Penny

March 6, 2010 | 2009

My son will be studying money at school again, and he’s supposed to bring four quarters, 10 dimes, 10 nickels and 25 pennies Monday. Wouldn’t you know it? I just took in a huge bag of coins to the bank the other day. The kids bought me a Wii remote for Valentine’s Day (totally their idea, I swear) and paid for it themselves. Only thing is, we bought it online, so I took their change and deposited it into their savings accounts.

So here I am fishing around the house and in the cars for all the change I can find, and I ran across this new penny. At first I thought it was Canadian or something. But, no. It’s ours. And I wondered when the heck they started doing weird stuff with pennies.

Turns out: last year, after almost 50 years of the same thing on the back of a penny. The back of the penny was redesigned to celebrate the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. This one is known as the “Indiana Penny” because it shows him “reading while taking a break from rail splitting” in Indiana.

Ah well. Learn something new every day.

Anyone have nickels? I’m still four short.

Books: 2009 in review

January 18, 2010 | 2009,Books,Stephen King,Stieg Larsson

Here’s what I read in 2009.

• Involuntary Joy: A Story of Unexpected Rebirth by Joy M. Newcom [I applied for a job at the local college. When I saw that the person doing the hiring was a published author, I read her book. This one. I didn’t even get an interview. Too bad. It would have been interesting to talk to her about the book.]
• Duma Key by Stephen King
• In Cod We Trust by Eric Dregni
• Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
• Growing up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl by Carol Bodensteiner (her blog is Just Walking This Earth
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• Bellbina, Queen of Weed Park by Laura Juszczyk
• A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
• The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power by Jeff Sharlet
• The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
• The Night Listener: A Novel by Armistead Maupin
• Zillah’s Gift by Lois West Duffy
• Lights on a Ground of Darkness by Ted Kooser
• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
• She taught me to eat Artichokes by Mary Kay Shanley
• The Memory Box by Mary Kay Shanley
• The First Paper Girl in Red Oak, Iowa by Elizabeth Stuckey-French

I made a list of Iowa books and authors.
I also participated in a SHE WRITES call to action.

Books I haven’t read yet but should.

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (recommended by Zilpha Underwood)
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Any other suggestions?

Books: 2008 in review

January 12, 2009 | 2008,2009,Books,New Year

1) What did you read in 2008?
2) Anything not on my list that you would recommend?

Here’s what I read in 2008.

• Life of Pi by Yann Martel [Wasn’t as good as the author thought he it was.]
• The Girls by Lori Lansens [Amazingly sweet story.]
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson [Incredible, inspiring, exhausting.]
• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
• A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown
• Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman
• Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
• The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama [Slow read but definitely worth the effort.]
• The Bookseller of Kabul by Ã…sne Seierstad [Disappointing.]
• Final Salute by Jim Sheeler [Everyone should read this book. Everyone.]
• Rumors of our Progress have been Greatly Exaggerated by Carolyn B. Maloney
• Everything You Never Wanted Your Kids to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid They’d Ask) by Justin Richardson and Mark Schuster [Humorous and informative.]
• The Giver by Lois Lowry [Creepy.]
• Entwined Lives by Nancy L. Segal [Packed with information the author has studied her entire life.]
• Indivisible by Twoby Nancy L. Segal [In-depth look at some of the subjects from her first book.]
• Identical Strangers by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein [Touching and honest look at their incredible story of separation, reunion and confrontation of the people who controlled their lives.]
• The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson [Lively and entertaining historical account.]
• Iowa Curiosities by Dan Coffey and Eric Jones with Berit Thorkelson [Funny, interesting, informative.]
• Touch and Go by Studs Terkel
• Patriotic Grace by Peggy Noonan
• Hold on to Your Kids by Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D., and Gabor Maté, M.D.

I started several others that I haven’t finished yet, and I may have missed a few.

Actually, I just finished reading that one, Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish. It’s a great book.

I’m reading this one now: Involuntary Joy by Joy M. Newcom.

2008 in review: Blogland and beyond

January 9, 2009 | 2008,2009,Audience participation,Blogging,Blogland games,Citizen of the Month,Dad2twins,Devra Renner,Friends,Goon Squad Sarah,Great Interview Experiment,Guest blogger,Gunfighter,Magpie Musing,New Year,Traveling

Hey. Still grateful here.

Just a little more than a year ago, we decided at the last minute to go to Norway for the holidays. My husband’s grandmother was gravely ill, and we hoped to see her one more time. (She died just a few days before we got there.)

I put out a desperate call to a bunch of blogfriends, asking if they would be willing to guest post in my absence. I was humbled with the response. I had guest posts for almost every day I was away.

So I’m still grateful.

For …

• AdventureDad
• Bad American
• The Bullshit Observer
• Childs Play x2
• Creative Ink
• Dad2twins
• Funny Business
• Kemp’s Blog
• The Little Bird
• Mamma Loves
• Margaret
• Mom’s Minivan
• One Man and his Blog
• Parentopia
• Sarah and the Goon Squad
• Toddled Dredge
• The View from Here
• Writer’s Round-About

For …

Linda Jones for letting me blog at You’ve Got Your Hands Full.

Linda also gave me free rein to redesign the blog, which I did over my crazy summer. I had some hits and misses. A photographer promised the use of an image then wouldn’t return e-mails or telephone calls. So I scrambled for a suitable replacement, and I got something even better. I called on someone I knew, Kristine Freed.

With the help of Kristine and Sherilyn Brinker of Brinker-Freed Photographyand new mother-of-twins Kerrin Laari and her 5-week-old babies, Elise and Ian, I had a fabulous image to use on the blog.

None of it would have happened, though, without Jo-Lynne at DCR Design. She made the header and buttons, arranged and rearranged everything and even called me to give me a crash course in making my own changes. (Though I’m still fairly hopeless in that department.) I would have made a big announcement on the blog by now, but I’m having technical difficulties with Typepad, and I haven’t been able to sign on. As soon as I get it figured out, though, I’ll get something posted.

For …

• Stefania for giving me a blogging job at Being Savvy.
• Morningside Mom for taking over my Tampa spot when I moved.

For …

Citizen of the Month for a great experience, The Interview Experiment, and meeting two new blogfriends at A Juicy Life (now Notre Vie Juteuse since she moved to France) and The Would-Be Writers Guild.

For …

• Dad2twins for the E for Excellent award.
• Magpie Musing for the <3 award.

For …

Bob for his review of Final Salute.

For …

• Gunfighter for letting me guest post.
• PunditMom for letting me guest post.

For …

• Everyone who stopped by to read and/or comment.

Happy New Year.

Why do I sense Oprah is on Obama’s short list?

January 6, 2009 | 2008 campaign,2009,Barack Obama,Politics

Because — as Eric Deggans reported — Sanjay Gupta is apparently being considered for Surgeon General. You know. Of the United States.

And Leon Panetta? Really?

We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne

2008,2009,Family,Friends,New Year,Stuff

I’ve heard so many people say about last year, “Good riddance!” and “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Yeah, 2008 sucked in many ways. Even so, I’m … grateful.

Don’t worry. I’m not going permanently smarmy. I have plenty of complaints and pessimism to last the rest of the year. But for now, I’m grateful.

In a year where losses piled on losses, I have so much. I have a wonderful husband who still loves me after all these years. I have three beautiful children. I live closer to the rest of my family than I ever have before. I have shelter, warmth, companionship and love.

Wishing you all of this and more … happy New Year.