Confession Saturday

I confess:

--I bought my own birthday present this year (pictured at right). In my defense, Husband was in India on my birthday. I have a bracelet from my favorite jeweler in the whole wide world, Becky Thatcher, that is designed for interchangeable tops. So, the present was actually a new stone for the bracelet, not the bracelet itself. Becky Thatcher is a northern Michigan jeweler who works with lots of local materials (e.g., petoskey stones), and then also with some not-so-local materials (e.g., gold, diamonds, and pearls). The not-so-local stuff was not-so-much in my price range, but this gorgeous Leland bluestone was. Happy birthday to me!

--I confess, Leland bluestone is an industrial byproduct of iron smelting, but is made beautiful by the waters and waves of Lake Michigan. Being from humble roots myself, I try not to hold the bluestone's humble roots against it. (If you want to know more about Leland bluestones, click here. And if you wonder why anyone would make an 8 minute Youtube video about a stone, it's because we Michiganders are a teensy bit obsessed about hunting for local stones.)

--I gave up on what was to be my vacation book, The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, and instead read the much lite-er Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. Udolpho is kind of the standard-bearer gothic novel, a classic, a must-read. Udolpho was hard to get into. Udolpho was printed in this tiny, cramped, practically microscopic print (I'm not kidding -- I almost bought a magnifying glass after the first few chapters...... and I'm not that old). I confess, I feel defeated by a mere book! I hope I get back to Udolpho someday. But really, it was a relief to set it aside and pick up something easier. And I would recommend Friday Night Knitting Club for a fun summer read.

--I also gave up on sunscreen this summer. Someday, when one of my kids gets skin cancer, I'm going to say to myself, "It was the summer of 2009, I just know it." But most days, it seemed like a minor miracle to even get them fed, dressed, and out of doors, my voice trailing after them, "Get a hat on your head to keep the sun off!" I vow to do better next summer.

--MP3 players really do make a fourteen hour car trip more bearable for everyone.

--My kids had more hotdogs and popsicles this summer than they have had in their entire lives up to now. So far, they are still alive and kicking. See:



AJ, Sister, and The Bean at Antrim Dunes.