Thursday, September 15, 2011

Book Bloggers I appreciate You! And my mother-in-law too.

It is BBAW  (Book Blogger Appreciation Week), and while I don't qualify as a real Book Blogger, I have to get my 2cents in anyway.

I love Book Bloggers.  I love to read their posts and get new ideas,  I love to read about their lives, their likes, their blog hops.  I just don't always  have time to do them justice---in community.   That is their topic for today.  How do we (they) stay connected to others in the book blogging community.
One thing they all say is "comment".   Comment on other blog posts.

I suck at commenting.  I read them---a few everyday.  Every single day.  Book Journey, Bermuda Onion, Beth Fish Reads,  Booking Mama, At Home with Books, to name a few,   but do I comment?  (yikes!), no, not as often as I would like to. 

WOULD SOMEBODY PAY ME TO BE A PROFESSIONAL BLOG READER/COMMENTER/WRITER? 
Please?

I read them every day! And I love them.  So this is just a shout out to ALL  the Book Bloggers who keep me up to date on books, and the book/publishing/literary  world.  And also because I look forward every morning to sitting with my cup of coffee and check out your blogs.  It makes my morning special.  (and I hate it when you go a few days without posting, darn it!)

Yay Book Bloggers!!

*****************************************************************

Margaret Maron, (I am a HUGE fan)  wrote a post today on the blog,
 "the Lipstick Chronicles"  about  mothers-in-law.

I have to say:  I have a GREAT mother-in-law!!   And I AM a GREAT mother-in-law.  (yes, I'm laughing, but it's true!!)  I think.

A story about my mother in law.
When the Handyman and I were newly married, I was a young bride of 19.  We were at his mother's house one night for dinner.  The Handyman, thinking he was being funny, told everyone I only cooked macaroni and cheese out of a box....and that was all I knew how to cook.
I could have killed him!!  I was so young and kind of shy around his family still.  I was horribly embarrassed.
After dinner, his mother took me aside and handed me $5 and said,  "I want you to go to the store and buy 14 boxes of mac and cheese and fix it for him every night for 2 weeks--he thinks he's such a smarty pants!!

I FELL IN LOVE WITH HER RIGHT THEN!!

Another time, at my son's wedding  (we all know how stressful those times can be)---the day of the wedding rehearsal,  I had all kinds of relatives in my house, chopping fruit, making salads, cleaning my house, etc etc etc.
My middle son  (one of the groomsmen) and the Handyman (my husband, his father)  had an argument at work (he worked for us then)...and I saw my middle son driving out of town.  I called him and he was GROUCHY and snippy and, well.... I  then called the Handyman on my cell phone-- a short argument ensued and then I went home to  20 people in my house all chopping and sweeping....and I burst into tears!!  I blubbered out  how my middle son was going to RUIN the wedding by being an ass,  and then I looked at my mother in law and said,  "and it's all YOUR SON'S FAULT!!"
The room went silent, all chopping and sweeping stopped, you could have heard a pin drop--I had insulted an Italian woman's oldest son.
She looked at me and said,  "I'm sure it was."
All chopping resumed.
I just love her!!
And of course,  the wedding was beautiful and all my sons were there doing their job.  
The Handyman said...."what was the big deal?  We just had an Orange County Chopper moment."  (if you've ever seen that show, you'll understand)

Moving on.....
I think I'm a good mother in law.  I honestly like my daughters-in-law.  I LOVE them, but I think "liking" is more important. That way we can be friends too.   My sons love their wives.  And my sons are happy.    A friend and I, long ago, when our boys were little, made a pact to truly appreciate whoever our sons married.  It worked out well for me--My daughters-in-law are really interesting people.  I find them fun to talk to and I like what they do, who they are, what they read, how they raise their kids.

They are all DIFFERENT, but that's  what makes them unique....they read different books, have different opinions, raise their kids different.  But that's really okay with me. 

I'm sure I annoy them sometimes.....after all....that kinda goes with the territory.  But I hope they have some funny stories about me when I'm old.
Like 'that's the moment I fell in love with her!'

Of course my daughter-in-law Sadie, will not love me if I don't hurry up and finish this book she suggested to me....

Looking for Alaska  by John Greene.



I am in the middle of it and it's REALLY GOOD.  This brings me back to the start of my blog post.   REALLY GOOD is not a book review. And that is why I'm not a 'real'  Book Blogger.
But that is the best I can do.  (and hopefully they will still let me live vicariously thru them--YAY book bloggers!!)

pssst.....the book is really good!  Young Adult, controversial subjects... I am loving it.


6 comments:

Beth F said...

Awwww. Thanks so much for your kind words. They mean so much me.

I love the mac & cheese story! What an awesome mother-in-law you have!

bermudaonion said...

Aw, you made me blush. I love your blog too!

Your mother-in-law sounds like a gem!!

Julie P. said...

You are too sweet! Thank you so much! And I'm probably even more guilty of not leaving comments! :)

Anonymous said...

Ha ha - love the mac and cheese story!

Carol said...

I am a book blogger mainly, and I enjoy following your blog.

it is a great community

carol

sadie607 said...

You are a really great mother in law I can vouch for that! I am very luck to have you in my life. (Plus you love books and appreciate my love for them. it's so misunderstood sometimes) And yes hurry up already with Looking for Alaska haha

Friday Friend recipe #352

  Making my way thru my  Friday Friend Cookbook , one recipe at a time. What is the Friday Friend cookbook?  I once had about 50 of my close...