5 Years Ago Tonight...

5 Years Ago Tonight..

..I was pregnant with Charlotte, though I wouldn't confirm it for two more weeks.

..I attended my last adults-only New Year's Eve party at a friend's apartment. Though I'm sure there will be more as the years go on.

..I was the same size as today. My two remaining BC (Before Charlotte) jeans still fit nicely (though they've become painting pants as their styles are a lot outdated).

..My hair was several shades lighter, naturally. I'm still natural, though some days I'm tempted...

..I could go for days without either doing laundry or feeling guilty about not doing it.

..Our largest monthly bill, after the mortgage, was my husband's car payment (at less than 1/3 the amount). Today, it's the daycare bill, at about 95% of the amount. And considering the likely cost of private school tuition, that's not going to change.

..The only surgery I had ever had was wisdom teeth removal. Now I have two c-sections "under my belt".

..My most visible scar was a small ding in the middle of my forehead (brick hearth, age 2). Today, besides the c-section mark, I carry 4 on my heart. One for each of Trystan's surgeries.

..I had no blog, had never kept a journal for more than one lone summer abroad. This post is number 397.

..I had never written more than a few pages that weren't required for school assignments or work, and very little of it fiction. Today, I have completed one full-length novel, and am halfway through a second. With a few other, smaller bits here and there.

..My thoughts of one day becoming a published author were saved for late-night insomniac spells. Today, well, they're not much closer to reality. But I admit them in public. Occasionally.

..I had whole weekends of boredom. Now, I have whole vacations of playdates, museum trips, arts and crafts, and tickling sessions.

5 years ago, I got a goodnight kiss. Tonight, I'll have gotten 3.

Happy New Year everyone!

Thursday Cookbook Series -- New Year's Edition

I have always found that drinking is best enjoyed at home or at a friends' house. No tipping. No smoking. No loud music or migraine-inducing strobe lights. And, when we're the hosts, no driving! Oh yeah, and for the cost of two bar-drinks, you can buy an entire bottle of liquor (and sometimes mixers as well).

We have enjoyed this book for years. We keep it in the wet bar in our basement (you know, that row of countertops where we store all the accumulated junk to dangerous to leave in toddler reach...). Ok, so for most of the last 5ish years my husband has enjoyed this book--I was too busy gestating and lactating to partake. Tonight, the sky's the limit! (er, well, my liver's the limit...and did I mention that all that pregnancy and breastfeeding pretty much killed what little tolerance I had? One, maybe two drinks for me and I'll be passed out cold....)

Happy New Year's everyone! Drink responsibly. (yes, I had to say it. I'm a parent, darnit!)

Booklist Update--2008 Tally

I have finished two additional books in the past week or so.

In Danger by Alison Kent. This one I started back on Election day, reading one of the two novellas it contains. I read the other recently. I'm new to Alison Kent this year, and I find her writing fascinating. Contemporary romance with a very steamy (read: explicit) edge.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. Amusingly, I finished this one on Christmas night. I know its not new, and no, I haven't seen the movie. It's not really one of his better books and was rather flat. But the idea was good, and I could see how it could translate to the screen rather well. Maybe next year, I'll dig up the flick!

I haven't been counting them, but there are several other books that I'm adding to my tally for the end of the year. One category is non-fiction. From writer's guides to books about Chivalry and Mesoamerica, I've read (or at least partially read) quite a few. These are hard to count because I don't always read every page of a non-fiction work, just skip around to the pertinent chapters/sections.

I've also begun (and not quite finished) several fiction books. One, Brisinger by Paolini, I've just started and will definitely finish. Several I began and just couldn't bring myself to finish. I won't name names.

General Fiction - 9
Contemporary Romance - 11
Sci Fi/Fantasy - 5
Historical Romance - 8
Women's Lit (Chick Lit) - 3
Nonfiction (read or mostly read) - 6
Partial Fiction (in progress or abandoned) - 5

Totals:
Fiction (completed) - 36
Fiction (not completed) - 5
Nonfiction - 6

47 books!
Wow. Good thing I'm not including all the kids books. I'm quite positive that would knock the total well over 100. And lest you think my kids are all animal sounds and baby board books, I will point out that I've read parts of at least 5 chapter books (above the early readers, not quite pre-teen "young adult") including several in the Disney Fairy series and several Magic Treehouse books. I'm not sure whether I'm anticipating or dreading the day that Charlotte no longer requires us to read outloud to her before bed every night.