Jo Knowles's Blog, page 36
December 29, 2010
I can't help myself
My friend Katy shared this a while ago, and since yesterday's video brought so much joy, I thought I'd share another here.
Things here continue to improve at a snail's pace. But at least they are improving. Thanks for all the love.
:-)
Things here continue to improve at a snail's pace. But at least they are improving. Thanks for all the love.
:-)
December 28, 2010
December 27, 2010
How THE OFFICE Saved Christmas
Well, it was, as predicted, an extremely rough week. I think we have one more to go and then things will be better.
While surfing through Netflix Watch Instant options, trying to find a comedy, my son spotted THE OFFICE and begged me to let him watch. I said no because it was for adults and he said why and I told him it was inappropriate and the said he could handle it. My husband agreed, and since I was desperate to make my kid happy, I caved and let him watch.
And watch and watch and watch. All. Day. Long. Day. After. Day. He is now on season five, I believe, and has become completely engrossed. OK addicted. But seriously? Pam, Jim, Dwight, Michael and everyone else have helped this kid get through a mightily miserable experience. With laughter.
So I don't really care if he has also learned the comic use of the phrase "That's what she said."
Well... maybe a little.
On Wednesday, the worst day, he said, "This is going to be the worst Christmas ever." And I was pretty sure he was right. But now, it's Monday. And Pam and Jim have finally gotten together. And my son has learned all about... hoo boy. A lot.
But he is also definitely on the mend. It certainly wasn't the best Christmas ever. But it wasn't really so bad. We were together. We laughed a lot. We heard what had to have been Santa drop a big box in the middle of the night. We assembled Harry Potter Lego sets. Ate chocolate at 7 am. And reminded ourselves that there will be more bumps along the road. But we are all just fine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Monday Morning Warm-Up:
What has been your favorite moment about the holiday season so far? Write about it!
While surfing through Netflix Watch Instant options, trying to find a comedy, my son spotted THE OFFICE and begged me to let him watch. I said no because it was for adults and he said why and I told him it was inappropriate and the said he could handle it. My husband agreed, and since I was desperate to make my kid happy, I caved and let him watch.
And watch and watch and watch. All. Day. Long. Day. After. Day. He is now on season five, I believe, and has become completely engrossed. OK addicted. But seriously? Pam, Jim, Dwight, Michael and everyone else have helped this kid get through a mightily miserable experience. With laughter.
So I don't really care if he has also learned the comic use of the phrase "That's what she said."
Well... maybe a little.
On Wednesday, the worst day, he said, "This is going to be the worst Christmas ever." And I was pretty sure he was right. But now, it's Monday. And Pam and Jim have finally gotten together. And my son has learned all about... hoo boy. A lot.
But he is also definitely on the mend. It certainly wasn't the best Christmas ever. But it wasn't really so bad. We were together. We laughed a lot. We heard what had to have been Santa drop a big box in the middle of the night. We assembled Harry Potter Lego sets. Ate chocolate at 7 am. And reminded ourselves that there will be more bumps along the road. But we are all just fine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Monday Morning Warm-Up:
What has been your favorite moment about the holiday season so far? Write about it!
December 20, 2010
Over the River and Through The Woods
"Dress warmly" were the instructions. And I'm so glad we followed them.
On Saturday, we drove to NH to visit my family. My mom had a special surprise for all of us. It involved these two beautiful creatures:
The drivers handed out warm blankets and we all climbed onto a wooden wagon to travel over beautiful dirt paths with views like this (look at Mount Chocorua in the distance!):
We were very happy to have the blankets, as it was late afternoon and FREEZING.
But oh, so beautiful.
And peaceful.
Then, we took a surprise turn into town, which was so quaint.
And fun.
And festive.
And intriguing.
Back at the farm, we said thank you.
And then contemplated bringing this sweet little miniature horse called Sadie home with us.
Then, it was off to my parents' house to open gifts and have a feast.
