One of my favorite shirts has Mo Willems's Pigeon on the front. You know, Pigeon of "Don't Let Pigeon Drive the Bus" fame.
On my shirt, pigeon is reading a book entitled "How to Drive a Bus". Over top is the caption "Driven to Read." I love this shirt. It's comfortable. It's big enough on me that I can wear it with leggings and nobody is looking at my ass. It's also full of warm memories. I picked up this shirt at an ALA convention several years back, and it brings back warm memories of author encounters and library friends everywhere I turn!
Sadly, I am no longer able to wear this shirt to work. I wore it to substitute teach not long after I bought it.
Now you know, there are kids you work with when you teach that stick with you forever. Something about them haunts you, and you find yourself thinking about them a lot. For whatever reason, they are on your mind. At this particular school, there was a very loving, very large, very neglectful family. The kids were delightful, loving, and supportive of each other. They were respectful of teachers and staff. But they were woefully neglected. Hygiene was not a priority for the family. The kids would come to school in need of clean clothes and showers. The school provided clothes, but not the showers. I adored those kids. They were very smart and very funny, but I knew that life was not easy for them and that the ends very rarely met each other.
This particular day found me back in their school for the first time in over a week. I'd been thinking about the kids a lot. We'd been on an extended break, and I was worried that the kids had not seen enough food during that time.
As the doors opened that morning, I was assigned to bus duty, and I stood in the hallway, greeting children and reminding them to slow down. When I saw the youngest girl of the family, her face lit up and she ran into me, almost knocking me down as she gave me the best bear hug a substitute teacher could ever ask for. Her older siblings, trailing behind her, saw the hug happening, and they all came and joined in the giant bear hug before they went on about their business.
As they walked off, the teacher working the hall with me looked down at my favorite pigeon shirt with a look of horror on her face. "Ummm.... did you bring another shirt with you?"
I hurriedly looked down and saw not only dirty arm and hand prints on my shirt, but this weird set of oily halos. I looked up at the other teacher in dismay, and said "what"?
"Oh, it's those kids. They're always so dirty. Those are their hair marks. Mom hasn't washed their hair in quite some time. I'm surprised you'd let them hug you. Most of us won't let them hug us because they ruin our clothes."
I mulled that thought over as arrival continued. Think about that for a while yourself. It's a sobering thought when you really put some thought behind it.
I saw the kids many more times over the years that I substituted. If they asked for a hug, I would gladly give them one and be damned to my clothes. Every once in a while, I see the family about town, at the grocery store or the park. As the kids have gotten older, they've gotten better about meeting their own hygiene needs. They are brilliant kids, and they continue to thrive. As they've gotten older, they don't ask for hugs, but they do stop and talk with me for a while!
The hair stains never have come out of my favorite pigeon shirt. I have tried everything to get them out, but they're just not going away. As a result, I only wear the shirt around the house.
When I wear the shirt, I look down and remember the love, joy, and enthusiasm of children. In particular, I remember a family of brilliant if somewhat neglected children. I see their enthusiasm, and their need for love and attention. And it reminds me that ALL children need to feel love and acceptance from the world around them. It's easy to judge those kids by how they looked, but if you looked past the surface appearance, you were privileged to meet genius kids who have the potential to change the world.
The bigger question here is - how will they change the world? For good or for bad? How will the kindness and judgement of strangers impact their adult selves?
Food for thought.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Starbucks Theater
This is absolutely wonderful!
Considering how much time I spend in Starbucks writing, attempting to write, or watching other people write, I really do appreciate the entire concept.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Monday's Musings
I'm just getting out from several days under the dreaded curse of the flu. It's been a rough few days. I was going to write a poem to humor you, then thought better of it. It's a pretty annoying piece of work... especially when I looked it over and realized that I had managed to rhyme a word with Phlegm.
I'm sitting at Starbucks now, enjoying a very cold glass of tea, attempting to write a few pithy things - I'm editing a long term project that I wanted to publish before September. I'm making progress, but I keep finding ways to derail myself. Currently, it's the cute little birds hopping around just outside the window.
