Two-Fer

Today is a Two-fer. Two quotes fer one post. They come from Beauty and the Beast by Nancy Willard and Barry Moser. I love love this version. It's out of print but you can still order it HERE.

"Nothing cures homesickness quicker than an unexplored tower."

"It's odd what pleases us when our fortunes change."

From Chapter One

Started reading The Moon is Down by Steinbeck. I love it already. Here's an excerpt:

He turned to the colonel. "Sir, I am of this people, and yet I don't know what they will do. Perhaps you know. Or maybe it would be different from anything you know or we know. Some people accept appointed leaders and obey them. But my people have elected me. They made me and they can unmake me. Perhaps they will if they think I have gone over to you. I just don't know."

Oooh! I love it.

Harry is my Homeboy!

July 15 is 67 days away. Dear Harry's final installment will be released, emblazoned with charged emotion and omnipowerful magic. How can one loyal muggle-patron and participant of the magical kingdom make the honorable, necessary preparations for the glory so close to come? Surely we can't all stop by and have a go at charging through Platform 9 and 3/4. Surely we can't all sneak spell practice in during break time at work. Definitely we can't all investigate every passerby who might be deemed suspicious of Death Eater status. No, there's but one loyal path to trod. Consumption of the heptalogy. Here's how the plan works:

Thursday, July 14, 2011- Preparations for the grand midnight showing will be in full force. No time for book devouring then.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011- A good day to finish the final, book 7.

Monday, May 9, 2011- The first day to kick off the spree. There are 65 days from this point to finish the race. This leaves 9.28571 days per book.

So, I'm posting a schedule on the sidebar for you loyalists, for Harry. To the doors of the magical kingdom we are about to reenter (or the covers of the books), I exclaim "Alohomora!"

Quotationish Excerpt

"Most of the people went quietly, but three children in the front row of the grandstand put up quite a fuss, saying that they had to find their sister Katharine, who'd done something terrible, but a sister was a sister and they'd stick up for her, anyway."

From Half Magic

By Edward Eager

Tra-La-La

Have you ever read this guy?

He's pretty great. James likes him. I like him. Naturally, there needed to be made a decorative pillow. So that's exactly what I did. All you need to do is print off a coloring page and trace the pattern on fabric. Stitch it up and whah-lah.

Here's the front:

Here's the back:

Yes. They are. Those are real underpants on the back of the pillow.

Masterpiece Made

So remember this gem and how it was a total of $6.50 at Goodwill?

It was a beautiful landscape in and of itself. It definitely sparked my imagination (I'm being serious with no sarcasm). But there was a beckoning for more. I answered that call by adding a few touches. Transfers from another masterpiece. It cost me a total of $0.50 and the addition was rescued from D.I.

With a few clips and some detailed snipping, I extracted the specimen. I'll confess that I felt terrible cutting apart a book but there was no way around it. It had to be done. And now, here's the beyond unbelievable final product:

I wish you could see it in real life. It's pretty legit. Here are some close up details...

The white stream/streak in the above picture is the gleam from the lamp above (I know you were dying to know what the slight disturbance was).

Overall, the project made my dreams come true. I love it. It hangs above my bed. I love it. And it only cost $7.00. What a deal. What a deal.

Afterward: When I bought the painting, I knew I wanted to add something but I wasn't quite sure what. Full credit for the Wild idea must go to my genius mother. She's so smart.

For You My Ericson Family

So tonight at D.I. my buddy Ben made the discovery of the week. I want to say "priceless" but it cost one dollar.

See? One dollar.

Here's the treasure:

That's right. Harry and Hermoine book ends!!! Jealous? I was... am. Here's what they look like with a few Harry Potter books on the shelf:

Can you imagine a full set with this dynamic duo? I know. It's unbeatable.

P.S. It actually cost $2. $1 for each end. Worth. It.

This One Time, Part 3

The electric entrance doors zipped open as I stormed back in the battle zone. O.k. I didn't storm in but the doors did zip open. I found an employee up front who graciously agreed to find the manager. I stood by with anticipation and a sure bit of hope. The 5 minutes of wait time felt like 20. Maybe it was because I stood waiting near that stalwart cashier who snatched my dream right from my fingertips. Maybe those minutes felt so extended because I was awaiting a fate that lay in the hands of some unknown manager. Would he be grouchy? Would he listen to my plight and see that I must be rewarded with an exception to the rule?

