used to call me in college.

7). My husband’s birthday is soon, and when the girls asked him what he wants for his birthday, he was all, I want a pony. And a unicorn. And a dragon. And a spaceship. And a pirate’s ship… and on and on. And my four-year-old was IN HYSTERICS and kept going on about it. It’s like he sent her over the edge and she learned that very night what hyperbole is — or, I dunno, maybe tall talk. Something. Whatever. But her extreme delight in it all was pretty funny.

* * *

Speaking of…My four-year-old starts her first ever Parents’ Day Out program next week, and I know I know I know that it’ll be great for her AND good for me to have a little bit more quiet (not total quiet, mind you…the almost-three-year-old will still be amblin’ around), but…I will miss her. I know some mothers may be eye-rolling right now, and I wouldn’t blame them, honestly—I’m not a mother who hasn’t ever wished for more breaks—but there’s the whole dropping-her-off-and-leaving-her-in-the-care-of-others bit, which is hard. For serious. I think I’m going to find out what it feels like to leave your heart somewhere out of your body and walk away.

Fortunately, my husband’s off all week and a) will go with me to drop her off and b) perhaps can buy me a stiff drink afterwards. But I’d still take any and all words of support if anyone’s so inclined to give them, which is why I’m rambling about this.

(And the program is only two days a week. I’m that pathetic.)

What are your kicks this week?





32 comments to “7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #78: Featuring Hyewon Yum”

  1. Jules, I hope everyone that wants to travel is off having a great time, but one of my kicks is that I don’t have to!

    LOVE the artwork today. Each picture goes straight to the emotional heart of what’s happening,

    And Eisha? I wondered what that cutie nephew of yours was up to…and now I see…dog wrangling. Awesome.

    More kicks:
    Found another farmer’s market and bought three kinds of apples, peaches, heirloom tomatoes, basil, crusty bread, and the most wonderful smoked fresh mozzarella. Guess what kind of sandwich I made when I got home. And then I had the whole thing again on some sesame crackers as a snack later.

    My daughter’s getting a kitten! We’re having fun with name-storming. I’m thinking Ordu, Orwen or Orgoch. Llyan would be good too.

    Adrienne’s re-post today about surviving widowhood. It rocks.


  2. Oh, and Jules, I’m not ignoring your pain at leaving your daughter. It’s just that I STILL get seriously bummed when my grown daughter goes off to school. My only comfort is that SHE’S always fine, even if I’m neurotically pacing and doing things like scrubbing every little spot in the carpet.


  3. Oh, what great artwork! Eisha, I envy you being in Boston, one of my favorite places in the world. And, Jules, I guess over time you just get used to that leaving your heart somewhere else thing. My kids started daycare young and I still remember having to peel them off me, kicking and screaming. It does get better–though, like Sara, I still miss mine when they’re gone.

    Hmm, I’m having trouble coming up with kicks this week–the first week of school always goes by in a blur–I think my main one is just making it through. But I am seriously out of shape for this stuff! (Work, that is!)


  4. Sara, YUMMERS to those farmer’s market purchases. Holy moly, they sound good. I love tomato/basil/mozzarella sandwiches and was just thinking the other day that I should make one, seeing as how we have basil growing. Thanks for the reminder. Wait…I bought mozzarella last night, and I know I have a tomato. And olive oil is a staple we can’t live without. Hot damn! I know what I’m having for lunch!

    Congrats to your daughter, too. Here’s a name suggestion: My daughters and I are reading some of Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga stories for children, and you could name the kitten Peter Potato Blossom Wishes in honor of the girl who visited the whispering sky blue cats who said**:

    “Wishes are for the wisher; by and by, maybe everything you wish for will come true; wish your wishes deep into your heart and after a time your wishes will be written on your face and the wishing winds who hunt for all wishers will know your wishes and will go hunting for you; by and by, all wishes come true, by and by, by and by.”

    Now, I’ve always loved that and hope it’s true, even if our wishes don’t come true until, say, any kind of life after this one. (I’m thinking, in particular, of the wish to see those we love who have gone before us, to reference Adrienne’s wonderful post and thank you for linking to that.)

    Libby, good luck getting acclimated to work. I hope it gets less blurry and easier to find kicks.