And the internet keeps slowing down. I'm double checking old research, and I keep losing my internet connection. That is a definite problem. But, husband is at home with the flu, and I'm trying to stay out for a block of time so that he can sleep without interruptions. So, I tolerate the bad internet connection.
And then there's this. Do you see this? What is it? I can't tell, and it's driving me nuts!!!!
If you look closely at the picture, you can see something metallic wrapped in that plastic sheeting... but what is that something? The front seat on the passenger's side is pushed all the way forward - just to add to the mystery.
(I think we all see now the real reason why I'm having trouble finishing my work!)
I'm sitting at Starbucks now, enjoying a very cold glass of tea, attempting to write a few pithy things - I'm editing a long term project that I wanted to publish before September. I'm making progress, but I keep finding ways to derail myself. Currently, it's the cute little birds hopping around just outside the window.
And the internet keeps slowing down. I'm double checking old research, and I keep losing my internet connection. That is a definite problem. But, husband is at home with the flu, and I'm trying to stay out for a block of time so that he can sleep without interruptions. So, I tolerate the bad internet connection.
And then there's this. Do you see this? What is it? I can't tell, and it's driving me nuts!!!!
If you look closely at the picture, you can see something metallic wrapped in that plastic sheeting... but what is that something? The front seat on the passenger's side is pushed all the way forward - just to add to the mystery.
(I think we all see now the real reason why I'm having trouble finishing my work!)
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Sit Back and Listen
During the children's sermon on Sunday morning, our Director of Education gave the children each one of those little bamboo finger traps. As they sat there, trying to get their fingers out of their little cages, the Education Director was talking to them about the importance of slowing down. Of stopping what you are doing and listening to what God has to say to you, and paying attention. She mentioned that if you slow down, and stop struggling, you will be released from the traps of this world.
The two little kids sitting on her left immediately quieted down, and pushed their hands together, releasing themselves from the traps.
The two on her right took a more innovative approach. They quickly turned their fingers in opposite directions, ripping the bamboo apart in the middle. Then they quickly pulled the shreds of the bamboo from their fingers, throwing the remains on the floor.
She compared the two methods of getting out of the finger traps, and commented on how the kids on her left had gotten out of their difficulties without leaving any mess behind.
She then pointed at the pile of trash left on the floor by the kids who had pulled their traps apart.
"You got out of the trap, but you left a big mess on the floor."
"That's what the trash can is for" replied one of the boys.
And you know, that's a pretty good metaphor for life. Sometimes, life requires you to get messy to get through or out of a situation. But once you get out of that mess, you will be able to clean up the pieces and move on.
The two little kids sitting on her left immediately quieted down, and pushed their hands together, releasing themselves from the traps.
The two on her right took a more innovative approach. They quickly turned their fingers in opposite directions, ripping the bamboo apart in the middle. Then they quickly pulled the shreds of the bamboo from their fingers, throwing the remains on the floor.
She compared the two methods of getting out of the finger traps, and commented on how the kids on her left had gotten out of their difficulties without leaving any mess behind.
She then pointed at the pile of trash left on the floor by the kids who had pulled their traps apart.
"You got out of the trap, but you left a big mess on the floor."
"That's what the trash can is for" replied one of the boys.
And you know, that's a pretty good metaphor for life. Sometimes, life requires you to get messy to get through or out of a situation. But once you get out of that mess, you will be able to clean up the pieces and move on.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
NoSpenduary Week 6
Our savings account continues to slowly creep upwards. Knock on wood, we will have no major expenses before we renovate the hallway bathroom in March!
Things We Did This Week to Save Money:
1) Checked out DVD's from the library - AND we returned them on time so that we didn't have to pay overdue fines.
2) I worked on daughter's quilt. Okay, not sure how this is saving money, but since I'm not actually out spending money because I'm trying to finish the darn thing, technically, this counts!
3) I picked up a couple of extra shifts at work to help add more money to the budget for the bathroom renovation.
4) I packed my lunch every day that I went to work.
5) I looked long and hard around the yard and found a place to put my garden this year. It's time to lay that puppy out! I currently have it marked on paper - but I'm going to get out this weekend and mark it out with string.
What We Ate for Dinner This Week.
