Non-Post and Baby Names

(Thanks for the idea, Bubandpie!)

It is raining here, Eli has some sort of stomach virus, and every single thing I look at in our house is a nagging reminder of something I should be doing. I doubt that the arrival of my Harry Potter book is going to help.

We've had all summer to read the twenty books for the summer reading program, and now there is just one week left. I don't think that reading eight books to your kindergartner in one sitting so that she can get some prizes is what the librarians had in mind.

The RSVP date for my sister's wedding has come and gone, and approximately half of the invitees haven't responded. What is that?

Sara is entering her office's bake-off with this recipe today. Hope she wins big!

Katherine is sitting at our dining table painting in a paint-with-water book of animals right now, and she just asked. "What's that critter?" You can take the girl out of Kentucky.... (It was a skunk, by the way.)

Let's talk about baby names some more. Swistle took my question and turned it into a post that received 59 comments! She can totally spin blogging gold out of straw.

As I mentioned, we always have an easy time with girl names. We already have a girl name for this baby, which probably guarantees that it's a boy. I am circling back around to a boy name I have loved since before Katherine was born. (We weren't able to find out if she was a girl or boy.) It is a family name, not commonly used, and one of a very small number of names that Scott and I agree upon. However. Here in our small town, it is also the name of the son of a prominent citizen. This boy is well-known and not... well-liked. Granted, there will be about a 10-year age difference between him and our possibly-male, hypothetically-named child, but, will people hear the name and have a negative association? Will they wonder why we chose the same name? What do you think?

Eight Things

Theflyingmum tagged me for the 8 Things Meme forever ago. I lifted the rules from her, and she got them from Beck. And so it goes.

A. Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.

B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I am left handed.
2. I have been asked to be a product reviewer for Go Dairy Free by the wonderful Alisa. Unfortunately, no one in my family cares for the first product I am reviewing. I promised myself that I would not put up a new post until I finished the review and published it. Ahem.
   
3. I am very, very good at rationalizing and procrastinating.
   
4. The air conditioner in our new-to-us minivan quit halfway across Ohio on our trip to Kentucky. We drove for four hours in 90-plus-degree weather with no A/C and the windows rolled down. Scott and I were miserable, but the kids thought it was fun. They rode along with their arms up over their heads like they were on a roller coaster. They are a happy people.
   
5. Our souvenir from Kentucky is a new $800 compressor for our van's A/C.
6. Yesterday, my OB told me I should be finished with morning sickness by now. I am not.
7. Scott and I always have an easy time selecting girl names and a difficult time with boy names. Why is that?
8. This is what I look like, about seven weeks pregnant, throwing my sister a bridal shower with my friends and neighbors Heather and Renee. Heather is in the blue shirt, and Renee is taking the photo.

I will tag Alisa, for when she starts a personal blog, and whoever else might be reading this who hasn't already done this meme. Although I am probably the end of the chain.

Anniversary

If you get married on a national holiday (like, say, The Fourth of July):

• It is easy to remember your anniversary
• You will always have the day off from work
• There will always be fun events, like fireworks, to attend
  
• You will spend the day with family
  

On the other hand:

• You will never have a romantic evening out on your actual anniversary
• You will often spend your anniversary on the road
• Your traditional anniversary dinner will feature hot dogs and marshmallows
• You will spend the day with family
  

So, tonight, Scott and I will enjoy a lovely dinner out before the holiday/family reunion madness begins.

The Wild Rose

Sometimes hidden from me
in daily custom and in trust,
so that I live by you unaware
as by the beating of my heart.

Suddenly you flare in my sight,
a wild rose blooming at the edge
of thicket, grace and light
where yesterday was only shade,

and once again I am blessed, choosing
again what I chose before.

--Wendell Berry

Happy Fourth of July!

Edited to add: We are on our way to Scott's family reunion in Salt Lick, KY. See you all here Tuesday when we return.