Fragments

Dear Friends,

Husband has just taken the kids out sledding for about an hour. I thought I'd told everyone I was staying home to catch up on a few things, but they all seemed surprised and the husband cheesed off I was staying at home.

I wish I'd gone. The dratted dog is barking and whining like crazy and it's not quite the peaceful, reflective atmosphere I'd hoped for.

I just cuddled the beast and sat with him for a bit. He's napping now, thank heavens. It's just like having a baby. Did I mention we don't want another baby? Still, he's cute.

Where was I? Oh yes. I wanted to introduce myself, fully, with all my myriad interests and preoccupations. Long before I started this blog, I dreamed of having one--actually, I remember thinking I would love to have a "place" where I could gather all the different places the world impacted me and ruminate about things. This was actually in the nineties, before blogs had been invented. And so now I have a blog. This can be that place, I suppose.

First, as you've no doubt gathered, I'm a bit O/C. I get involved in something and bam, the rest of the world, the rest of my world doesn't exist anymore except in so far as it contributes or gets in the way of whatever I'm doing. I'm exaggerating, of course, but not by much.

So far, you've experienced AT and the obsession I have with all things design related. That's done and we all moved on to WT which opened my eyes to the inner decrepitude of my closet and self-image, the mall's inability to help me rectify it and the world's obsession with celebrities' fashion and "must have" wardrobe lists. I discovered dozens of defensive fat girl sites, too. There's stuff I could say about all that, and maybe I will, but not right now.

I'm in love with books. No surprise there. For inspiration, I read MM-V. I try to keep a chapter book as she suggests, but there isn't always time to write out a passage and my thoughts upon the book and author. Still, I'm always happy to have done so whenever I do. Right now, I'm reading Ann Patchett. Perhaps I can do my chapter entries here, on the blog.

(I just finished this one. I'm reading Taft now.)

We're back at schooling again. That could be an entire blog in and of itself. It's consuming me at the moment. For this, I participate on the message boards at the Well-Trained Mind website. It's utterly amazing to me what homeschool moms and dads will do for people. I've gathered so many resources and ideas from the folks there that I almost don't believe I'd have been able to do this at all without them. And they are all strangers, of course. This, I don't how much to include. Unless you're involved in the day-to-day machinations, it's pretty boring to read about: even when you are, it's kind of weird--like peering through someone's window while out walking in the evening. I admit, I enjoy it. But there always comes a point when I wonder why they haven't drawn the curtains yet.

Nonetheless, as I have found others' sites inspiring and useful, there may be a side bar (or two) coming soon with a list of curriculum and such.

Scrapping. Ah yes, here is another obsession which can quickly take over my life. I used to participate on the message boards here as well as post my layouts. I may do that again. It will keep the blog from being cluttered up with stuff. But we'll see.


(This is one of those I create from time to time that I'm not sure works. It's from our vacation in 2006 for the m-i-l's album)

Housekeeping. OK, I'm never obsessed with it, but it does nag at me--a lot. My favourite site for support for this has been de-activated. It's a shock, really. When I found out, shortly before my connection to the internet went all wonky, I actually felt pain--like a favourite place has been demolished. I've been considering returning to flylady but I have problems with my e-mail and I'm not sure I can face all those reminders on top of everything else every day. (Did I mention that when I re-activated my e-mail after two weeks I had 2,476 messages waiting for me? Only about 10 of which were worth keeping.)

So: decorating/home repair, homeschooling, reading, scrapping, and housekeeping--these are the things which consume me more or less intensely from time to time. I have a spiritual life, too, and that may crop up now and again, but even though I know that in some circles, it should be otherwise, I prefer to keep the details somewhat private. These things and my family, of course, are the fragments which make up my life.

I hope to make the blog rounds this evening and catch up with you all.

Ta ta for now,
Alana