1) Vegetarian Chili
2) Burritos made from the Vegetarian Chili
3) Some really hideous combination of vegetables that I put together in Spring Rolls. It ended up tasting just as hideous as it sounds. I think my biggest mistake was trying to broil them - hoping they'd taste more like egg rolls. Yeah, no - don't do that. It really doesn't work!
4) Salmon Pasta Salad
5) Latkes and a big green salad
6) Baked potatoes (made with the potatoes we didn't use for the Latkes) and the leftover chili and veggies from the spring roll disaster. Surprisingly, this turned out to be really, really good!
7) I picked up a box of Jammin' Jerk Shrimp from the grocery store before I went to work last night. I had mine over brown rice with a side of green leafy stuff. Husband had a side salad of green leafy stuff and foraged through the leftovers in the fridge. He made a small batch of biscuits and had those with all of the leftover vegetable soup from last week.
Keeping my fingers crossed that nothing breaks before we get the bathroom replaced!
Things We Did This Week to Save Money:
1) Checked out DVD's from the library - AND we returned them on time so that we didn't have to pay overdue fines.
2) I worked on daughter's quilt. Okay, not sure how this is saving money, but since I'm not actually out spending money because I'm trying to finish the darn thing, technically, this counts!
3) I picked up a couple of extra shifts at work to help add more money to the budget for the bathroom renovation.
4) I packed my lunch every day that I went to work.
5) I looked long and hard around the yard and found a place to put my garden this year. It's time to lay that puppy out! I currently have it marked on paper - but I'm going to get out this weekend and mark it out with string.
What We Ate for Dinner This Week.
1) Vegetarian Chili
2) Burritos made from the Vegetarian Chili
3) Some really hideous combination of vegetables that I put together in Spring Rolls. It ended up tasting just as hideous as it sounds. I think my biggest mistake was trying to broil them - hoping they'd taste more like egg rolls. Yeah, no - don't do that. It really doesn't work!
4) Salmon Pasta Salad
5) Latkes and a big green salad
6) Baked potatoes (made with the potatoes we didn't use for the Latkes) and the leftover chili and veggies from the spring roll disaster. Surprisingly, this turned out to be really, really good!
7) I picked up a box of Jammin' Jerk Shrimp from the grocery store before I went to work last night. I had mine over brown rice with a side of green leafy stuff. Husband had a side salad of green leafy stuff and foraged through the leftovers in the fridge. He made a small batch of biscuits and had those with all of the leftover vegetable soup from last week.
Keeping my fingers crossed that nothing breaks before we get the bathroom replaced!
Monday, February 13, 2017
Change is in the Air
I've been thinking about the blog recently. I've found that I've moved away from funny stories and tales and have moved into ground where I'm covering more books, more library stuff, and not following along with what was my original intent of this blog. Mainly: crafting, raising kids, and making a house a home. Over the years since I've started this blog, I've seen my three kids graduate from high school, and come this spring, two of them from college. I've gone from juggling kids and working part time jobs to making that awkward transition to empty-nester with grown kids living in the house - sometimes. It's a weird transition, to be sure. And it's one that I need to explore more, because I'm certain I'm not the only person out there who's experiencing this phase of life.
On the other hand, I'm finding that this blog is beginning to reflect what I'm doing at work more and more - the larger number of book reviews, etc. And I am getting further and further away from what I originally intended to do.
So, what to do?
I am going to be changing up a few things. I already keep a blog of Young Adult Books that I read. I began that blog many years ago when I took a class in Young Adult Literature while working on my Master's Degree. I plan on keeping that blog. I enjoy reading YA literature. If you're interested in following that blog, you can find it here: http://librarynut-booksforteens.blogspot.com/
I'm going to start another blog - Library Nut's Library Blog. My plan is to update it sporadically with programming ideas, books, and other library stuff. Will I review books on that blog? Yes, but it's going to be different. I'm going to be reviewing the best books that I read. Across all genres. And, I'm going to talk more about books. And library issues. You can find my Library Blog here: http://librarynutblog.blogspot.com/
I have a Goodreads account. Some of the books I read are reviewed on there. You can see all of my shelves there. I'll continue to list my books on the sidebar under books for this year, but I'm going to move away from reviewing the books on this blog. If I can ever figure out how to link my Goodreads account to this blog, then I'll add the link onto the side bar!