I felt a little nervous as the short, bald, frowning man walked down the isle toward me. It didn't look too promising. He approached me with a raised eyebrow and a doubtful "Yes?".

"I know your busy sir. Sorry to interrupt. There's a book I'd like to purchase but it has no price tag. The cashier said it had to be taken to the back to be priced, then returned to the shelves the next day...."

He rudely cut me off, "That's right." He then proceeded to restate that same store policy which I'd just relayed to him. Did he even hear what I'd just said? Couldn't he let me finish explaining myself?

"You can come back tomorrow," he snapped.

Pause:

I've been working my tail end off lately. At work, I give 100% in every aspect. I teach. I work hard in behalf of the interest of my students and do whatever it takes that's in my power to aide them in discovering and developing their highest potential on individual levels. These works include anything from helping a student set up a hygiene/showering with soap schedule (AND successfully maintain the practice), to keeping another off pot, to raising levels of academic understanding for all students. Where there's a lot of students, there's a lot of work that gets done which leaves this girl tired and worn to the bone at the end of a school day.

This D.I. incident occurred at the close of one of those days. And from here on out is where the value of this three part post should start to kick in.

Unpause:

"You can come back tomorrow," he snapped.

I tried not to cry but I started to lose it. I stammered, "It's just that I've been looking for this book for awhile. I know it's just a children's book but..." By the time the end of that statement was out, I was clearly crying. He was taken aback, surprised.

He moved to the cash register where I'd made my purchase minutes ago. "Well let's see" he said, "Where is it?". Um, what kind of question is that? How was I supposed to know?

I desperately tried to choke back the scarry sob mode I felt coming on. "I don't know" was my timid, restrained reply.

He saw the cart with the go-back items and picked up two books. At that moment, my precious Snow White literature caught my eye. It seemed to beam rays of light and then instantaneously it was dimmed by the darkness of the D.I. pricing policy.

Rudely interrogating, in disbelief that a girl would be so worked up about it, he insisted "Well, which one is it?"

From this point on, simply stated, I started blubber-bawling. Let's be clear now. By blubber bawl, I mean I was snorting and choking words out in the least graceful way imaginable. This process also includes sucking in short breaths which makes everything come out all choppy.

"Snow White!"

Blubber. Blubber. Snort. Blubber. I knew before it burst from my mouth that it would sound so pathetic. Blubbering over Snow White? Knowing that it sounded so pathetic, but still knowing that it was so important made me Blubber all the harder.

The man's eyes widened. I had taken this matter to a whole new level. I was causing a scene! Then, everything changed. Somehow the dynamics flip flopped. The control of this situation was now in my power. Wide-eyed, he held the book closer to me. He wasn't so rude now. Somewhere inside him there was a reservoir of sweetness! That or he was just flabbergasted.

"Two dollars?" was all he queried, cautiously.

The only thing I could do was nod my head and grab the book. Despite his relent of policy, my tears didn't follow suit. I walked up to the cashier (a different one than the first) and handed her the book. I choked out "two dollars" and she nodded her head. She was all concerned. She leaned forward and whispered "Are you okay? Can I do anything for you?". Obviously I was in pretty bad shape. The look the lady gave me seemed as though she were concerned that as soon as I left the store I'd find a cliff and drive right off. That sounds terrible but man, you should have seen her face. I apologized twice for my radical display then quickly headed out the door.

By the time I got to the car, everything inside me cleared up. By the time I had the car started, I felt fine and was wondering what was for dinner, "Should I make a stop for a burger on the way home? Was I going to go to the basketball game later this evening? Oh, what a day in the life of this girl. I've definitely got to tell my mom about this one time.".

This One Time, Part 2

So there I was, this one time, at Deseret Industries after school looking for classroom supplies. As usual, I made it a priority to stop by the books section. Perusing, perusing, and what? Lo and behold! A Snow White Book. I knew the instant I saw the cover that it had to be the one. I must submit that there was a major difference between this one and the one in San Fran. This was a larger sized version and printed in the 80's while the true one was so small, quaint and much older. I'm not complaining though. Beggars can't be choosers, right? While I KNEW it was the one, I still had to open to the inside front page to make sure. Yep, it matched the one in San Fran. The picture and wording was the same! "How could I remember the wording?" you wonder. I'll tell you and show a picture of what I'm talking about.

