the advantages of books over e-readers.

when you drop a book, it doesn't crack. it never runs low on battery power or gets stolen, and your child doesn't constantly ask for it so he can play "angry birds."

books give you a reason to spend more time at the library ...

... and the last time i checked, digital downloads aren't usually free. just sayin.'

when you spill tea on a book, it's no big deal. no need to panic.

and books stand up well to cappuccino foam.

books look handsome lined on your bookshelves ...

and stacked on your nightstand.

and you don't have to power down a book when the airplane is taking off or landing. books are handy like that.

you could fall asleep hugging your e-reader, but it wouldn't be the same.

best of all, books look nothing like an office computer screen.

do you love books too? tell me why!

bits of my weekend vol. 80.

it was a lovely weekend for the boy and me.

we got our christmas tree, and despite a leaky tree stand that almost had us in a panic, it turned out pretty great.

the boy wore his new (garage sale) turtleneck and the sparkly red scarf granny made for a tree-climbing expedition.

also, as usual, we went to the library.

the boy is into scary stories right now.

hopefully it's just a phase.

good buddy winston came along, and the boys took over the library's kids room with the hopes of staging a puppet show for me.

it pretty much turned into a wrestling/laughing/puppet-fight instead.

luckily they don't enforce the noise policy in the kids area.

winston went straight to work on his letter to Santa.

my boy's love affair with santa is over ... but that's a story for another day. i'll tell you more later this week.

happy almost christmas!

Bits of my weekend vol. 69.

oh, the lovely weather! it's fall.

we saw this sweet ride. candy apple red.

had a lovely breakfast ... and worked on my novel ...

and got a free chocolate mousse at provence breads!

loaded up on books from the libary.

the boy is starting to read! hurray!

we swung and spun.

and were blessed with an iveycake. (thanks, Chris!)

ours was a sweet weekend.

how was yours?

Bits of my weekend vol. 62.

it was a peaceful weekend. lots of rain and clouds made us want to hunker down with good movies and a great baking project.

i was going to take cupcakes to the boy's class since this is his last week in preschool.

i even cracked out all the good ingredients.

no box mix, no sirree.

swan's down, real butter, buttermilk, vanilla paste, the works.

only one problem.

they flopped.

take a look at this and tell me if you can figure out the problem.

seriously. i still don't know what i did wrong.

i followed ina garten's coconut cupcake recipe to the tee.

to the tee, i tell you.

i blame the oven. it just seems to get too hot. i even reduced the heat on the second set, but to no avail.

so i bought popsicles for his send-off. ugh.

not a good way to go out.

but our culinary adventures were not a total bust.

we went to porta via for a celebratory pizza.

words cannot describe.

and the gelato? oh, mama mia.

we also did another little project.

framed up one of the boy's works of art.

don't you just love?

we also went thrifting and found this.

not exactly vintage, but we didn't already own it so had to get it.

it's a classic, for pete's sake.

and we went to the library, where we got piles and piles of books.

as usual.

oh! and i finished the book i was reading, snowflower and the secret fan. i have a feeling the movie is going to be super tragic.

did i mention the boy's going to kindergarten this week?

yeah, i think i may have brought that up a few times before.

are you seeing any young ones off to kindergarten this week?

or maybe you've braved the world of kindergarten drop-off and have it down pat.

if so, please leave your words of wisdom here. i'm gonna need them.

have a great week, my lovelies!

robinne lee interview to come very soon.

bits of my weekend, volume 54.

saturday morning we went straight to the downtown nashville public library for a puppet show of mark twain's The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.

we'd never heard of the book. but anything frog-related i'm all about it.

then we had cupcakes in honor of the library's 10th birthday.

and made origami frogs.

there was live music in the courtyard, too.

can't believe this was all free.

and speaking of free...

the boy and his buddies went to the first center for the visual arts for a free kids club art class on printmaking in honor of the upcoming warhol exhibit.

they were over course taking the whole thing seriously.

very seriously.

first they heard a book about colors and how they make you feel.

every one agreed that brown makes you feel tired, and red makes you feel happy.

then they went to the art tables and inked their designs (these are shoes), and then transferred the ink and painted both prints different colors.

they really got into it.

well, sort of. the boy felt a little bit over his head and got very quiet indeed. this is his warhol-esque rendition of an adidas tennis shoe.

he actually felt more at home at the artquest gallery across the hall where he sketched ...

... this sari-clad wood model.

the boy's decided he wants to be an artist when he grows up.

i hope it sticks.

how was your weekend?

bits of my weekend, volume 41.

the boy went with me on friday to get a pedicure. i opted for the extra fancy rubbing salts and lotions, but no polish.

not yet. it's not quite time for that.

saturday we made muffins.

and then headed off to the downtown public library (where else?) for a production of alice in wonderland and a mad hatter's tea party.

but first, a stop off at the produce place. our favorite shop. why?

because they have kombucha and healthy treats.

by the time we got to the library, we had missed the production of alice. but we were first in line for the tea party.

we made and decorated our own hats.

and the boy decorated cookies with icing and sprinkles.

isn't this pretty?

then we watched the entire disney movie of Alice in Wonderland.

it was no less weird than the johnny depp version, i might add.

the weather cleared up so we went to the park for a little baseball.

see? i let him do boy things too.

and we played a little monopoly.

we couldn't find the dice, so the boy fashioned one out of play doh.

we took the boy for a sneak peek of the new apartment (we're moving in a month). he was excited to see that there's a creek with ducks.

oh, and the YMCA is next door and it's super nice. indoor and outdoor pools, air hockey, basketball, and yoga for mommy.

change is on the horizon ...

how was your weekend?