What does that mean for Mini-Van Mom? It means I'm going to continue to post, but I'm going to do so less often. I'll be posting at least once a week. Maybe even twice a week. I'd like to say I'm going to go for three times a week, but I wouldn't count on it. For now, I will continue to post my Musings on Monday. Look for something else around Wednesday or Thursday. I'm going to go for quality over quantity for now. I want to get back to writing one funny something a week. Something that makes you think and hopefully laugh a little bit.
Thanks so much for sticking with me through the past six months! Adjusting to the new job, the change in the hours that I work, and the new work environment has taken some time. I appreciate everyone who clicks in to check in on me!
Friday, February 10, 2017
Deeper Thoughts
In the past two weeks, I personally know of 6 people in their 50's who have died of Colon Cancer.
The oldest of these people was 54 years old. Black, White, Male, Female, Asian, they all had one thing in common - they had never had a Colonoscopy. They had tumors in their colons that grew to a size that blocked their colon, their colon ruptured, and they ended up dying from the complications.
I am familiar with the ravages of Colon Cancer. A little over two years ago, my Mother's Colon ruptured. At the age of 84, she had never had a colonoscopy. She had a tumor in her colon that ruptured. All of that stuff in her colon spilled into her abdominal cavity. Two emergency surgeries, one bout with pneumonia, and one bout with congestive heart failure - she spent 6 weeks in the ICU before all was said and done. She will never again poop the way the rest of us do. She has a colostomy bag that will be her friend until the day she dies.
Four people had ruptured colons that same night as my Mom. She was the only one who survived.
Did you know - Colon Cancer is the most treatable form of cancer - IF it is caught early?
A colonoscopy is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Having your colon rupture is. Dying early because of complications from colon cancer is a horrible thing.
I had my colonoscopy the summer after my Mom's bout with colon cancer.
The preparation wasn't pleasant. But honestly, it was only one night. I've had stomach bugs that were worse than the prep for the colonoscopy.
24 hours after the colon prep, I was enjoying a wonderful dinner with my family. Happy and secure in the knowledge that three polyps - one of which was in the exact same place as my Mothers' was - removed.
I'll have to do it all over again in a couple of years. But it's okay. I'll be watching my youngest child graduate from the community college in May, and three days later, I'll be watching my middle child graduate from college. After all, doesn't that matter more than a few hours of inconvenience the night before a colonoscopy?
Take the time to take care of yourself!
The oldest of these people was 54 years old. Black, White, Male, Female, Asian, they all had one thing in common - they had never had a Colonoscopy. They had tumors in their colons that grew to a size that blocked their colon, their colon ruptured, and they ended up dying from the complications.
I am familiar with the ravages of Colon Cancer. A little over two years ago, my Mother's Colon ruptured. At the age of 84, she had never had a colonoscopy. She had a tumor in her colon that ruptured. All of that stuff in her colon spilled into her abdominal cavity. Two emergency surgeries, one bout with pneumonia, and one bout with congestive heart failure - she spent 6 weeks in the ICU before all was said and done. She will never again poop the way the rest of us do. She has a colostomy bag that will be her friend until the day she dies.
Four people had ruptured colons that same night as my Mom. She was the only one who survived.
Did you know - Colon Cancer is the most treatable form of cancer - IF it is caught early?
A colonoscopy is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Having your colon rupture is. Dying early because of complications from colon cancer is a horrible thing.
I had my colonoscopy the summer after my Mom's bout with colon cancer.
The preparation wasn't pleasant. But honestly, it was only one night. I've had stomach bugs that were worse than the prep for the colonoscopy.
24 hours after the colon prep, I was enjoying a wonderful dinner with my family. Happy and secure in the knowledge that three polyps - one of which was in the exact same place as my Mothers' was - removed.
I'll have to do it all over again in a couple of years. But it's okay. I'll be watching my youngest child graduate from the community college in May, and three days later, I'll be watching my middle child graduate from college. After all, doesn't that matter more than a few hours of inconvenience the night before a colonoscopy?
Take the time to take care of yourself!
