A quick few things before bed.

1) I need techie help! I cannot make heads or tails of the code for this template! My sidebar is way down yonder, but I can't seem to scootch it up this way. Tried resizing anything that looked resizable, but just received some terribly funky previews. Anyone willing to take pity and help me out? Please?

2) The last day of swim was, get this, rained out! :-( Sad boys. Mama was sad for them, but my saddlebags leapt for joy. (Or would've leapt if they weren't so firmly attached...) Instead, we met with Zorak and his co-workers for lunch. It was a lovely time. The boys were wonderfully well-behaved. We visited with Zorak's boss' wife and family. They are truly pleasant people. Come to find out, she had wanted to homeschool their daughter, but he wasn't up for it. So their compromise was a private school. They are a very interesting family, and we received an invitation to come see the play their daughter is performing in next weekend.

3) Here is what we've currently been burying our noses in- some on the nightstand, some right smack in the middle of the hallway (both of the older boys have some bizarre predisposition to sit/lay directly in the line of traffic to do their reading and coloring... at least it makes them easy to find, right?) Right now, there are books everywhere! So, in case you're looking for a title or two, here you go:

Mama's Reads:
Some for Pleasure~
Waterloo Station by Emily Grayson (can't get into this one- it's languishing in the room)
More guns, less crime : understanding crime and gun-control laws by John R. Lott (love it!)
Dependent on D.C. : the rise of federal control over the lives of ordinary Americans by Charlotte Twight (good, but depressing so far)
The Waste Lands by Stephen King (part of his "Dark Tower" series- boning up on the first three so I can read the next three!)
Diary of a Mad Bride by Laura Wolf (chuckled for days- witty and fun- total brain candy, but good!)

Some for Work~
Building your own house : everything you need to know about home construction from start to finish by Robert Roskind
Electrician's exam preparation guide : based on the 2002 NEC by John E. Traister
The owner-builder book : how you can save more than $100,000 in the construction of your custom home by Mark A. Smith
Foundations & concrete work : the best of Fine homebuilding
Builder's guide to foundations & floor framing by Dan Ramsey

Read Alouds (although technically everything we bring home gets read aloud at least once- these are just the "designated" read alouds):
The Hobbit, or, There and Back Again [large print] by J. R. R. Tolkien  
The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis
The Children's Book of Virtues
'Again and again' Tales

James' Reads:
What to do when your mom or dad says-- clean your room by Joy Wilt Berry 
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Aunt Eater Loves a Mystery by Doug Cushman
Aunt Eater's Mystery Halloween
Aunt Eater's Mystery Vacation
Aunt Eater's Mystery Christmas (can you tell James likes the Aunt Eater books?)
Snow Valentines by Karen Gray Ruelle
Visit to Another Planet by Jean-Philippe Delhomme
The Bobbsey Twins' Adventure in the Country by Laura Lee Hope
The Chalk Box Story by Don Freeman
The Aesop for Children (Milo Winter's illustrations) 
The Secret Hideout by Paul Hutcheons  (not the one we were looking for, tho-)
James & the Giant Peach by Lane Smith (not the one we reserved, but we took it anyway)
Lady Lollipop by Dick King-Smith (this is a delightful book so far, according to James)
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
Atomic Ace : (he's just my dad) by Jeff Weigel (written in rhyme, illustrated like a comic book- different, but not bad)
Walter the Farting Dog : Trouble at the Yard Sale by Kotzwinkle, William. (um, yeah.)

John's Picks:
Let's sing fingerplays [sound recording] by Tom Glazer
Once Upon a Potty : Boy by Alona Frankel
The Ultimate Book of Dinosaurs (again)
My Gigantosaurus Book of Colors by Lewis, Jan. 
My "e" Book by Jane Belk Moncure 
The Poky Little Puppy's Counting Book 
Sally Goes to the Vet by Stephen Huneck (this is that dog w/ the idiot vet) 
Froggy's Day With Dad by Jonathan London
Good Morning, Garden by  Barbara Brenner

And you know, it's now far later than I thought it would be, so I'm going to sign off, check email- I owe a few of you some notes! Coming soon! Have a lovely Saturday, all!

Oh, and I have comments set to accept anyone, so if Blogger tries to make you sign in to leave a comment, drop me a note and I'll look into it. Thanks.

~Dy