On my bedside table

I know I’ve been getting this post up a bit on the early side, usually Sunday night, but this week J was away for most of the weekend and then I got this bright idea to overhaul my blog (please pretend you are in a half renovated home and don’t judge anything as finished. Actually, if you could generally have that outlook on my entire life that would probably be wise…) and somewhere in there sort of got behind on posting this.

If I were on my game I’d keep a draft where I added things all week long instead of trying to find where I bookmarked stuff in Google Reader, on my iPhone, in Evernote and oh ya, what was that one thing someone shared that one day on Facebook?

But alas, I am just not that organized at the moment. In fact, in general, I have too many things going at once right now. And Sarah no like that. You should see my desk: cloth diapers with busted elastics waiting for me to YouTube how to fix them myself, a stack of wool batting cut into 5×10 squares waiting to be sewn into chalkboard erasers, a stack of papers waiting to be filed/filled out/faxed, birthday invitations waiting for stamps I can’t find… my life, and my laptop for that matter, have too many open tabs that need addressing. Not to mention we’re out of town this weekend on a very last minute decided trip to Manitoba. Don’t be jealous.

And if you don’t know where Manitoba is then you are the only one who is at risk of accidentally being jealous out of ignorance.

But enough about all that, here’s what’s on my bedside table this week.

Made these this week with a bunch of kale we picked up at the Main Street Farmers Market. I like this recipe because you skip the tossing in a bowl (which = more dishes) but I recommend brushing the oil with a pastry brush to spread it around.

We’ll be looking for a Christmas tree alternative this year because our building doesn’t allow real trees anymore. I like a few of these options.

A New Design
Small Notebook

For a moment it occurs to me that she will never have to live without the internet, and instead she will have to learn to take breaks away from it so she can hear herself think and to contemplate her own thoughts. I hope she knows that even if you don’t post a picture, the event still happened, and you don’t always need to tell everyone what you’re thinking and doing and reading all the time.

I read this series when she did it last year. I don’t have time to join in this year but if you do I highly recommend it.

31 Days of William Morris | 2012
Pancakes and French Fries

Her parents had no time. One minute they were living ordinary lives, and the next they were in hospice. After 40+ years of marriage, most of it in the same home, they left behind an enormity of possessions. Going through those things–the broken waffle iron that never made it to the trash, clothing still with tags, linen closets full of sheets and blankets–was overwhelming and depressing. It completely changed my life, absolutely and forever.

I learned a new trick today and now the tweets I put in my posts will be fully functional and not just crudely captured jpegs I chopped up myself. It pays to read those little news items when logging into WordPress.

RT if there is someone in your life always holding you back. Like literally holding your upper arm so you can’t run.

— Honest Toddler (@HonestToddler) October 1, 2012

I can’t think of a more telling sign of what sort of person you are than the kind of pumpkin you choose.

— Keply Pentland (@MmeSurly) September 29, 2012

Infant children are tired because of innate weakness. Adults just rinse dishes, use the computer and tell people what to do.

— Honest Toddler (@HonestToddler) October 1, 2012

Spending time on Craigslist and looking at the way some people live (and feel ok photographing) is proof enough that the future is grim.

— Jules (@PancakesFries) September 29, 2012