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Chicken Tikka Masala
This was perfect! I put the chicken in the marinade before I left the house for the day. I came home, and the hardest part of preparing this meal was cutting the cauliflower. 15 minutes later, this tasty meal was in the oven.
Oh my stars, this was absolutely amazing! I made a vegetarian pan for daughter - I kept half of the marinade out before I added the chicken. I tossed her veggies with the sauce and put them in her own separate pan. I pulled it out of the oven as she walked in the door from class. That girl was so, so, so happy that she had such a warm and healthy dinner waiting for her. And I was happy that it took next to no time to put it together.
If you're looking for a quick and easy meal, look no further!
You'll find the link here: https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/04/sheet-pan-chicken-tikka/.
The recipe is at the bottom of the page. Scroll down to the bottom to find it, but take the time to read the article in between. There's a lot of information in there that's worth reading!
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Book Review: March, Book 3
Disclosure Notice: This post contains Affiliate Links. Purchases made through these links will support this blog. Thank you!
Never forget the sacrifices that were made by others so that EVERYONE would have the right to vote.
In his younger days, John Lewis was a Civil Rights organizer. He worked to register black voters in the state of Alabama. This work endangered his life, the lives of those who registered, and the lives of every person who worked with the movement. In spite of the constant violence, and the murders of volunteers throughout the South, John Lewis continued in his quest to register voters, and to peacefully demonstrate against the Jim Crow laws that made it difficult, if not impossible, for blacks to register to vote in Alabama.At times, I found the story difficult to read. I had to put it down, appalled by the level of violence that was directed at the protestors. Keep in mind - the protests were non-violent. Dr. King insisted that the protestors never fight back. He would tell them before the beginning of every demonstration that if they were not able to take the violence directed at them without fighting back, they needed to step out of the demonstration. And still - the levels of violence directed at the people appalled me.
This book is part of a trilogy, but it is a stand alone novel. Having said that, all three books are a piece of American History that should never be forgotten.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
No Spenduary - Weeks 4 and 5
I did not buy a new computer, or a new phone, despite the ongoing technology issues. I am going to tough it out. Days will go by when I don't post, and I apologize, but I'm not giving in. I am going to the public library - NOT the one I work in - when I am off work and using their computers. The laptop is working much of the time, but the poor thing is close to 10 years old. My tablet is new, and I am using that for much of my posting & communicating with friends.
Its been a really warm winter here in the Mid-Atlantic. As a result, we've not been using as much energy to heat the house. I've been diligent about opening the curtains once the sun is up to catch as much solar warming as I can, and then closing the curtains as soon as the sun sets in order to hold onto as much of that heat as I can. I'm not certain if it's working or not, but we did manage to cut our energy bill in half for the same time period last year. I'm going to credit the new thermostats on the baseboard heaters, the warm winter, the ceiling fans set on reverse, and the passive solar heating. I don't care how you add it up, when you manage to cut your electric bill by 50%, I think it's worth being excited about!
I haven't been journeying out much in the car, except to go to work, so I haven't spent a lot of money on gasoline. I've been running errands on my way home from work, so I'm not spending extra gas money to go run errands.
Hey, every little bit adds up, right?
I did stop by and pick up a produce bundle ($25) from our local farm store. Most of our meals for this past week came out of that bundle. I supplemented that with more from the freezer. I've moved everything from the older, upright freezer back into the now defrosted deep freezer. We're cleaning out that freezer, and have plans to sell that. We honestly don't need two freezers now that we aren't feeding as many hungry kids on a regular basis.
I've been posting what we had for dinner on here, but I didn't do that for the past couple of weeks. As a result, I've forgotten much of what we've had. I know we had a couple of salads, a couple of stir fries, a pot of beans, had a leftover night or two, some pasta with a lot of veggies cut in, a baked potato bar, tacos (made with leftover bean soup that I mashed and fried). I'm going to do a better job of keeping track for the next week!
I did use my Christmas gift card from Starbucks and picked up a Very Berry Refresher. This one wasn't clear water, but it was made with apple juice instead of water. What the heck? I'm beginning to wish that we had another coffee shop option in this town. Ever since the Bagel Bakery burned down a few years back, Starbucks is all that's left. I wonder if Panera has a similar option?