Oh, and act silly.
And share jokes.
And act more silly.
It was such a beautiful weekend and made me so grateful to have so much love in my life.
But then, it was time to come back home to our own little tree...
And a surprise visit from our neighbors, who brought a gift from their horses, who graze in our field all summer:
Yes, that is a SUITCASE full of Godiva treats. Generous horses!
It truly was one of the best weekends ever.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Monday Morning Warm-Up:
My niece, who I love dearly, was a little obsessed with talking about a certain gift she wanted for Christmas. She just. Couldn't. Stop. And it was funny to me, because I remember what that was like. Hoping hoping hoping for something special. And I thought how challenging it might be to convey in writing just what it is, why it is, you want this "thing" so badly. So, for today's challenge, write about a time when you were nuts for a gift. What was it? Why did you want it so badly? Did you get it? Write a story... :-)
On Saturday, we drove to NH to visit my family. My mom had a special surprise for all of us. It involved these two beautiful creatures:
The drivers handed out warm blankets and we all climbed onto a wooden wagon to travel over beautiful dirt paths with views like this (look at Mount Chocorua in the distance!):
We were very happy to have the blankets, as it was late afternoon and FREEZING.
But oh, so beautiful.
And peaceful.
Then, we took a surprise turn into town, which was so quaint.
And fun.
And festive.
And intriguing.
Back at the farm, we said thank you.
And then contemplated bringing this sweet little miniature horse called Sadie home with us.
Then, it was off to my parents' house to open gifts and have a feast.
Oh, and act silly.
And share jokes.
And act more silly.
It was such a beautiful weekend and made me so grateful to have so much love in my life.
But then, it was time to come back home to our own little tree...
And a surprise visit from our neighbors, who brought a gift from their horses, who graze in our field all summer:
Yes, that is a SUITCASE full of Godiva treats. Generous horses!
It truly was one of the best weekends ever.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Monday Morning Warm-Up:
My niece, who I love dearly, was a little obsessed with talking about a certain gift she wanted for Christmas. She just. Couldn't. Stop. And it was funny to me, because I remember what that was like. Hoping hoping hoping for something special. And I thought how challenging it might be to convey in writing just what it is, why it is, you want this "thing" so badly. So, for today's challenge, write about a time when you were nuts for a gift. What was it? Why did you want it so badly? Did you get it? Write a story... :-)
December 17, 2010
Five F-Words on Friday
1. Freedom
Today is my son's last day of school for two weeks. There's a holiday concert at 2:00. Then all the kids share gifts they've made for each other, which is always such fun to watch. Some of the kids put so much care into their projects. It's just lovely. Best of all, I just handed in my big freelance job so I am free to hang out with the boy and get into the holiday spirit. And forcing our cats to do the same.
2. Family
Tomorrow we're celebrating the holidays early with my parents and my sister's family. My mom has a "big surprise" for us. I believe it involves horses and a sleigh. I hope so, anyway, because we were instructed to "dress warmly" and I can't quite imagine another activity that would require us to dress accordingly, except for sledding. And the last time I went sledding at my parents' house I broke my tailbone. So I'm really holding out for the horses. And I have a box of Christmas crackers because everyone looks stylish in the paper crowns.
3. Fear
Next week has some challenges (private), so if you have any extra well-wishes you'd like to send toward Vermont—and in particular toward a certain kid I never shut up about—that would be much appreciated.
4. Festivity
I am really looking forward to ringing in the New Year with friends and loved ones. We're going to a costume party, which is very exciting, if not intimidating. Last year, the theme was "spies" so we went as Maxwell Smart and Agent 99. This year, the theme is "Venetian Carnival" so you can see it'll be a bigger challenge. We did find some cool masks. Now to figure out what to wear. Ideas appreciated. :-)
5. Fun
Hug your loved ones. Take joy. Remember the best gifts are love and friendship.
xo
Today is my son's last day of school for two weeks. There's a holiday concert at 2:00. Then all the kids share gifts they've made for each other, which is always such fun to watch. Some of the kids put so much care into their projects. It's just lovely. Best of all, I just handed in my big freelance job so I am free to hang out with the boy and get into the holiday spirit. And forcing our cats to do the same.
