random

+ Annabelle has filled a few notebooks with her drawings. They're kind of the best. She draws her favorite fairies, her family, things that are happening, things she sees, her friends, her teachers. They're priceless. I sit down with her every few days and write captions so we can remember what she drew. Lou also draws in her notebook. And on her face.

+ I try to feel bad about over consuming Trader Joe's milk chocolate peanut butter cups, but I never do. In fact, I usually feel quite justified in my consumption. As though my muffin top deserves a little boost now and then. And preferably one wrapped in milk chocolate.

+ We have (had?) some sort of bug in our house. In true fashion, Belle has let it pass through her with barely a note that she felt unwell. And Lou. Well, she was out for the count for a few days. Raging fevers. Nutty antics. Coughing up a lung, then upchucking up the rest. (She literally has the weakest gag reflex. in. the. world.) But she's fever free today, so hopefully it's the end? The bigger my children get, the more reasons I have to home school. Germs are currently at the top of the list, followed closely by bullies, mean girls, drugs, filthy minds and mouths. School just sounds so fabulous! 

+ I've invested in some fleece-lined leggings. It's like wearing clouds on your legs, and my at-home uniform (pajama pants) has been expanded to include these beauties. I've not yet dared to wear them in public. While they are dreamy, it's also kind of like wearing a thin covering on your dimpled thighs. No thanks. Says the world.

+ Last year I read all of the books in the Anne of Green Gables series (eight of them). I want to read them all again, and I miss Anne and Gilbert and their babies like they're real people, as though I once lived down the dusty road from them, and our kids played barefoot in Rainbow Valley together. Theirs was the kind of simple life I yearn for. Quiet, convicted, full of beauty. And Montgomery's writing? Impeccable. Precise. Every word on the page in its proper and purposeful place. A rare find in writing these days.

+ Jess and I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with our parents. Let me rephrase this: nerds. from. the. start. Just a few months ago we snagged the whole series on DVD on ebay. Suffice it to say, we are as nerdy as we sound. We stay up til ridiculous hours almost every night because, the galaxy must be explored, that's why. All dorkiness aside, once you get past the awkward first season (paaaaainful) and the 1980s "special" effects, there is some brilliant work to be found in Star Trek. Also, I love Data. And the way Captain Picard says, "Engage."