Its been a really warm winter here in the Mid-Atlantic. As a result, we've not been using as much energy to heat the house. I've been diligent about opening the curtains once the sun is up to catch as much solar warming as I can, and then closing the curtains as soon as the sun sets in order to hold onto as much of that heat as I can. I'm not certain if it's working or not, but we did manage to cut our energy bill in half for the same time period last year. I'm going to credit the new thermostats on the baseboard heaters, the warm winter, the ceiling fans set on reverse, and the passive solar heating. I don't care how you add it up, when you manage to cut your electric bill by 50%, I think it's worth being excited about!
I haven't been journeying out much in the car, except to go to work, so I haven't spent a lot of money on gasoline. I've been running errands on my way home from work, so I'm not spending extra gas money to go run errands.
Hey, every little bit adds up, right?
I did stop by and pick up a produce bundle ($25) from our local farm store. Most of our meals for this past week came out of that bundle. I supplemented that with more from the freezer. I've moved everything from the older, upright freezer back into the now defrosted deep freezer. We're cleaning out that freezer, and have plans to sell that. We honestly don't need two freezers now that we aren't feeding as many hungry kids on a regular basis.
I've been posting what we had for dinner on here, but I didn't do that for the past couple of weeks. As a result, I've forgotten much of what we've had. I know we had a couple of salads, a couple of stir fries, a pot of beans, had a leftover night or two, some pasta with a lot of veggies cut in, a baked potato bar, tacos (made with leftover bean soup that I mashed and fried). I'm going to do a better job of keeping track for the next week!
I did use my Christmas gift card from Starbucks and picked up a Very Berry Refresher. This one wasn't clear water, but it was made with apple juice instead of water. What the heck? I'm beginning to wish that we had another coffee shop option in this town. Ever since the Bagel Bakery burned down a few years back, Starbucks is all that's left. I wonder if Panera has a similar option?
Monday, February 6, 2017
Monday Musings
Hair Down or Hair Up?
I was working the reference desk the other day and had my hair pulled up. I don't often pull it up while it work, but it was an exceptionally bad hair day. I had a patron who came over to me and said "We took a poll. We decided you look better with your hair down." Honestly! How sweet is that? Not only do they pay attention, they feel comfortable enough with me to come over and tell me something that sweet! (At least I'm taking it as sweet...)
Super Bowl
I am a part of a group that occasionally donates dinner to a men's shelter. Last night, we dropped off not only dinner, but snacks and appetizers to munch on during the Super Bowl game. Wow, that stuff really appreciated. I think we tend to forget that people who are struggling in one way or another appreciate having the ability to celebrate big events just like everyone else.
Cleaning and Organizing
Can I just say here how much I hate cleaning and organizing? One of these days I'm going to post a picture of just how bad the closet in the Master Bedroom got. It's pretty bad. I clean and organize it once a year, and every year, I say I'm going to do a better job of keeping things organized, and then 12 months later, I'm muttering under my breath as I once again pull everything out and organize it all again.
Zumbathon
A couple of weeks back, daughter and I participated in a two hour Zumbathon to raise money for field maintenance for the Parks Department. It was a wonderful time - the class was taught by a host of Master Zumba teachers. We had a marvelous time, and I not only lasted for the two full hours, I had so much fun!
Eclipse 2017
No, this isn't another Twilight book about Vampires. It's an actual solar eclipse that will be visible across a large swath of North America on August 21. I've only ever seen one other - back when I was in college - and let me tell you, it was way cool. I'm very, very excited to see another one!
I was working the reference desk the other day and had my hair pulled up. I don't often pull it up while it work, but it was an exceptionally bad hair day. I had a patron who came over to me and said "We took a poll. We decided you look better with your hair down." Honestly! How sweet is that? Not only do they pay attention, they feel comfortable enough with me to come over and tell me something that sweet! (At least I'm taking it as sweet...)
Super Bowl
I am a part of a group that occasionally donates dinner to a men's shelter. Last night, we dropped off not only dinner, but snacks and appetizers to munch on during the Super Bowl game. Wow, that stuff really appreciated. I think we tend to forget that people who are struggling in one way or another appreciate having the ability to celebrate big events just like everyone else.