Tell: The picture and writing was/is a little catchy so it was recalled from my brainy recesses in a snap.

Show: Here's what that magical page looked like:

So now that you see what I'm talking about, I'll get along to the good part of the story...

There I stood, book in hand with a thrill of delight. I went straight to the cash register. Didn't even finish looking through the remainder of books section! This neglect of treasure has never happened before, so you know how good of a deal I felt I had. Taking great strides down the isles, I made it to the cash register, triumphant. Once at the register, I organized my loot in piles by price and Snow White was at the very end in the "missing price tag" pile. The guy/clerk informed me abruptly and almost rudely that he couldn't sell me the book without a price tag. "It needs go to the back where it will be priced then it'll be put on the floor tommorrow. If you want it, you can come back tomorrow." Ooooo.K. A logical step forward would be to just go to the back and have it priced, right? Not an option with this guy. It's store policy. He wouldn't budge or let me get a word in edgewise, a word explaining that this wasn't just any book! I started to tear. I know, I know. I was a little teary. And ticked too. Out of nowhere, magically an ever-so-desired book appears and that clerk-guy had the audacity to tell me to "come back tomorrow"? I couldn't talk to him as I swiped my debit card. If I said anything I'd have a tear spill over, for real. That or I'd say something nasty to him. I walked out the automatic doors with poison pumping from my heart to my nerve endings. Actually, I wasn't mad, just stunned and a little panicked.

Halfway to the car, I had a surge of determination. If I waited till tomorrow, the book might be there, but then again, it might not. Had I not just seen an up for grabs, lone binder in the school supplies cabinet the other day and when I went back the next, it was gone? No, that little trick wouldn't happen to me again. No, sir! I would have that book!!! I quickly threw the bags I had in the car, spun around, and dug my heals into the parking lot as I plowed forward, back into the store.

You know something? I got it. I was determined. What?! What happened?! How did I get that book?! That's the best part of the story and it's yet to come. I bet you want to know, don'tcha?Well, stay tuned for Part 3.

This One Time, Part 1

There was this one time in October of last year that I went to California to visit my uncle, aunt, and cousin. Oh, it was the grandest time. While there, we went to this place:

It's the Walt Disney Family Museum. In fact, Here's a picture of me and my cuz outside in the sunshine.

Are you wondering about the limo? Keep wondering. The museum was pretty rad. Loved it. There was so much cool "stuff". In particular, there was one whole section devoted to Snow White. Of course, the most fascinating item that caught my attention was a book entombed in a glass case, kind of like Snow White in her coffin (she was in a glass coffin, right?). The book was.... Snow White, obviously. Not a big surprise if you're standing in a room plastered with the girl. The luring part about the book was that it was one published when the movie first came out (1937). It was opened to the first page. I read it, naturally. I was hooked. I decided I'd have to get a copy, somehow. So while no one was looking, I jimmied the glass top off and snuck the book into my purse. J/K.

My only option (that I could think of) was to write down info about it (copyright, etc.) and hope to find one online in the near future. I found a few on Ebay. Here's a picture or two:

If you want it too, check it out HERE, where I got the pictures from. I somehow couldn't see myself spending a rough 5 hundred bucks for one. So I sent my cosmic wish out into the universe beckoning for one to come to me at my favorite shopping place, Deseret Industries. Did it come to me? You're dying to know. I know. Stayed tuned for Part 2 of "This One Time". There's a little twist to the story.

Gratitute

Those who scoff at children's literature lack a refined sense of literacy. True, there are garbage children's books; Just as true is the fact that there's the same amount, no, there's more of garbage adult literature.

I found this book awhile back.

Yep, it's a children's book of the most refined nature. I love the author. In the past, I'd foregone many opportunities to enjoy her books because the cover art typically had a lack of appeal, for my taste. You could say that I scoffed at them, possibly included judgments of "Looks like garbage". At any rate, I eventually ended up reading one of Baylor's (author) books and was dumb-struck-awed by the quality of writing. Baylor is an all-around first-rate writer and storyteller who doesn't even need illustrations for her work to reach the status of "perfection". For sure I'd buy her books without a single illustration. She's a master, a Yoda in her own right.