    THANK YOU to both of you for the advice. I can easily imagine how it will always feel like dropping off my heart whenever my children are away from me, which is what you both say still happens and I BELIEVE it! But it feels particularly hard this first time — and the day’s not even here yet. I’d just THINK about purchasing her backpack, and I’d tear up. Yesterday, we picked up the lunch box, and I didn’t start sobbing or shrieking, so this is good.

    It’s just the VERY first time I’ve had to think things like, what if something happens and I’m not there to protect her?. I know, I know: Welcome to motherhood, right? But I swear, we’ve never even hired a BABYSITTER (only grandparents have watched them).

    I’m rambling. Sorry. I hope Eisha’s having a great time, and thanks to you all for visiting. How about that Hyewon? WOOT!

    **Not to be outdone by:

    “You are today beautiful as a poem of the open sky and the morning sunrise in early summer on the bashful fields, p-e-r-h-a-p-s, and tomorrow you shall be more beautiful, p-e-r-h-a-p-s.”


  5. Those illustrations kick big time, especially the going one for.. Not to go Out Alone…
    Eisha, have to put Anchorman on the Netflix list. We watche The Savages last night. Totlally weird and macabre funny. I want t visit Boston. Jealous.
    Jules, I will think about you this week and wonder how you did with the Parents’ Day Out. Both my grandkids start preschool this coming week. I think both my daughters will have be in the same boast with you.
    Sara, you reemind me to make apple crisp, need to so something with my apples from the farmer’s market.
    My kicks:
    1. A dream I had about sitting around with people of the kidlitosphere bunch and deciding the blogging conference needs to me in Nashville.
    2. Making it through “sit-in-your-seat-all week inservice. I actually was able to work on a poem which I posted fro Poetry Friday.
    3. Our garage sale which I was dreading, said I would never do another. But Chuck helped and we got rid of a bunch of stuff. And the weather cooperated.
    4, Agreed: Obama and to listen to Ted Kennedy (who looked terribly like my dad). Did you know that Michelle Obama’s brother coaches at Oregon State University?
    5. Correspondance with Janet Wong regarding the ring, drum, blanket poem.
    6. Seeing students at the back to school ba-b-que. So great! Happiness and the promise of hope in the new year.
    7. Haing lunch and getting to know staff membersthat are somewhat new.
    Have a great week.


  6. Jules, you are not “boasting”…I meant boat.


  7. Jules, that’s a great name suggestion, and you know, every time someone asked about the name, you could whip out that lovely quote and get to revel in it again, and pass it on. However, I’m afraid the name might just get shortened to Potato. 🙂

    And as to the “what if something happens and I’m not there question”—not to belittle your concern—but one of the great joys of motherhood is watching how what you’ve planted grows when you’re NOT there. Wow, you’ll think….she really, really got it. Or not. There’s that downside, too. But they do live what they learn, and you get to see that in action—or at least hear about her challenges and triumphs in the larger world. And she’ll bring so much back to you, in the form of questions and discoveries and stories and new friends.


  8. My 7 kicks:

    1. OBAMA! OBAMA!
    2. I am tempted to repeat my enthusiasm for Obama here, because I am that excited. For serious. Instead, I will pick hopefulness, which has sprung up seemingly all around me this week following the DNC in general and Obama’s speech in particular.
    3. I got my first set of comments on the gnomes back from a second reader (4 to go), and I’m getting particularly excited about the MS. I believe this could actually be THE ONE.
    4. OBAMA! Er, make that David Ellwand put a link to my blog review of his forthcoming book, THE MYSTERY OF THE FOOL & THE VANISHER, on his website after sending me an exceptionally kind email. How nice is that?
    5. I got a lovely email from Peter Oresick, whose Warhol poem I posted a few weeks back, with excellent support and advice for the Jane Project. I so appreciate the kindness of strangers.
    6. I learned how to make ravioli from scratch yesterday, pasta and all. I’m stoked to try it at home.
    7. I got to work with Jules doing a co-review/discussion of Frankenstein Takes the Cake. It was gobs of fun. Thanks again, Jules.


  9. What great illustrations!
    My first kick would have to be the illustrations, especially the ones with the little boy and the cat over at Hyewon’s site. The cat pulling on the little boy’s cape is both funny and sweet.
    Second kick is reading the 7imp co-review of Frankenstein Takes the Cake – what fun!
    Third kick is summer, and more specifically dahlias at the dahlia festival.
    Fourth is three day weekends – hurray!
    Five and six would have to be introducing my bf to The Stinky Cheese Man and Squids Will Be Squids. I am always amazed at people who never realized how much fun (and funny) books can be.
    Seven is Obama, but I am cautiously hopeful. (Still can’t forget the last 2 elections.)

