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
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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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