Bring a dish/appetizer/dessert to share.

In normal time, I don't really mind this request. However, I find it really annoying this time of year, simply because I just can't keep up. I've skipped a few things simply because I don't have the energy to come up with anything to bring, let alone make it. There are or will be seven events in 2.5 weeks that fall into this category. Two thoughts about the two that are left:

1. Ghiradelli (I can't spell) brownie mix
2. Various wonderings about if it's possible to somehow use the Annual Christmas Deluge of Parishioner Foodstuffs in this capacity without too many ramifications.

Pictured is the Mr's Sour Cream Pound Cake... Yum!
***
Book #51: The First Christmas, Borg and Crossman. It's pretty good. I read it and realized how little I know about Roman history and mythology (or, rather, how much they know). Also helpful for Advent 4/Annuniciation sermons, First Sunday after Christmas sermons (chapter on archetype on light and darkness), and Second Sunday after Christmas sermons (massacre and/or magi).

I have a draft of The Christmas Eve sermon. It's a little wordy, but now I have something to revise, which is infinitely easier than pulling something out of my brain in the first place.

Book #52: The Audacity of Hope, Obama. He definitely wrote this; he writes just how he talks. I enjoyed reading it. It was sitting in my in-laws' living room over Thanksgiving, and I was pretty sure they weren't actually reading it but just had it out for show. I borrowed it, in partial passive aggressive retailiation for this incident. My suspicisons have been confirmed; they would be asking about it if they missed it.

Book #53: The Wonder Years. AAP's thoughts of different facets of childhood development.

I'm now reading Birthing from Within.
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I feel better, mainly due to readjusted expectations. I'm now wearing this wildly attractive item, whose usefulness outweighs its annoyingness, much to my dismay. Don't be jealous. The way this model is... modeling this reminds me of the guy in my high school ballet class who accidentally wore his dance belt (think ballet jock strap) over instead of under his tights.

I've started feeling faint, short of breath, and generally exhausted. I called the OB this morning, and apparently the blood work they did on me last week was all normal, which I suppose means there's nothing wrong with me other than the fact that I'm pregnant. Crap. I was really hoping they could just give me some iron pills or something.

I have lots to do today. I can't seem to remember what I have to do, except for my 10:30 and 12 noon appointments-- the only two I managed to write down.

***
The Mr's Dad: "The Mr can't borrow that book (on the father's role in childhood development) yet, because I want to read it."
me: "Are you kidding?"
MD: "No."
me: "So you're going to read a book in the next month or two hat you've had for the past thirty years but still haven't read for a job you've already done."
MD: "Yeah."
me: "Right."

It was probably written at the earliest in the 70s anyhow and thus is ridiculously dated. But still.

***
Book #50: Taking Care of Your Baby and Young Child, Ages 0-5, AAP. It's hard to judge things that I don't know much about yet. Guess I'm about to get a crash course in about 14 weeks or so, give or take a few.