    Eisha – re: Anchorman – I love lamp! (And I LOVE Steve Carell in that movie. When he was eating mayonaise in the opening sequence I was on the floor.)

    Jules – good luck this week. The fact that your daughter has such an awesome sense of humor at four makes me grin.

    Happy sunday!


  10. Jone, your “I Come From” poem is great. I just went and read it. Excellent.

    So glad you’re having a good start-of-the-school-year, too.

    Sara, thanks!

    Kelly, I enjoyed the co-review, too, and what great, happy kicks you have, esp. hearing from authors/poets…

    RM, I’m glad you went and looked at some of Hyewon’s other illustrations at her site. Aren’t they great? Man, I wanna see Last Night. And good for you for evangelizing good children’s lit. Happy three-day-weekend!

    I meant to exclaim, just generally: Eisha’s nephew is PUDDIN HEAD PUNKIN HEAD CUTE. PUDDIN. PUDDIN. STINKIN’ CUTE.

    Gotta use that marquee tag whenever I get the chance.


  11. “Beatle-in-training!” I love it. And Jules, I was just reading something somewhere why it’s a good idea for two people to decide upon names, otherwise you’d get all of these guys giving their sons middle names like “Danger”– I kid you not.

    My big kick for today was seeing Ned Vizzini at the Seattle Bumbershoot music-arts festival. Ned arranged for me to pick up a ticket at the VIP tent (la la la!) and I got to hear him speak on a panel with Francesca Lia Block and Ellen Hopkins. Afterward, I got to chat with Ned and his fiance for awhile. I forgot to mention that we’d been corresponding for about 4 years or so and finally got to meet. I’ll probably post the photo his fiance took later on the blog this week. I’m off to go to a friend’s for dinner now– that’s another kick, because we all have to plan weeks and weeks in advance when to see each other. Seattle’s not that big of a city– why is it so hard to get together with friends? Humbug! I’m determined to get my homebody-ness out more to see the people I care about. Eisha, I’m glad you’re getting to hang out with friends. I’ll come back and read everyone else’s kicks after I get back from dinner.


  12. I just found you! Where have you been all my life?


  13. Alkelda, that’s great news about the festival. Looking forward to seeing the pic, too. Have fun with your friends at dinner…

    …and hello to the great-looking Vintage Kids’ Book blog! Where have you been all our lives?


  14. I agree with Libby about the first week back being a blur. In addition to teaching I spent way too much time in meetings. My kicks for the week include:
    1. My son is absolutely over the moon about going back to school. This just warms my heart.
    2. My son painted me 4 amazing pictures for my birthday, including a crocodile family, a gorilla family, a snake family, and my favorite, a giraffe family. I’m going to hang all of them in my office.
    3. My nephew started college nearby about 10 days ago. When all the kids left for the long weekend, he came to stay with us. It’s been great fun getting to know him better.
    4. Hubby gave me the most gorgeous pair of pearl earrings for my birthday.
    5. I took Friday off work to have a quiet day with William. For lunch I made oven roasted tomatoes and eggplant and then made a yummy sandwich and drizzled it all in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. YUM!

    That’s it for me. I hope everyone has a terrific week.


  15. I particularly like the looks of that girl sticking her head in the cupboard. “What,” I ask, “is in that cupboard?” I very much want to know. I very much also want that brown dress with the polka dots.

    Eisha, How does your nephew keep getting cuter? I love the look on the dog’s face there, too–kind of like, “Oh, well. There you go.”

    Jules, I seriously do not know how you parents do it. Lucas isn’t even my own child, and I hate leaving him with those near-strangers at school every day.

    Sara, Thank you.

    It is the four-year anniversary of my husband’s death today, which sucks. The kicky part, though, is that my week has been full of all the things that make my life so good–taking care of things I need to do, having fun with my friends, planning for the future. The kickiest parts of a kicky week were making and canning salsa with my BFF yesterday and spending time with an out-of-town friend and his family (including his ridiculously cute nine-month-old baby girl who I am totally in love with) today.

