More brain dump (sorry):
1. In a case of "ask and you shall receive," I have a new blog design. Courtney very kindly made it for me (Thanks Courtney!). I really like the header, but I'm still working the kinks out on some other design elements, so stay tuned. Let me know, though, what you think. Keep in mind--you may have noticed already--that I like the color green. A lot. So if you like the design but hate the green, I'm sorry to say that's not likely to change.
2. I have decided to participate in the third anniversary November National Blog Posting Month, or NaBloPoMo. So look for a new post every day in November. And although I can't tell if there is an official group or even a badge for it, I will be doing the 30 Days of Thanks as part of that.
3. Due to your very kind response and encouragement, I am also saying to heck with my brother's opinion (sorry, David) and reinstating the Soup Sundays, with a new soup recipe every Sunday. Keep in mind, though, that I only have a handful of soup recipes we regularly use and I rotate those. Once I go through my regular recipes I will try to find some new soup recipes and share them with you. I do love a good soup on a cold day. Don't you? I am still on the fence with the Meal Plan thing, mostly because we are starting (again) the South Beach Diet and for at least the first two weeks my meals are planned for me.
4. Wednesday we went to a Halloween festival and Trunk-or-Treat at the church we most often attend here. Owen and Barrett both had a lot of fun. It was just the right amount of Halloween stimulation for such young children, I think. Everyone loved Owen's costume. So much so that she won the costume contest! She was so proud, she told everyone that she made the hat!
5. We also went Wednesday to the big fabulous library in the next town and came away with an embarrassingly huge load of books, including Susan Striker's Young at Art, Dianne McGuinness' Growing a Reader, a couple of South Beach Diet/Atkins books/cookbooks, and a ton of children's books for Owen. One of my favorites we got for her is this adorable book about fear. The perfect book to read for the season. My mom got some great books, too, and Cd's and DVD's. Luckily we can return it all to our town's little bitty, no-so-fabulous library. Gotta love a trip to the library!
6. I am thinking of participating in this Holiday Traditions exchange, but I'm not sure. What if I can't create a good enough package to exchange? I would hate for my partner to get the short end. On the other hand, I do like the giving and receiving of gifts.
7. I have added several new blogs to my list. If you have time, try to check them out.
8. I am seriously considering shutting down my other blog. I am very ambivalent about this. That blog was my first blog. The one I started over three years ago when we were just considering making a huge change in our lives. Some of my best writing is on there, some of my best photographs. However, no one really goes through the archives of a blog, do they? I post much less frequently there, and, as a result my stats are low. I'm wondering if the time for that blog is, just, over. If I do stop posting there, I would really like to slurp it into a Blurb book, if only just for me.
9. I added all three seasons of The Office to our Blockbuster queue. I've heard so much about it, I think it's time to check it out. After we finish Season 2 of Dexter, of course.
That's it for now. Feel free to weigh in on any of these matters.