2. Family
Tomorrow we're celebrating the holidays early with my parents and my sister's family. My mom has a "big surprise" for us. I believe it involves horses and a sleigh. I hope so, anyway, because we were instructed to "dress warmly" and I can't quite imagine another activity that would require us to dress accordingly, except for sledding. And the last time I went sledding at my parents' house I broke my tailbone. So I'm really holding out for the horses. And I have a box of Christmas crackers because everyone looks stylish in the paper crowns.
3. Fear
Next week has some challenges (private), so if you have any extra well-wishes you'd like to send toward Vermont—and in particular toward a certain kid I never shut up about—that would be much appreciated.
4. Festivity
I am really looking forward to ringing in the New Year with friends and loved ones. We're going to a costume party, which is very exciting, if not intimidating. Last year, the theme was "spies" so we went as Maxwell Smart and Agent 99. This year, the theme is "Venetian Carnival" so you can see it'll be a bigger challenge. We did find some cool masks. Now to figure out what to wear. Ideas appreciated. :-)
5. Fun
Hug your loved ones. Take joy. Remember the best gifts are love and friendship.
xo
December 16, 2010
Advice to my son...
As long as you keep believing, he'll keep coming.
I wonder, however, if this is actually terrible advice.
For now though, he still believes.
And there's still that sense of approaching magic in the house.
So I'll keep believing too.
I wonder, however, if this is actually terrible advice.
For now though, he still believes.
And there's still that sense of approaching magic in the house.
So I'll keep believing too.
December 13, 2010
Wish You Were Here
Yesterday, we sat among friends at our tiny church. We lit the tree. Hung ornaments. And then spoke of gifts we were grateful for.
Paul said he missed the underwear his grandmother gave him every year. And we laughed. But thinking more deeply about that, I almost cried.
I began to think of the gifts no longer given. From people we love who aren't here anymore. My own grandmother's dundee pudding with my grandfather's special rum frosting that stung my throat it was so strong.
The too-expensive gifts my brother always turned up with. So beautiful they felt foreign. From some city boutique I'd never step foot in. So not a part of my T.J. Maxx life.
The reliably terrible-looking knitted barbie clothes my step-grandmother made, that my sister and I somehow pulled off as vogue in the fold-up Sunshine Family home they lived in.
Sitting on my grandather's lap while he read from a Richard Scary's book. His arms strong, even though they never stopped shaking.
My uncle's sheepdog Max who always came along for holiday visits.
They are all the gifts of my heart now. They shape in my chest like an inside-out hug every year as we hang a particular ornament. Hear a particular song. Make a particular wish. Read a particular greeting on a card I swear I've seen before.
Wish you were here.
I do. How I do.
And yet, you are, aren't you?
Here?
In my heart?
I feel you there.
I hold you there.
But yes.
I wish you were
here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Monday Morning Warm-Up:
Write about the gifts you remember and cherish.
Paul said he missed the underwear his grandmother gave him every year. And we laughed. But thinking more deeply about that, I almost cried.
I began to think of the gifts no longer given. From people we love who aren't here anymore. My own grandmother's dundee pudding with my grandfather's special rum frosting that stung my throat it was so strong.
The too-expensive gifts my brother always turned up with. So beautiful they felt foreign. From some city boutique I'd never step foot in. So not a part of my T.J. Maxx life.
The reliably terrible-looking knitted barbie clothes my step-grandmother made, that my sister and I somehow pulled off as vogue in the fold-up Sunshine Family home they lived in.
Sitting on my grandather's lap while he read from a Richard Scary's book. His arms strong, even though they never stopped shaking.