Cleaning and Organizing
Can I just say here how much I hate cleaning and organizing? One of these days I'm going to post a picture of just how bad the closet in the Master Bedroom got. It's pretty bad. I clean and organize it once a year, and every year, I say I'm going to do a better job of keeping things organized, and then 12 months later, I'm muttering under my breath as I once again pull everything out and organize it all again.
Zumbathon
A couple of weeks back, daughter and I participated in a two hour Zumbathon to raise money for field maintenance for the Parks Department. It was a wonderful time - the class was taught by a host of Master Zumba teachers. We had a marvelous time, and I not only lasted for the two full hours, I had so much fun!
Eclipse 2017
No, this isn't another Twilight book about Vampires. It's an actual solar eclipse that will be visible across a large swath of North America on August 21. I've only ever seen one other - back when I was in college - and let me tell you, it was way cool. I'm very, very excited to see another one!
Thursday, February 2, 2017
2017 Resolutions
I love keeping track of my resolutions online. It reminds me, months into the year, of the goals that I had set at the beginning of the year. As a result, my house is cleaner, I'm more organized, and I've made progress towards remaking my life into the person I want to be.
1) Complete 12 Home Improvement Projects This Year
We recovered the kitchen chairs! The seats of the chairs have suffered some significant damage at the claws of the cats. Over the past 8 years, their little claws have dug into the seat as they've jumped on and off, and the seats have been torn. The seats look so much better now! I used fabric that I picked up on clearance last year for $3/yard, and replaced the foam cushion with new cushions that I picked up last year on sale before Thanksgiving. How did I recover the chairs? Easy - I watched a whole bunch of YouTube videos! Since the repair was only to the seat bottoms, it was a pretty easy DIY project.
Disclosure Notice- My husband refuses to let me use the staple gun anymore, so he was the one who did the actual stapling of the fabric onto the seat bottoms. He was also the one who made certain that the seats were firmly screwed onto the chair bases so that the wouldn't come loose!
2) Lose a few more inches around my waist.
Working on it.
3) Get away with my husband - just the two of us - twice.
Already, this is not looking very promising. Something about my work schedule not coinciding with his and me not having much leave.
4) Lenten Cleaning Challenge
The time is quickly approaching! Can I get rid of 40 bags of crap in 40 days? I have already started sorting. Making the time to get these things out of the house is going to be tricky!
5) Post at Least 12 Book Reviews on my Books for Teens Blog
One down!
Stealing Snow. My Review:
http://librarynut-booksforteens.blogspot.com/2017/01/stealing-snow.html
6) Finish the Hallway Bathroom
This one ties into the one below...
March 31 is the date we will have the amount of money set for our budget, and the chaos begins! (or is it ends, considering the work that needs to be done?)
7) Participate in the NoSpenduary Challenge
January has been finished! Tuition has been paid for two children - the last ever tuition payment for middle child is now - OFFICIALLY - in the books. Even with tuition, money was still set aside for the bathroom remodel this spring. The kids paid for their own textbooks. Middle child only needed one book. Daughter picked up her books from the library for two classes, and the professors for her other three classes are only using materials available online - either freely available on the web, or through the university subscriptions. THANK YOU to those professors who took the time to do the research and find FREE to the student relevant materials. I know it was more work on their part, but their effort shows great compassion to the students and their bottom line.
8) Learn Another Language
Our public library has Rosetta Stone available online. I've begun working my way through the Spanish program. I'm also watching Sesmae Street on VeMe (Spanish Language PBS)
9) 100 Things Every Marylander Should Do
I didn't get out much this month. That whole not spending thing, you know.
10) Finish Daughter's Quilt
It's been pinned, and it's in the quilting hoop. Quilting has commenced!
11) Clean Out the Closet and Dresser Drawers in the Master Bedroom
I feel like the turtle racing against an unseen hare. We have two dressers in our room. I've finished one of the two dressers - I've cleaned out the drawers, reorganized them, sorted and matched funky socks, etc. I've cleaned off the top of the dresser, hung up necklaces, and I found a nifty wall-mounted earring holder for sale on Etsy. Unfortunately, I'm one month into my three month moratorium on spending, so.... I'll have to see if I can cobble something together with items I have laying around the house. Who knows? If I can recover kitchen chairs, I'd like to think that I can also put together something to hold matching earrings together for next to nothing.
