hey! i'm not dead (yet) but i am struggling to overcome a sinus infection turned bronchitis. mom and dad are here, babying the hexk out of me so i can actually take the time to BE sick. they're taking care of the house, the kids, the cooking and the cleaning. i have rarely been so spoiled. meanwhile, i'm taking the down time to work on teacher gifts (handmade bags!) for christmas. looks like i've gotten in over my head, as usual, and quite possibly everyone i know will be getting a homemade bag. i'll post some photos when i've got time. i broke my last sewing machine needle an hour ago, so it's forcing me to think of another sit-down task... reading!

i'm doing the "from the stacks" reading challenge... 5 books that are sitting around just waiting to be read. i chose:

the inheritance of loss by kiran desai
the reader by bernhard schlink
the death of vishnu by manil suri
a sky so close by betool khedairi
balzac and the little chinese seamstress by dai sijie

i have to finish by january 30, so i chose relatively short books. i'll let you know how it goes, as it goes. first up is "inheritance" as i am tandem reading it with lotus. we're sure to have a spirited discussion of it over at her site soon, so check it out.

tomorrow is yet another field trip, this time with the second graders to see a production of "the wizard of oz" in greensboro. hopefully i won't hack up a lung in the middle of the performance! i'll take along an extra dose of delsym, just in case.

promise to be back to myself soon, just bear with me.