My uncle's sheepdog Max who always came along for holiday visits.
They are all the gifts of my heart now. They shape in my chest like an inside-out hug every year as we hang a particular ornament. Hear a particular song. Make a particular wish. Read a particular greeting on a card I swear I've seen before.
Wish you were here.
I do. How I do.
And yet, you are, aren't you?
Here?
In my heart?
I feel you there.
I hold you there.
But yes.
I wish you were
here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Monday Morning Warm-Up:
Write about the gifts you remember and cherish.
December 10, 2010
Would you or wouldn't you?
Hi Everyone!
Long time no blog. *sigh* Hope everyone is doing well!
So, in the news! Yesterday, Amazon announced a new feature to it's authors. Bookscan access! Ohhh, boy. What does it mean? Well, starting yesterday, authors could log on to their pages at Amazon and see how many books they'd sold across the country in the month of November.
Would your finger hover over the button or would you want to know immediately?
I posted about this on Facebook and the comments were about 50-50. Some people wanted to see and some people wanted to stay in the dark. Some argued that there was nothing you could do about it, while others argued you should be armed with as much knowledge as possible about your book sales. (For a great "yes" explanation, check out Saundra Mitchell's entry.)
What do you think?? (Sorry, tried to post a poll but I can't make it work.)
I admit it. I looked.
The thing is, I have a book that came out in 2007 and one that came out in 2009. After hearing heartbreaking stories about books going out of print in mere months, I'm thrilled my books are still alive and kicking!
Problem: I have no idea what the numbers truly mean because what is the context?
I mean, a book with a huge print run that had tons of advertising money behind it that only sold 168 copies in a month would be very bad, right? But what about a book with no marketing behind it, that's been out for several years? Not so bad, right? Er, right????
Seriously, I have no idea.
And I suppose, that puts me with one foot in the yes camp and one in the no.
What authors who are super smooth at self-promotion can glean from this new access is to see where in the country their books are selling well or not at all, and put efforts into reaching out to untapped resources. But honestly? I'm not that gal. Boy do I wish I was. But self-promotion makes my teeth ache.
So, I guess I'll just continue doing what I can. Maybe pushing myself a bit more with each book. But honestly, I think we could drive ourselves nuts with this stuff. At least, those of us who don't really know what to do with the information.
Lets discuss! :-)
Long time no blog. *sigh* Hope everyone is doing well!
So, in the news! Yesterday, Amazon announced a new feature to it's authors. Bookscan access! Ohhh, boy. What does it mean? Well, starting yesterday, authors could log on to their pages at Amazon and see how many books they'd sold across the country in the month of November.
Would your finger hover over the button or would you want to know immediately?
I posted about this on Facebook and the comments were about 50-50. Some people wanted to see and some people wanted to stay in the dark. Some argued that there was nothing you could do about it, while others argued you should be armed with as much knowledge as possible about your book sales. (For a great "yes" explanation, check out Saundra Mitchell's entry.)
What do you think?? (Sorry, tried to post a poll but I can't make it work.)
I admit it. I looked.
The thing is, I have a book that came out in 2007 and one that came out in 2009. After hearing heartbreaking stories about books going out of print in mere months, I'm thrilled my books are still alive and kicking!
Problem: I have no idea what the numbers truly mean because what is the context?
I mean, a book with a huge print run that had tons of advertising money behind it that only sold 168 copies in a month would be very bad, right? But what about a book with no marketing behind it, that's been out for several years? Not so bad, right? Er, right????
Seriously, I have no idea.
And I suppose, that puts me with one foot in the yes camp and one in the no.
What authors who are super smooth at self-promotion can glean from this new access is to see where in the country their books are selling well or not at all, and put efforts into reaching out to untapped resources. But honestly? I'm not that gal. Boy do I wish I was. But self-promotion makes my teeth ache.
