I have a testimony of the emergency fund.

I just completed the tax-form-filling-out process through good ol' Turbotax. I have not hit "submit," however, because I'm waiting for a few last statements to arrive and also because I'm in a coma in the hospital after seeing how much I'm about to owe the government. It's a lot. Like, over $1,500 a lot.I suspect the culprit is partially my paycheck (maybe I put down 1 exemption instead of 0?) but I also know I'm not the only person in this boat. Turbotax knew it too, because right after I screamed and passed out (knocking myself on the head in the process and coming up with the idea for a time travel device shaped like an IUD) I saw a little link on the screen that said something like "Did you just scream and pass out? Please click here." Turbotax went on to explain that for some tax payers,...

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"Only in Utah," as my mother would say

A sweet lady just came in and somewhat bashfully asked me if I could print her a copy of this month's Visiting Teaching message.Best part is, it was about becoming self-relia...

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Newbery rundown

My dad emailed me last week after the Newbery awards were announced, wanting to see how I felt about the titles they picked (especially since a lot of the ones I really liked weren't on the list). I was careful, you'll remember, not to list my choices as "predictions." If I were going to be predicting, I would have made different choices. I was just going with the ones I personally liked the best.But let's have a look at the winners!When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. I was glad this one won. I enjoyed it, and I think I might enjoy it even more if I were to read it a second time. The occasional discussion of time travel (by kids who were reading...

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In which Masterpiece Theatre saved my bacon

I was almost dead to my sister this week, because I forgot to tell her that Masterpiece Theatre was bringing back the good stuff--most notably, Return to Cranford. Remember that one time when they aired Cranford and it was super good and made me sob until my face chapped? Yeah, it's still really good.The good people at Masterpiece Theatre have put all of it online so you can watch it there for the next couple of weeks. It is good that they anticipated I might not be on the ball this year, woops. And this way my sister won't kill me for failing her.I have only seen the first half so far, but the second half is waiting for me on the Tivo. Turns...

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Friday cuteness

I'm pretty sure this is my favorite new pic of baby Hudson Atticus. Hold on to your ovaries, ladies (and gentlemen whose parents were perhaps not totally honest with them).My sister Jen made him this hat, which just goes to show that she too can't not be a crafty devil. But I'm pretty sure my favorite part of all this is his pose."Who, Meee? I won the Most Likely to Heal Your Soul with my Preciousness award? Really?"You know what else heals my soul? Massages. And Ima bout to go have me one. We'll see if they can do anything about the spiny dragon hatchling that has burrowed into the back of my neck and is trying to kill me.What they will not...

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Getting my votes in

On Monday all the Newbery/Caldecott/Sibert/Geisel awards will be announced, and I figured I'd slip in my picks now so that just in case something I like gets a medal I won't look like I jumped on a winner bandwagon after the fact. Cuz, you know, street cred among librarians is an intense, intense thing. Shivs slipped into cardigan sleeves and all that.I've been reading off the lists of "books with potential" that other libraries are using for their own Mock Newbery competitions. Only . . . here's a the thing. Not too many of the books I've read this year have blown me away and made me want to run out and tell everyone about them. There are certainly...

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Man Candy day

Hey, remember that one time when I asked you guys to pray up a job for GH so that he didn't have to work nights anymore and then you totally did it?Well he started the new job last week and now check out what I get to look at every day.Aw. Yeah.Also, pay no attention to the dead tomato plants behind him. And the electronics boxes from Christmas-and-possibly-earlier that we haven't taken down to the dumpster yet. This is not a judging space.We went to Kohl's over Christmas and kitted GH out with work clothes, including a new black peacoat. I cannot overstate how happy the new coat made me. GH picked it out. He likes it because it still has a...

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Being the favorite auntie is work, people

Don't get me wrong, I'm up for the challenge, but it requires vigilance.With GH's little nephew Carson, it's not so much about being the fave. He has two Aunts by Blood already, so they come first. And he was nice enough to just accept me as one of his "approved persons" without making me jump though too many hoops. The little strawberry milks from Gossner's I make sure to pick up for him when I'm in town help keep me on the list.With Savvy and Ethan, however, I have to be on my game, because Spitfire is pretty tough competition and it's not like either of us are going to back down. In my dealings with The Precii, however, I sometimes feel like...

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Resolutions, schmesolutions

I'm not going to make any resolutions. I have decided that January is not so much a resolutions kind of month. If anything the cold temperatures, gray skies, and snowy roads are more conducive to a "let's be more like bears" month. (Staying inside as much as possible, check. Grouchiness, check. Thick winter pelt, also check.)Resolutions take energy. And it's hard to try to drum up energy when it's been dark for 6 weeks and the only place that energy is going to get you is outside, where it's cold. To me, March or April would be better for resolutions because that's when you start caring about life again. January, I have now decided and decreed, is the time to stay warm and eat soup.So if anybody needs some inspiration, here are a few of the staple soups that might see me through the winter:White...

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