So, Thanksgiving season is happening at your household? This recently discovered Baylor book is so harmonious in timing for the festivities and good feelings. It couldn't be more perfect. I'm thinking you might like it (the book, but I'm sure you'll like the season with all its entrails too).

It all starts when a girl who is unsatisfied with her family's income and economic standing takes matters into her own hands. That sober girl sets her family down at the kitchen table to council her parents on the matter. And with that intro, here's a few excerpts to finish it off...

No wonder

I had to call this meeting

about money.

Can you believe

my father is

sitting here

looking me straight in the eye

and saying,

“But, Mountain Girl,

I though you knew

how rich we are.”

I say,

“We can’t get very far

in this discussion

if you won't even admit

that we’re poor.”

(Hey, it's me with another little two cents. From this point the mother talks about how rich they are in ways other then money. End two cents.)

But I say,

“Can’t you give me

one single number

to write down

on this paper?”

So we start with

twenty thousand dollars.

That’s how much

my father says

it’s worth to him

to work outdoors,

where he can see sky

all day and feel the wind

and smell rain

an hour before

it’s really raining.

...

So that makes

four million

and fifty-five thousand dollars.

Finally,

my brother says

to put down

seven dollars more

for all the nights

we get to sleep

outside

under the stars.

We all say

seven dollars

doesn't seem to be

enough.

We talk him into

making it

five thousand.

So there you have a brief, brief clipping of a delicious masterpiece. Isn't is so poetic? There's more in the story but I can't give it all away! Now, I don't think I can recommend it any more highly then I've been going on about, so I'll be signing off.

Thanksgiving, here we come...

Princess Hermione

We girls at home, we're big fans of this movie:

Naturally, we're also big fans of any movie that features this girl:

So when I came across the following trailer I almost felt as though I'd been struck with a blow to the back of the head. How did I miss putting one and one together?! Whoever put this together was inspired. True, the graphics aren't terrific but what it lacks in clarity, it more than doubles in spirit. Unfortunately, embedding the video in this post isn't an option so you'll have to click on the link to view it HERE. Enjoy.

Saturday's Steal!

Today James and I made a little pit stop at Goodwill for it's half-off Saturday prices. After making our purchase and heading to the car, James said "I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (cd on tape) in the glass case". Duh! Of course we went back in to purchase it! It ended up costing $2.49 and is in "new" condition. Score! It originally cost $79.95 but is now $50.37 brand new on Amazon or $32.85 used. But lets be real here. Can there be a price value high enough to represent our devotion to our beloved Harry? No, but I sure am excited about that $2.49!

Easy to See Why

Ever watch The Munsters?

Fred Gwynne, who played

Herman Munster, wrote and illustrated

He also wrote and illustrated other mention-worthy books which may be located HERE.

Anyway. The premise of today's featured book (Easy to See Why) is that a little girl, on the way to enter her dog in a pet show, passes by multiple dog-owners who look like their dogs. Or do the dogs look like the owners? Let me give you a few pictoral snippets from the book so you can decide for yourself:

So, after reading the book I got to thinking... Do I look like a dog!?

All I had to do was take two minutes and scan through some photos on the computer. I found myself pleasantly suprised to find that yes, I do! If I ever looked like a dog (or still do) I'd definitely be placed in the category of POODLE. There. It's out in the open. I look like a

Yep, see for yourself. I'm a definite poodle.

Impressive right? How did I not know till now that I have such outer potential? You do too, ya know. Do you know what dog you look like? No? Send me a picture. I'll be glad to identify your match and post it up for speculation.

As a side note: Check out this alpaca all trimmed up to look like a poodle. There are so many new family relations I need to become aquainted with.

Summer Reading

I got this paper-back book last year for my brother... and got one for me too since they were on clearance. Then, the other day on Amazon, I saw that the hardback is now on clearance for a mere $5.20! I ordered two. Not only is it a great price but when an emergency gift is needed, it's ideal.