So, I guess I'll just continue doing what I can. Maybe pushing myself a bit more with each book. But honestly, I think we could drive ourselves nuts with this stuff. At least, those of us who don't really know what to do with the information.
Lets discuss! :-)
December 6, 2010
Please Say Hi to Kate Messner!!!
Most of you know what a wonderful writer, teacher, friend and mom Kate Messner is, so you can imagine how thrilled I am to have here here as my first ever guest blogger!!
Everyone say, "Hi, Kate!"
Kate is celebrating her new, beautiful book, Sugar And Ice.
Description:
For Claire Boucher, life is all about skating on the frozen cow pond and in the annual Maple Show right before the big pancake breakfast on her family's farm. But all that changes when Russian skating coach Andrei Grosheva offers Claire a scholarship to train with the elite in Lake Placid. Tossed into a world of mean girls on ice, where competition is everything, Claire realizes that her sweet dream come true has sharper edges than she could have imagined. Can she find the strength to stand up to the people who want to see her fail and the courage to decide which dream she wants to follow?
The book has already made the Junior Library Guild Selection AND Winter 2010-2011 Kids IndieNext List!
I was lucky enough to get an ARC at NCTE/ALAN and will be posting my own glowing report soon. I can't wait to read it!
And the best news, the book is officially on sale TOMORROW! You can order it from your local Indie in time for the holidays!
But wait! There's more!
The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid is hosting a launch party from 3-5 pm on Saturday, December 11th. If you can’t make it but would still like a signed, personalized copy, just give them a call at (518) 523-2950 by December 10th. They’ll take your order, have Kate sign your book after the event, and ship it out to you in plenty of time for the holidays.
Or, if you have a favorite Indie you like to shop at, you can order it there, too.
Shop Indie Bookstores
Kate is here to talk about an important topic: Reluctant Writers.
And now, heeeeeeere's Kate!! *wild applause*
One of the very best things about writing books for kids has been the people writing has brought into my life. Last month at the NCTE/ALAN conference, I was lucky enough to be on a panel with David Macinnis Gill, Chris Crowe, and Jo Knowles. Our title was “The Perks of Being a Wallflower Writer: Helping Teens and Tweens Discover and Share their Voices,” and while I love talking about this topic, I think on this particular day, I loved listening even more.
David and Chris talked about strategies for helping young writers, providing a framework for success and ideas for making a big project feel manageable. And Jo talked a lot about the sharing part of the writing process, something that I just loved, since I’m a classroom teacher of middle school kids. Her strategy of taking volunteers to share but asking that everyone comment and provide out-loud feedback for the shared writing encourages talk, and supportive talk in the classroom leads to more talk and to trust.
Here are three more things I like to tell reluctant writers in my classroom and writing workshops in the way of encouragement:
• It’s not a test.
So much of the writing kids do in school is graded on very particular criteria, and sometimes this creates anxiety. What’s the right answer? What’s the right way to structure this, to set it up? How long does it have to be? The answer for creative writing is, “You get to decide all that. You do. Because you are the writer.”
• You get to choose things you love to write about.
When I look at the books I’ve written, there are stories about history, about hiking and collecting leaves, and most recently with SUGAR AND ICE, about figure skating and maple farms and math (I know…weird mix…but I am the writer, and I get to decide to mix weird things). Writing is a way to talk about what you love and to explore things you want to know more about.
• You have stories that nobody else can tell. Nobody.
Some writers don’t believe this right away, but it’s true. Your life history, your world views and experiences and hopes and dreams make your particular point of view one of a kind. You might be the only Star-Wars-obsessed yodeling unicycle rider in the world…or the only person who’s ever stopped to really think about what would happen if a kid whose mother plays Donald Duck at Disney were suddenly invited to compete in a worldwide musical-instrument-building contest. Your stories – however weird and wonderful they may be – are yours. And if you don’t tell them, who will?
