Snow Clothes

Just in case readers of my previous post were worried, Joel is now quite well prepared for snow and cold.

Movies I watched in 2009

We got a three month Netflix subscription from Brandon's family for Christmas. It has been fun to go on the site and choose movies we want to see, then have them show up in the mail. So far this year we've watched:

Miss Potter - Well made, very fun to watch.
Better Off Dead - I'd never seen it. WEIRD but amusing. It was one of Brandon's faves as a teen.
Rocky - Brandon had never seen it. We both enjoyed it, although the 70's music made us laugh.
27 Dresses - It was okay. I watched this by myself...not that Brandon won't watch chick flicks with me, but he wasn't home when I used it as motivation to fold the laundry.
The Golden Compass - We found it boring and turned it off.
Hoosiers-okay. We're not that into sports flicks
Juno-Thought provoking and well done.
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum-Comedy tonight!
Spanglish-Interesting, but more objectionable content than I remembered
Cold Comfort Farm-Hilarious and delightful
Supersize Me-Gross in a fascinating kind of way
Up!-Sweet and very fun. (theater)
Star Trek-Awesome! (theater)

Books I Read In 2009

Once I figure out how to do it, I plan to put a link to Goodreads on the front page of my blog so I can keep track of what I've read. Until then, this will have to do. It's always interesting to me to know what kinds of books people choose to read. You can tell a lot about someone by their reading habits, I think. I wonder what my reading list of the year will say about me?

Small Gods by Terry Pratchet
The 13th Reality by James Dashner
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchet
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen
Full of Holes by Daniel A Wells (unpublished)
It's A Mall World After All by Janette Rallison
The Glass Castle by Janette Wall
The Housewife and the Moviestar by Sannon Hale (Advanced Reading Copy)
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Extras by Scott Westerfield
Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Pomegranates

I've bought several pomegranates recently.


I was researching online to find the best way to open them, (because I'm nerdy like that-I always look for information about everything) and I learned loads of interesting facts. First, I learned that the best way to get the fruit from a pomegranate is to score the peel with a knife, then open it under water. The red parts, called arils, sink to the bottom, and the white membrane floats. I filled the sink with water, then put a colander in it, and peeled the pomegranate there. It worked out quite well.

Did you know that the word grenade came from the French word for pomegranate? Relics of this fruit have been found in Jericho and dated Early Bronze Age, which is about 3300-2000 BC. Pomegranates show up quite frequently in multiple religions and the mythology of various cultures. (I was only familiar with the Persephone story.) Eating the fruit gives many health benefits. (BTW, I didn't get ALL of that from Wikipedia. I used multiple sources, like a good little researcher.)


I think pomegranates are beautiful-a multifaceted orb made of tiny jewel-like bits that burst tartly sweet juice into my mouth. They're worth the trouble it takes to prepare them in my opinion. Too bad their season is so short.

2008 in Review

Joel in January

Joel in December

What we accomplished...

Joel:
crawling
standing
cruising
walking
4 haircuts
5 sizes of clothing
8 teeth

Brandon:
5 conventions
18 presentations
24 school visits
37 book signings
60 days of business travel
500,000 words written

Me:
3 professional pedicures enjoyed
17 batches of cookies made (and eaten)
37 books read
152 loads of laundry washed, dried and put away
400 hours spent breastfeeding
1095 diapers changed

Numbers are interesting, but experiences make memories. A few events from 2008 stand out in my mind. Attending the wedding of my friend Rachel was a highlight in June. My trip to the emergency room in July was something I'll never forget. I have some great memories from the reunions and family gatherings that we attended over the year. Going to the Shakespearean Festival in July was very fun. Leaving Joel with Brandon's mom for 10 days while the two of us went to Denver for WorldCon was a little traumatic at first, but also memorable. I really appreciated going to my book group each month. In 2008 Brandon made the New York Times Bestseller list. There are also myriads of experiences that happen too many times to count over the course of a year, but that make my life good-things like chatting on the phone with my sisters, sharing jokes with my husband, playing with my baby boy, having "deep philosophical discussions" with friends, getting a good workout, quiet contemplation, talking to God, and feeling that He listens.