    The brave thing I did today was to call my in-laws and my parents. I’m not sure if I can explain this right, but it’s easier to be brave and strong when I tell myself it’s really not so bad (which I do, well, about once a day), but when I talk to my collective parents on anniversary days, I can hear in their voices that, indeed, something really bad did happen and it shakes me a little. I was glad to talk to all of them today, though. I’m also glad that I’ll going to bed soon and that tomorrow will be September 1st.


  16. Tricia, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! And does it get better than your child’s art? No, it does not. I am currently looking for a bigger tub to keep Piper’s in, ’cause I’m running out of room and can’t seem to throw away anything she does.

    And how very cool that your nephew decided to spend time with you all on a long weekend.

    Adrienne, I’m reading John Green’s Paper Towns right now, and it’s full of Walt-Whitman-Leaves-of-Grass goodness, which is what reminded me of this excerpt. This is my gift to you today, and I know that when you’re grieving, some well-meaning person could say something that hits you the wrong way, that they’re just trying to help when you perhaps really wanna yell, spare me the inspiring words….I want him HERE!….and I know you miss him so much and want him with YOU. So I hope and hope you like this…and if you don’t, if they’re the wrong words at the wrong time, that you’ll forgive me. I mean to comfort:

    “The smallest sprout shows there is really no death,
    And if ever there was it led forward life, and does not wait at the end to arrest it,
    And ceas’d the moment life appear’d.

    All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses,
    And to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier.”


  17. I love my Whitman, Jules. He does always make me feel more hopeful, and my friends make me feel hopeful, too. 🙂

    Are you loving Paper Towns? I so loved it.


  18. I do love it, Adrienne. If I had uninterrupted reading time, I’d be way done with it by now.

    Hey, where I am, it’s three minutes away from September 1st. I guess you’re already there.


  19. I should be asleep, but I’m not, so here I am.

    What is it with people vetoing perfectly good middle names?! My husband vetoed “Emma Edna” from the girl name pool. What’s wrong with Edna?

    Jules, I love it, too, when my kids discover music. At three, Samuel went through a horrible Enya jag that lasted about a year, though. (If I had known how bad it was going to get, I never would have let my Dad give him that CD. This is the same man who started me on Johnny Cash!) At one point, Samuel went on a “Yellow Submarine” kick and was so excited when a little girl at preschool sang it with him. And two of Joey’s favorite songs are “Hey, Bulldog” and “Birthday.” What two-year-old can resist the lyrics, “You say it’s your Birthday? Well, it’s my birthday, too!”

    #1-#3 Along with the music theme, my first kick is that I discovered our library has a copy of a Ramones tribute album I used to check out regularly from our old library before we moved a year ago. Happy me! Samuel didn’t pay much attention to the Ramones before. This time, he fell in love with the two-minute, high energy hookiness and insisted on listening to Rob Zombie’s version of Blitzkrieg Bop as many times as I could tolerate. Then he asked me to make a guitar for him out of a cereal box.

    #4 The lunch/ dinner– linner?– that I made for my very Southern mother-in-law’s mother and sister was a huge hit. I don’t know why, but I was so nervous about Grandmother. She makes it pretty clear that she thinks I don’t feed her grandson well enough, so it was validating to see her going back for more and licking the serving spoon as we cleaned up. She’s pretty eccentric, and there are always plenty of good Grandmother stories to go around after a visit with her.

    #5 I recommended Flavor of the Week to my mother-in-law. She admitted that she was skeptical at first, but then she loved it. She’s scanning the recipes so we can do some of them. I already have the stuff for spice-dusted figs. Yum!

    #6 The ER uses glue sometimes instead of stitches these days!


  20. Kathe, I want a cereal-box guitar!! … Congrats on your Ramones find. Score. And congrats on your grandmother-approved dinner.

    But I have to ask: ER? Are you okay? Hope so.


  21. Eisha, that’s one cute nephew!

    Jules, it’s hard to believe you just saw The Godfather for the first time.

    I’m coming in a little late with my kicks.

    MY KICKS

    1. The weather has been gorgeous here since our return from Maine. We’re finally getting some summer sun–along with dry air and comfortable temperatures.

    2. I spent last Monday with some old girlfriends. We went to the beach, a movie, and a Thai restaurant.

    3. On Tuesday, My husband and I took my mother out to lunch in Essex, Massachusetts. We sat in the dining room overlooking the marsh and ate delicious food.