My new book started with one of those “what-if” moments. What if a quiet girl from a small-town maple farm were suddenly plunged into the high-pressure world of competitive figure skating? That girl in my imagination is named Claire, and her story is SUGAR AND ICE, due out December 7th from Walker/Bloomsbury.
Thanks Kate!! I wish you could be everyone's middle school teacher!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Monday Morning Warm-Up:
In honor of Kate, describe your favorite moment on the ice. For some inspiration, here's a lovely video Cindy Lord recently posted on her blog:
Everyone say, "Hi, Kate!"
Kate is celebrating her new, beautiful book, Sugar And Ice.
Description:
For Claire Boucher, life is all about skating on the frozen cow pond and in the annual Maple Show right before the big pancake breakfast on her family's farm. But all that changes when Russian skating coach Andrei Grosheva offers Claire a scholarship to train with the elite in Lake Placid. Tossed into a world of mean girls on ice, where competition is everything, Claire realizes that her sweet dream come true has sharper edges than she could have imagined. Can she find the strength to stand up to the people who want to see her fail and the courage to decide which dream she wants to follow?
The book has already made the Junior Library Guild Selection AND Winter 2010-2011 Kids IndieNext List!
I was lucky enough to get an ARC at NCTE/ALAN and will be posting my own glowing report soon. I can't wait to read it!
And the best news, the book is officially on sale TOMORROW! You can order it from your local Indie in time for the holidays!
But wait! There's more!
The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid is hosting a launch party from 3-5 pm on Saturday, December 11th. If you can’t make it but would still like a signed, personalized copy, just give them a call at (518) 523-2950 by December 10th. They’ll take your order, have Kate sign your book after the event, and ship it out to you in plenty of time for the holidays.
Or, if you have a favorite Indie you like to shop at, you can order it there, too.
Shop Indie Bookstores
Kate is here to talk about an important topic: Reluctant Writers.
And now, heeeeeeere's Kate!! *wild applause*
One of the very best things about writing books for kids has been the people writing has brought into my life. Last month at the NCTE/ALAN conference, I was lucky enough to be on a panel with David Macinnis Gill, Chris Crowe, and Jo Knowles. Our title was “The Perks of Being a Wallflower Writer: Helping Teens and Tweens Discover and Share their Voices,” and while I love talking about this topic, I think on this particular day, I loved listening even more.
David and Chris talked about strategies for helping young writers, providing a framework for success and ideas for making a big project feel manageable. And Jo talked a lot about the sharing part of the writing process, something that I just loved, since I’m a classroom teacher of middle school kids. Her strategy of taking volunteers to share but asking that everyone comment and provide out-loud feedback for the shared writing encourages talk, and supportive talk in the classroom leads to more talk and to trust.
Here are three more things I like to tell reluctant writers in my classroom and writing workshops in the way of encouragement:
• It’s not a test.
So much of the writing kids do in school is graded on very particular criteria, and sometimes this creates anxiety. What’s the right answer? What’s the right way to structure this, to set it up? How long does it have to be? The answer for creative writing is, “You get to decide all that. You do. Because you are the writer.”
• You get to choose things you love to write about.
When I look at the books I’ve written, there are stories about history, about hiking and collecting leaves, and most recently with SUGAR AND ICE, about figure skating and maple farms and math (I know…weird mix…but I am the writer, and I get to decide to mix weird things). Writing is a way to talk about what you love and to explore things you want to know more about.
• You have stories that nobody else can tell. Nobody.
Some writers don’t believe this right away, but it’s true. Your life history, your world views and experiences and hopes and dreams make your particular point of view one of a kind. You might be the only Star-Wars-obsessed yodeling unicycle rider in the world…or the only person who’s ever stopped to really think about what would happen if a kid whose mother plays Donald Duck at Disney were suddenly invited to compete in a worldwide musical-instrument-building contest. Your stories – however weird and wonderful they may be – are yours. And if you don’t tell them, who will?