Knucklehead is the autobiography of Jon Scieszka's growing up childhood with his 5 other brothers. The book is geared toward boys ages 8+ who love potty humor and mischievousness (the good kind). Naturally, I loved it. It's hilarious. There are 106 pages, almost all of which feature photos and/or illustration. Each chapter is a new story and is no more than three pages. It moves along fast and I devoured it in less than an hour. You can actually read the first 3 chapters by clicking on the cover photo that says "Look Inside!" HERE. It's only $5.20 for the hardback right now HERE!

H is for Hector

Have you ever heard of The Gashlycrumb Tinies? I discovered this book a couple years back and cracked up. It's dark, I know. If you don't like dark humor, don't read the book online HERE or watch/hear it sung HERE.

Gotta Love It

A favorite author/illustrator: James Marshall

Favorites of his works: George and Martha series and The Stupids series

Purchase/check out: George and Martha HERE; The Stupids HERE

Weekend Find

So I found some keepers this weekend and, surprisingly, I'm not talking about the books. The lovely skating duo bookends cost me a total of one dollar. I can hear you guffaw "Is that all?" as I relay the thrifty news. If I were the one asking "Is that all?", it would be in a tone of amazement that such a screaming deal wouldn't cost so much more. But I'm not the one asking. I'm guessing that those words probably dripped from your tongue with ample disdain. Here's what some of the household (and visitors) had to say:

Las's- Stupid.

Adrian- They look like trophies from a 6th grade ice-skating competition in Minnesota.

Shauni- Those are ridiculous. Are they really going to hold up books? They're kind of tacky. Are they going to be in your front room? Anywhere you put them, they'll look tacky.

Adam- I don't know what my opinion is of those things.

So, two cheap trophies (one 1988 6th place and the second 1989 7th place) are garbage just sitting on the shelf, or are they? I'm thinking about spray-painting them white to give them a sort of statuesque feel. Yep, I think I'll do that.

Something of Dreams

A while back, during one of my literacy classes, my teacher briefly posted a quote on the overhead. It was intriguing and I copied it down quick so I could ponder it at a later time:

"It's in the morning for most of us. It's that time, those few seconds when we're coming out of sleep, but we're not really awake yet, for those few moments we're something more primitive than what we're about to become, we have just slept the sleep of our distant ancestors, and something of them and their world still clings to us. For those few moments, we are unformed, uncivilized. We are not the people we know as ourselves, but creatures more in tune with a tree than a keyboard. We are untilted, unnamed, natural, suspended between was and will be."

-STARGIRL by Jerry Spinelli

I thought it was interesting. I liked turning it over in my head a couple of times. Just the other day, I read through a speech given by Richard G. Scott. You can read the whole thing HERE. One of his comments that caught my attention reminded me of the above quote from STARGIRL:

"One of the most memorable and powerful patterns of communication by the Spirit is through dreams. I have learned that when the transition from being fully asleep to being fully awake is almost imperceptible, it is a signal that the Lord has taught something very important through a dream."

Hm. I do like finding little connections between other's ideas and then comparing those to my personal life. Not only is it enlightening to identify those pieces that fit into my personal experiences, but I like to be on the lookout for/figure out those other ideas that I haven't quite fully realized, if they even are to be.

P.S. The polk-a-dot flower background was getting to be a bit much to look at. I was starting to feel pretty allergic to the whole situation. So, back to plain and simple.

Suzann Perry's Cast Offs

I was browsing along D.I. and I decided to check out the "collectible" glass cases. I usually don't float by there but boy am I glad I did because I found a set of The Journal of Discourses. It's a good set, and a full on for that matter. All 26 + the index volume are present and accounted for. There are no internal markings, the binding is taut, and the pages aren't discolored in the least bit. The only 2 imperfections with the set:

1. On the cover of each volume, the gilding of "Suzann Perry" has been rubbed of with only the impression remaining.

2. The outer leather creases (where the cover flap meets the spine) of a couple of the volumes are cracked.

I looked for a set on Amazon awhile back and found the cheapest one to be about $500 out of the question. When I found this present set was $175, I was thrown into a semi-frenzied panic then went into a deep, thoughtful daze trying to figure out how to make this impossibility work. Too bad $175 is a lot of money that's waaay out of my budget. Too bad I can't afford to not have it. I guess it wasn't an impossibility after all, seeing that they now rest on the bookshelf at home. Oh Suzann Perry (sigh). Why did you get rid of this treasure? I'm sure glad you did.