FLASHBACK 1976 *or possibly further*

 
REPEAT BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT:
"a very merry unbirthday to me...to you..."
i'm not sure when she started...my earliest memory of my grandma marge reading "alice in wonderland" to me was when i was 10. but we had just moved back after 4 years, so it's very possible she had been reading it to me before. she told me i reminded her of alice...i was easily distracted. 
FLASH FORWARD july 2004
grandma marge passed. we start going thru her scrapbook. we learn some very interesting things...she was on the ohio state homecoming court in 1938. what?! that's cool! she was a licensed pilot. what?!!!!!!!!!!! okay!! grandma!! how do you not mention these things to your granddaughter(s)??!! grandma lillie says it best "ladies never brag...and marge was a lady...". i picked up a copy of "alice in wonderland" soon after. i read it at least once a year (or did until i mis-placed my copy...time for a trip to the book store!! yay!! or better yet...someone can get me this louis vuitton edition from penguin publishing...thanks for bringing it to my attention paige!!!). it keeps her close to me.....
FLASH FORWARD today
today is "mad hatter day**"....today is a day that all the stuff we do everyday, that most people would consider sane (going to work, paying the bills, cleaning the house), is complete and utter madness...and all the stuff that makes us happy, that most people would consider madness (playing in the rain, singing at the top of our tone-deaf lungs, dancing with the devil in the pale moon light) would be deemed completely sane!! just for today...
so put on your favorite hat...and get out there and do something completely...sane!!

                                

 

a gallery of silly hats:

      

 

                          

                  

 

                         

 

                                   


**interesting factoid: in the illustrations, the hatter is always seen wearing a top hat with a slip reading "this style 10/6" (meaning that style hat cost 10 shilling sixpence)...so we here in america took it as a sign to act like the hatter on october 6...the english? yeah...they read the date backwards, which means they act like the hatter on june 10...since i like to write my dates backwards but am, in fact, american, i think i will act like a hatter on both dates...XD     

THE SUNDAY PAPER (or book or blog or mag)

"free your mind and the rest will follow..."                                      
FLASHBACK 1966
in hanover, virginia, parents complain that a discussion of rape, in to kill a mockingbird, is immoral and call for it to be removed from the school reading list.
FLASH FORWARD 1977
in eden valley, minnesota to kill a mockingbird is banned because of the words "damn" and "whore lady".
 FLASH FORWARD (1980 something)
i'm given a reading assignment. i'm not excited. how can i be excited about a book, written in the 60's, about people living in 30's? but, to kill a mockingbird will quickly become one of my favorites. i want an atticus finch and boo radley in my life. *for those unfamiliar with the story, to kill a mockingbird is a lesson in social inequality as told thru the eyes of six year old scout. and you should totally read it*
FLASH FORWARD 1984
the waukegan, illinois school district bans to kill a mockingbird because the "n" word is used 48 times in 211 pages.
FLASH FORWARD 2003
to kill a mockingbird is banned from normal, illinois community high school's sophomore literature class because it's "degrading to african americans".
TODAY
people continue to attempt to ban books from schools and public libraries. and to kill a mockingbird is always on the list of banned and challenged books. it's in good company with the great gatsby, the lord of the flies, and the grapes of wrath. the top 10 banned books of 2012~2013 are:

1. captain underpants, dav pilkey (offensive language and unsuited for age group)
2. the absolute true diary of a part time indian, sherman alexie (offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group)
3. 13 reasons why, jay asher (drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group)
4. 50 shades of grey, e.l. james (offensive language, sexually explicit)
5. and tango makes three, peter parnell and justin richardson (homosexuality, unsuited for age group)
6. the kite runner, khaled hosseini (homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit)
7. looking for alaska, john green (offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group)
8. scary stories, alvin schwartz (unsuited for age group, violence)
9. the glass castle, jeannette walls (offensive language, sexually explicit)
10. beloved, toni morrison (sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence)

september 22 thru 28 is banned books week. celebrate your right to read whatever you choose by selecting books off the banned books list and participating in the virtual read~out! 

^two of these books have been banned, or challenged, from schools or public libraries. can you guess which two?