My new book started with one of those “what-if” moments. What if a quiet girl from a small-town maple farm were suddenly plunged into the high-pressure world of competitive figure skating? That girl in my imagination is named Claire, and her story is SUGAR AND ICE, due out December 7th from Walker/Bloomsbury.
Thanks Kate!! I wish you could be everyone's middle school teacher!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Monday Morning Warm-Up:
In honor of Kate, describe your favorite moment on the ice. For some inspiration, here's a lovely video Cindy Lord recently posted on her blog:
December 3, 2010
Goldilocks moments
When we moved into our first house eleven years ago, my dad gave Peter and me a set of chairs he'd bought for a great deal from an old camp that was closing. They were very sweet (like my dad) and we were happy to have them. I'm not sure how old they already were, but they were full of surprises that only camp chairs can provide. For example, while moving them around one day, I discovered that all of them had wads of old gum stuck under the seat. One night, a guest leaned back and the spindles on the back split (sorry Pete!). On hot days, guests would not only STICK to the chair but the stain or whatever is on them would actually melt and turn white. And also stain the person's clothes. (Sorry Marvin! Sorry Libba!)
Who knew something so cute could cause so much mischief.
Can you see how it's falling apart? But chairs are EXPENSIVE and we decided if we were going to replace these ones, we'd do it right. Buy new, gum-free chairs.
On Cyber Monday (OK, I don't even know what it's called), we got an e-mail from Crate and Barrel saying the chairs we've been pining for were 15% off. We decided it was now or never and I ordered them.
When I called Peter last night to tell him I was on my way home from teaching, he told me our chairs had arrived. He had a funny sound in his voice so I asked him what was wrong.
"They're a bit darker than I expected," he said. "They don't look like 'honey'."
"What do they look like?," I asked.
"Espresso?"
And then it was quiet and he said, "They also look really, uh, big."
So, I drove home wondering, how big could they be? How dark could they be?
Pretty big. Pretty dark.
Maybe once we get rid of our apparently "mini" chairs (lighbulb goes off: These were from a camp! Maybe they were supposed to be small for kids!), they won't seem so enormous. But boy. Sitting in that sucker I feel like Goldilocks in Papa Bear's Chair. I don't think my feet even touch the floor.
To all our guests who quietly suffered our chairs over the years, the suffering is over. But you might want to bring a step-stool next time you come for dinner.
:-)
Have a great weekend, everyone!! And please stop by here on Monday when, for the first time ever, I have a SURPRISE GUEST BLOGGER! WHO WILL IT BE??????
Who knew something so cute could cause so much mischief.
Can you see how it's falling apart? But chairs are EXPENSIVE and we decided if we were going to replace these ones, we'd do it right. Buy new, gum-free chairs.
On Cyber Monday (OK, I don't even know what it's called), we got an e-mail from Crate and Barrel saying the chairs we've been pining for were 15% off. We decided it was now or never and I ordered them.
When I called Peter last night to tell him I was on my way home from teaching, he told me our chairs had arrived. He had a funny sound in his voice so I asked him what was wrong.
"They're a bit darker than I expected," he said. "They don't look like 'honey'."
"What do they look like?," I asked.
"Espresso?"
And then it was quiet and he said, "They also look really, uh, big."
So, I drove home wondering, how big could they be? How dark could they be?
Pretty big. Pretty dark.
Maybe once we get rid of our apparently "mini" chairs (lighbulb goes off: These were from a camp! Maybe they were supposed to be small for kids!), they won't seem so enormous. But boy. Sitting in that sucker I feel like Goldilocks in Papa Bear's Chair. I don't think my feet even touch the floor.
To all our guests who quietly suffered our chairs over the years, the suffering is over. But you might want to bring a step-stool next time you come for dinner.
:-)
Have a great weekend, everyone!! And please stop by here on Monday when, for the first time ever, I have a SURPRISE GUEST BLOGGER! WHO WILL IT BE??????