    4. Last Friday, I brought lunch and a bottle of chardonnay to share with one of my nieces. Her husband and two sons were away climbing Mount Washington in NH. We had a lovely afternoon sitting outside chatting.

    5. Yesterday, I went to say goodbye to the owners of the Child at Heart gallery in Newburyport, Massachusetts. That’s the shop that sells art by children’s illustrators and children’s books. It’s also the gallery that did the Robert’s Snow exhibits. It’s sad that they’re closing after seven years. I bought three limited edition prints–one by Grace Lin and two by Trina Schart Hyman and a lovely watercolor original by David McPhail. I think most of them will be Christmas presents–that is, if I can bear to part with them.

    6. My husband and I treated my daughter and her boyfriend to a late lunch at Agave, a wonderful Mexican restaurant in Newburyport.

    7. Saturday night, I cooked up lobster pesto pasta. YUM!

    Can you tell that my life revolves around food?


  22. Hello, Hyewon!

    7-Imp wouldn’t load for me lsat night, so I’m glad that it did now.

    eisha: Say hello to Boston for me.

    Jules: Beatle-in-training sounds like fun. Happy almost birthday to your husband! Hugs to the little one – and to you! – for the day away.

    Sara: Oh, that food haul sounds tasty! Please hug the kitten for me.

    jone: Hurrah for the poem!

    Kelly: Rock the feedback!

    rm preston: They are fun books.

    Alkelda: Enjoy the dinner.

    Tricia: That sandwich sounds yummy. Glad that your son is rocking the art and ready for school. Happy birthday!

    Adrienne: (((hugs)))

    Kathe: I read that as a Ramona tribute album at first, and that was interesting.

    Elaine: Enjoy the weather, the company, and the visits.

    My kicks for the week:
    1) Patience
    2) An audition
    3) Rehearsals
    4) Good books
    5) Good deals and coupons
    6) Walking
    7) Reinforcement


  23. Every week I want to cover my walls in the featured illustrations, and this week is no exception.
    Eisha – your nephew is so cute. As big a softie as our dog is, he would never let our kids sit on him like that.
    Jules – I know how you feel about leaving your kids with someone else. I clearly remember Cy’s first Mother’s Day Out morning, and feeling like I needed a stiff drink after drop off, but I settled for hanging out at Borders and drinking a caramel mocha – alone! If it’s any consolation, the smile and hug you will get at pick-up time is something special – nobody but Mommy and Daddy will ever get a smile like that.

    My kicks this week are:

    1) The 3 day holiday weekend. I have spent much of the weekend with my in-laws, and it has been lovely to watch Cy and Ruby bond with their grandparents.
    2) Getting my first paycheck in over four years. I know money isn’t everything, but it sure does help to have another income with the higher cost of living these days.
    3) The start of college football season. That’s right, I am a football fan (although I hate to call it football because they hardly ever use their feet, but that’s a rant for another day). Anyway, I love the pomp and ceremony that goes with football (and other sports) at the college level – the mascots, the fans and the marching bands. And it also means that. . .
    4) . . . Fall is on the way. My absolute favorite season is almost here. The days of sticky Tennessee summer are on the way out.
    5) The semester has finally started and the library is seeing more and more use. I am enjoying meeting the students and getting to answer reference questions. It’s fun.
    6) Watching Ruby spin around on her tummy as she tries to get what she wants – she usually succeeds. She will surely be crawling any day now and I’m not sure I am ready for that.
    7) Cy cracked his first ever (intentional) funny!!! Being a 4 year old boy, he is very interested and amused by certain bodily functions. The other night he pointed at the computer in our kitchen and declared. “That’s a pooter!” and almost fell off his chair laughing. Priceless.


  24. Okay, now I am wondering if that comment about the smile and hug at pick up came out wrong. It’s not that she is so happy to see you because she has been miserable all morning, and you have come to save her, but that she is happy to see you and tell her most favorite people how much fun she has had. Hopefully that makes better sense.


  25. Getting here late so won’t clog up the comments archive with lint. 🙂 BUT I do have to say that in the few weeks? couple months? I’ve been reading 7-Imp, my very first kick of every week is quickly becoming to read the 7-Imp “7 Kicks” post, and the comments to it.

    Couple of other quick kicks: #2: Wrote a story, fast. And at this point I don’t really mind if it shows it! #3: Ordered some prints from Ursula Vernon [thanks again to the two of you for introducing me to her!]. The breadth of her work is astonishing… I’ve already decided I’ll be getting one of her prints for everyone on my holiday shopping list, and will not have to worry, remotely, about duplicates.