12) Clean out the little room in the basement and make it usable.
I'm still working on the closet in our room. Good Lord, my house is a mess!
13) Work on the landscaping in the front yard.
It's too cold to start right now!
14) Take at least one class through the American Library Association.
I'm three weeks into an online class! I am learning so much, and enjoying every bit of it! I can't wait to see if I can put some of this into action this summer!
How are you doing on your resolutions?
1) Complete 12 Home Improvement Projects This Year
We recovered the kitchen chairs! The seats of the chairs have suffered some significant damage at the claws of the cats. Over the past 8 years, their little claws have dug into the seat as they've jumped on and off, and the seats have been torn. The seats look so much better now! I used fabric that I picked up on clearance last year for $3/yard, and replaced the foam cushion with new cushions that I picked up last year on sale before Thanksgiving. How did I recover the chairs? Easy - I watched a whole bunch of YouTube videos! Since the repair was only to the seat bottoms, it was a pretty easy DIY project.
Disclosure Notice- My husband refuses to let me use the staple gun anymore, so he was the one who did the actual stapling of the fabric onto the seat bottoms. He was also the one who made certain that the seats were firmly screwed onto the chair bases so that the wouldn't come loose!
2) Lose a few more inches around my waist.
Working on it.
3) Get away with my husband - just the two of us - twice.
Already, this is not looking very promising. Something about my work schedule not coinciding with his and me not having much leave.
4) Lenten Cleaning Challenge
The time is quickly approaching! Can I get rid of 40 bags of crap in 40 days? I have already started sorting. Making the time to get these things out of the house is going to be tricky!
5) Post at Least 12 Book Reviews on my Books for Teens Blog
One down!
Stealing Snow. My Review:
http://librarynut-booksforteens.blogspot.com/2017/01/stealing-snow.html
6) Finish the Hallway Bathroom
This one ties into the one below...
March 31 is the date we will have the amount of money set for our budget, and the chaos begins! (or is it ends, considering the work that needs to be done?)
7) Participate in the NoSpenduary Challenge
January has been finished! Tuition has been paid for two children - the last ever tuition payment for middle child is now - OFFICIALLY - in the books. Even with tuition, money was still set aside for the bathroom remodel this spring. The kids paid for their own textbooks. Middle child only needed one book. Daughter picked up her books from the library for two classes, and the professors for her other three classes are only using materials available online - either freely available on the web, or through the university subscriptions. THANK YOU to those professors who took the time to do the research and find FREE to the student relevant materials. I know it was more work on their part, but their effort shows great compassion to the students and their bottom line.
8) Learn Another Language
Our public library has Rosetta Stone available online. I've begun working my way through the Spanish program. I'm also watching Sesmae Street on VeMe (Spanish Language PBS)
9) 100 Things Every Marylander Should Do
I didn't get out much this month. That whole not spending thing, you know.
10) Finish Daughter's Quilt
It's been pinned, and it's in the quilting hoop. Quilting has commenced!
11) Clean Out the Closet and Dresser Drawers in the Master Bedroom
I feel like the turtle racing against an unseen hare. We have two dressers in our room. I've finished one of the two dressers - I've cleaned out the drawers, reorganized them, sorted and matched funky socks, etc. I've cleaned off the top of the dresser, hung up necklaces, and I found a nifty wall-mounted earring holder for sale on Etsy. Unfortunately, I'm one month into my three month moratorium on spending, so.... I'll have to see if I can cobble something together with items I have laying around the house. Who knows? If I can recover kitchen chairs, I'd like to think that I can also put together something to hold matching earrings together for next to nothing.
12) Clean out the little room in the basement and make it usable.
I'm still working on the closet in our room. Good Lord, my house is a mess!
13) Work on the landscaping in the front yard.
It's too cold to start right now!
14) Take at least one class through the American Library Association.
I'm three weeks into an online class! I am learning so much, and enjoying every bit of it! I can't wait to see if I can put some of this into action this summer!
How are you doing on your resolutions?
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