When Multitasking Makes You A Jerk

Guess WHOOOOOOO's turning 5?

The theme of the party is owls, her favorite bird!

Sometimes I am just so darn efficient. Yesterday, upon returning home with just one boy (the other two were having dinner elsewhere), I was juggling several things: the mail, my multiple bags, etc. The Little Magpie spotted something I would have put in the recycling right away: a Sesame Street activity pack promotional thing, lots of bright glossy pictures, Elmo, etc. He hopped right into a chair to examine "his" mail, while I got started on dinner.

she and Syvan correspond, so this seemed perfect

Are you able to spell with accuracy while sauteeing vegetables for soup, make a wholesome and attractive meal, set a beautiful table, manage an unbelievably splitting headache, and balance a cold pack on your head while doing the former? I was not only spelling out the words and numbers of our address, somewhat distractedly, but also providing visual reminders of what certain letters look like. ("D is like a straight line with a half moon attached to it...W is like an upside down mountain...") This is the type of spelling bee that would get really interesting and I am sure that many mothers would excel at! (I am sorry dads, but we do know that you are not that great at multitasking but really rock at hunting wooly mammoths and playing basketball.)

she is also a button-collector,

so here is a nice vintage one that looks like an owl's eye

Later, it came to our attention that Sylvan was writing his address, name, and phone number down so he could stuff it into an envelope to reply: "YES! Please send me the Sesame Street Activity pack for $3.50 and sell my name to lots of other companies so we will receive a lot more junk mail!!!!" (Oh, junk is in the eye of the beholder, I know.)

a pattern from my birthday gift from Poppie,

Amanda Blake Soule's A Handmade Home

It was so adorable to see his enthusiasm and diligence at all that writing, and his absolute certainty that the $3.50 would be worth it. And I had totally missed all this while it was happening only a few feet away from me, because I was so intent on my pain and my plan for the meal and the evening.

interior fabric so fun, like buttons,

from (where else?) Alewives Fabrics!

I am not beating myself up about it because there are so many many many moments like these, that I am sure I will catch the next one, and maybe miss the two after that, and hopefully catch some more in the future. (Michael Chabon, oh, another geeky librarian crush, writes of this phenomenon in his latest book, Manhood for Amateurs). Was dinner that important that I couldn't stop for 5 minutes? Was my headache so awful that I couldn't show some interest in Sylvan's agenda? Actually, it really was, but still.

looks as though he's in a stiff wind

And because I do have a FEW male readers, though I suspect they are all related to me, I will mix this post up with some pics of our own Chia Obama! Picture me singing this song (just the first part of the video) to the words of "chiOBAAAAAMA" when I greet our president each morning.

I was not the one responsible for the above,

I will have you know

a little male-pattern baldness

and look at how that ear hair is coming in!

Shalom Cardigan: Done

A quick to knit, perfect for chilly days, new for me, and flattering sweater! Remember when I went to Burlington? I visited the wonderful Kaleidoscope Yarns (where, hold on, they actually keep *stock on hand!!!!!* so that I could purchase ten skeins right on the spot...instead of the frustrating local phenomenon of: Oh, sorry, yup we only have those two skeins left, but we could order it for you. Blech.) and purchased yarn for the Shalom Cardigan (free pattern) by Involving the Senses, that I first saw on SouleMama's blog.

Except there were a few things "wrong" with the pattern: the only size offered was for a 34" bust and the original was knit for a 6' tall woman. Oh, AND, the original was knit without sleeves (huh?). So this is where the wonders of Ravelry started to make sense to me: I was able to log on and search for others who had knit the Shalom.

First, I started looking at all the little thumbnail photos for a slightly curvier lady. Then I used her directions for a 38" bust and SouleMama's directions for sleeves, and tweaked a few other details, and came up with a very cozy addition to my wardrobe. You can find my conglomerate of patterns here.

And how could I resist THIS addition to my personal library??? This Book Is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson. Though it's sometimes hard to get excited about more school-work-related reading, this is a pretty cozy bedfellow. Already, I love this Marilyn Johnson for her snappy and clever rejoinder to that tired question I get asked: Do we still need libraries/librarians in the age of Google? The answer she gives is essentially, OK sure, for most of you reading this blog, you obviously know your way around a computer and a mouse. But what about those folks who need hand-holding to print their e-ticket? Or how about if you're pretty savvy and have your own computer and internet at home but you're still not quite sure how to even phrase a question that Google will understand? What if you don't speak English as your native language but you need to navigate an online form to apply for a job at McDonald's?

my Library of Congress bookmark from ClimateGirl

Total nerdy fun. And even if you're not a librarian, this is interesting and rousing reading. I kind of hope my parents and loved ones will read this book, so they know a little bit more about the profession I am in and the one I am studying. (And yes, we are getting it for the Rockport Library's collection also! I have already put some names on the hold list!)