  26. It was just a minor incident of peeling a parsnip in anger. It was one of those times when you feel like an idiot for going to the ER.


  27. Elaine, what a great week you had. With good, good food. It’s too bad that the Child of Heart gallery is closing. We’ve heard so much about it from you over the years.

    I would also rather opt for sitting and sipping wine, while chatting with a friend, over climbing a mountain.

    Little Willow, another audition: Break a leg!

    Zoe, of course that bit about Parents Day Out came out right. Thanks for the feedback/advice. I will have my wee’est with me and can’t go sit and have coffee afterwards, but with Blaine off all week, maybe we all three can do something fun — to get my mind off my oldest’s first day without me.

    And, Zoe, I am in love with kick #7. Also, I always get excited about Fall, too. And today we all went out to celebrate the last day of the local wave pool being open, almost like celebrating the end of summer (I had to talk Blaine into this, since he hates public pools), and I’m AS RED AS A BEET NOW.

    And congrats on that first paycheck…

    My other kick of the week was getting email from Zoe!

    JES, I am very glad to hear you got Ursula Vernon prints. Woot! I love that, ’cause you always wonder if people read posts, and then to hear you really liked it and THEN also acted upon it makes the blogger in me very happy, especially since featuring illustrators is my favorite thing.

    And thanks for lovin’ our kicks posts. Woot again!

    Kathe, something about peeling a parsnip in anger is slightly funny, though I promise I am in NO WAY diminishing your pain. I did something stupid like that once, though it all stopped just short of an ER trip, so I think I know how you feel. Anyway, glad you got your stitches and that you’re on the mend.

    Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend…


  28. Sara, I love you for wanting to name the kitten after one of the witches in the Prydain chronicles. I LOVE those books. Also, smoked mozzarella = heaven.

    Libby, congrats on surviving the first week.

    Jone, congrats on surviving inservice – I also have trouble with anything that requires me to sit still and listen for hours on end.

    Kelly, I loved the co-review. And I also love ravioli, and am deeply impressed that you can make it from scratch.

    rm preston, cautiously hopeful is my attitude as well – I was so scarred by those last two elections. But the fact that I can still feel any hope at all is a testament to Obama’s power, I think. Also, “There were horses, and a guy on fire, and I stabbed somebody with a trident!”

    Alkelda, woo! VIP and everything! That’s seriously cool that you got to meet Vizzini after corresponding with him for so long.

    Vintage Kids’ Books, howdy and welcome!

    Tricia, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! And those animal-family pictures sound sweet.

    adrienne, I know – I think Tameka (the dog) is looking over at my brother, thinking something like “Remember when it was just the two of us? Yeah… those were good times.”

    Also, adrienne, I continue to be awed by your strength, courage, and bravery. I wish I could offer some kind of comfort. I guess just know that I am one of many people who are very glad you continue to survive, and even thrive.

    Kathe, like jules I’m sorry you got hurt, but… the phrase “peeling a parsnip in anger” is brilliant. Also, you are an awesome mom for keeping your kids steeped in great music – Enya notwithstanding.

    Elaine, I’m sorry to hear about Child of Heart closing, too. But you got some fabulous-sounding art – congrats on that.

    Little Willow, glad you’re keeping busy. I hope the current play is going well.

    Zoe, your son didn’t just make a funny, he made a pun! That’s kind of impressive at 4. And Fall is my favorite season too – bring it on!

    JES, you’re sweet like pie, and we love having you visit every week. Also, giving art prints is a brilliant idea.

    Woo, what a weekend. All these kicks are a lovely thing to come back home to.


  29. Jules and eisha: Thanks! We open on Friiiiiiiiday! (Multiple iiii so you could ‘hear’ me say it in sing-song.)


  30. A friend of mine was given the middle name Danger. So yes, he actually, says, “Danger is my middle name.” It’s hilarious every time, because everyone assumes he’s joking.
    Dig the blog, by the by.


  31. Elise, wait ’til I tell my husband. He actually was kidding, but he’ll still be happy to read that.

    At least I *think* he was kidding. Ahem. I’ve been wrong before.


  32. […] Remember this? I finally got my library copy of Hyewon Yum’s Last Night, and the illustrations are just as […]


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