THE SUNDAY PAPER (or blog or book or mag)

"today is where your book begins...the rest still unwritten..."
as i've said before, sundays are made for a hot cup o' joe, blankets, and reading. and every sunday i snuggle in my blankie, drink a cup of steaming (very caffeinated) coffee, and scroll thru my favorite blogs. and i am in L~O~V~E with bleubird.  i'm not quite sure how i stumbled across this beautiful little blog, but i really had to share it...
bluebird is written by "miss james" (a nickname)...she is married to aubrey...and they have 4 children (ages 12 to not quite 1). james did have an online vintage thrift shop that she has closed, indefinitely, since moving from texas to tennessee. she is a clothing designer, blogger, mother, home schooler, and photographer. she takes all the photos on her blog (with the, obvious, exception of shots of herself *aubrey takes those*. family shots are done with a tripod and self~timer) and they are amazing. she recently designed a line of children's sunglasses for bonlook that are super cute and i wish would fit me!!
each week you get a portrait of her kids, with stunning photos she's taken of each of the 4 children...also, what i want need wear read, which features a different person, each week, showing you their favorite product in each of the 4 categories. but my FAVORITE(!!!) entries are a video series that just started, conversations with birdie!! simply a must watch!! there have only been a few of these 3~5 minute conversations with her 2 year old, so it will be easy for you to catch up. if you don't find yourself laughing there is, quite simply, something wrong with you!!
this morning pour yourself a gigantic mug of java, head on over to miss james' blog, and see what you've been missing!!
happy sunday!! happy reading!!

^a glimpse into bleubird's life^

THE SUNDAY PAPER (or blog or book or mag)

"dear sir or madam, will you read my book?...it took me years to write, will you take a look?"
FLASHBACK december 2010
the bk and i meet with a new, to us, tattoo artist (you can find out all about matt clemmer here). he works out of his basement, meaning we get to meet his lovely family. his girlfriend, katie, and her cute~as~a~button son, max. katie and matt are freelance artists and they're work is displayed all over the house. katie is, also, a blogger. 
FLASH FORWARD january and march 2011
matt does an addition to the bk's tribute to his great~grandmother, america, and a beautiful portrait of my flock. mine takes two sessions. a total of 14 hours. it's painful. i cry. i cry a lot. but the end product is well worth it. a piece of art on my right thigh. also, i get to learn quite a bit about this beautiful little family. and i discover katie's blog...a glimpse into her life with these two charming men.
FLASH FORWARD today
it's sunday. i get up early...before the sun is even fully up. i make coffee. i scroll thru facebook. i scroll thru twitter. and i read katie's pencil box. full of stunning pictures, snapped and edited by katie, and quick peeks into her day~to~day, this blog just makes me warm and fuzzy. katie doesn't tell you how to dress, how to make the perfect breakfast casserole, or how to keep the perfect house. she just shows you how an artist,  mother of two (phoebe is just 8 months old), and future wife takes the time to simply be. 
sunday mornings are for coffee, and blankets, and reading. take this time to check out katie's pencil box...you won't be disappointed. 
happy reading!!

            

 

^before and after^

^portrait of a flock^

FLASHBACK 1965

"dear sir or madam, will you read my book? it took me years to write, will you take a look?"...
the day i was born, grandma marge pulled out a dr. suess book and made me read it. okay. OKAY...i may have just made that up. i did. i literally just made that up. but it's not that far-fetched.  i WAS reading before i entered kindergarten. and grandma marge and dr. suess were to blame. or thank. "one fish two fish red fish blue fish"...."green eggs and ham"..."the cat in the hat"...i was reading them all. then, at 10 (we'll say 10 because i really don't remember how old i was...could have been 5 or 6?), she introduced me to "alice in wonderland". grandma marge instilled a love of reading that continues to this day.
FLASH FORWARD 1980 something
american lit. a class we all had to take in high school. snoozefest, right? right. up until the moment they assigned harper lee's "to kill a mockingbird". i was sure i was going to hate this book. why wouldn't i hate a book written 20 some years ago set in the great depression? i loved this book. i mean i LOVED this book. it is one of 3 books i read year after year. when i pick it up, i don't want to put it down.
FLASH FORWARD summer 2001
dustin had a summer reading assignment..."raisin in the sun". in the search for this book, i run across the classics section at barnes and noble. that's when i see it...bram stoker's dracula. as a fan of all things spooky, i figure i should read about the original vampire. i thought i knew dracula...i mean, i had seen ALL the movies. nope. dracula is so much more than a universal studios monster. it is a story about good versus evil. and how good must always triumph. it is my 3rd favorite book. and one i read year after year after year.
FLASH FORWARD today
october 7~13 is great books week. this year nat'l assoc of independent writers and editors have chosen to honor victor hugo's "les miserables". but you don't have to read that to celebrate the week. you can honor any book you feel is great, from "green eggs and ham" to "dracula". it doesn't matter what you read...just READ!!