Friends of our suffered a great loss last week. I am copying from their Facebook post. It's been a rough week for the family. I ask your prayers for them.
We know the statistics: 22 Veterans commit suicide every day. It's tragic.
But it's beyond tragic when the veteran is the father of your heart & soul...the person who is half you and half him.
On Tuesday morning, August 8th, P.'s father took his own life.
This is a shock beyond anything that can be put into words &
articulated. My daughter's heart is broken. Actually, it's shattered.
As a mother, your job and sole purpose in life is to protect your
children...to console your children...to do everything you can to take
away their pain.
I don't know what to do and how to help her. I don't think I've ever felt so helpless as a parent.
This is a tragedy no one should endure.
Your positive thoughts, prayers, mantras & meditations are greatly appreciated at this time.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Monday, August 14, 2017
This and That
Viewing the Eclipse
Much of the United States will be in the path of totality for the upcoming eclipse. Here in Maryland, we are only going to see a partial eclipse. I am very excited about the upcoming solar events! Next Monday I am headed to one of our local libraries in order to safely view the eclipse through the solar filters the Astronomical Society will have set up outside. I'm not buying eclipse glasses. I am making a pinhole viewer, (here: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/build-a-solar-eclipse-viewer/family/) and I will be watching the live stream of the event in real time on the NASA website. https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-live-stream
If you're going to be outside observing the eclipse next week, remember that it is NEVER safe to look directly at the sun. You can do permanent, irreversible damage to your retinas. You can watch the eclipse using the eclipse glasses, but with the number of recalls I've seen for the glasses, I'm not certain that it's safe.
Whatever you choose to do, keep your eyes safe and healthy!
On My Nightstand
I remember hearing about Jim Thorpe when I was a kid. I've always heard about Pop Warner, but I'd never put the two together, and I never really understood the impact that the two had on the sport that we call American Football. While this is catalogued as a children's book, the material is presented in an engaging narrative that everyone will enjoy.
Catapults
I had a library program last week where we built catapults out of craft sticks, rubber bands, and spoons. We built castles out of cardboard blocks, and then we used our catapults to launch marshmallows at the castles. Did we get them over the castle walls? We did with some of them! Curious to see how we made our catapults? Check out the directions I found on the web here: http://theresjustonemommy.com/2014/11/11/simple-craft-stick-catapults/
Beans, Beans, Beans, they're good for your heart...
Middle child is home for good. He doesn't have a professional job yet, so I've hired him to finish the huge pile of odd jobs that I have around the house that need to be done. By God, talk about progress! It's worth every penny I'm paying him.
The big bonus is that the kid loves to cook, and he is good. He makes the best pot of beans I've ever eaten. We've had at least one pot of beans every week since he's been home. He makes a huge Dutch Oven full, and it provides us with meals for several days. I'm eating a lot of beans - and um... yeah.. you know how the rhyme goes:
Beans, beans they're good for your heart.
The more you eat the more you fart.
Enjoy your Monday!
Much of the United States will be in the path of totality for the upcoming eclipse. Here in Maryland, we are only going to see a partial eclipse. I am very excited about the upcoming solar events! Next Monday I am headed to one of our local libraries in order to safely view the eclipse through the solar filters the Astronomical Society will have set up outside. I'm not buying eclipse glasses. I am making a pinhole viewer, (here: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/build-a-solar-eclipse-viewer/family/) and I will be watching the live stream of the event in real time on the NASA website. https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-live-stream
If you're going to be outside observing the eclipse next week, remember that it is NEVER safe to look directly at the sun. You can do permanent, irreversible damage to your retinas. You can watch the eclipse using the eclipse glasses, but with the number of recalls I've seen for the glasses, I'm not certain that it's safe.
Whatever you choose to do, keep your eyes safe and healthy!
On My Nightstand
I remember hearing about Jim Thorpe when I was a kid. I've always heard about Pop Warner, but I'd never put the two together, and I never really understood the impact that the two had on the sport that we call American Football. While this is catalogued as a children's book, the material is presented in an engaging narrative that everyone will enjoy. Catapults
I had a library program last week where we built catapults out of craft sticks, rubber bands, and spoons. We built castles out of cardboard blocks, and then we used our catapults to launch marshmallows at the castles. Did we get them over the castle walls? We did with some of them! Curious to see how we made our catapults? Check out the directions I found on the web here: http://theresjustonemommy.com/2014/11/11/simple-craft-stick-catapults/
Beans, Beans, Beans, they're good for your heart...
Middle child is home for good. He doesn't have a professional job yet, so I've hired him to finish the huge pile of odd jobs that I have around the house that need to be done. By God, talk about progress! It's worth every penny I'm paying him.
The big bonus is that the kid loves to cook, and he is good. He makes the best pot of beans I've ever eaten. We've had at least one pot of beans every week since he's been home. He makes a huge Dutch Oven full, and it provides us with meals for several days. I'm eating a lot of beans - and um... yeah.. you know how the rhyme goes:
Beans, beans they're good for your heart.
The more you eat the more you fart.
Enjoy your Monday!
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
This and That
Notice: This Post Contains Affiliate Links
On My NightstandTechnically, not on my nightstand! It's in the CD Player in my car. This is the original NPR Radio Drama of Star Wars. It was originally produced back in the 1990's. There are two carryover voices from the motion picture - Mark Hamill (Luke) and Anthony Daniels (C3PO). The voices of the other characters are not the same as the movie, but they are FANTASTIC voices! This is a drama, not the book, so you have a cast of characters to listen as they narrate the story. The original soundtrack by John Williams is included in the recording. There is nothing like driving down the road with the Star Wars theme blaring out of your speakers between the spellbinding episodes!
Hey, for those of you who are die hard Star Wars fans, these episodes contain information that was in the books, but only hinted at in the movies. In the course of my 20 minute commute to work, I can listen to one entire episode.
ALS Sucks
Six years ago, one of our cousins was diagnosed with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). We've all watched as his health has slowly deteriorated over the years. The worst part of it for all of us was that as his body declined his mind remained fully active and engaged.
When his diagnosis came through, he and his wife traveled every where they had ever wanted to travel, and seized every moment as it came along. They gracefully battled through the disease together, never once dwelling on the negative but always focusing on the positive.
He lost his battle with ALS last week. He was 42 years old.
As a way to honor him and his memory, our kids went out on an adventure Friday afternoon. They went to the zoo on their own and made some memories! They stuffed themselves onto the bronze nest and took a picture of themselves. They took a ride on the kiddie train, and they picnicked along the Jones Falls.
Carpe Diem.
Friday, August 4, 2017
Things Overheard
I know it's not polite to listen in on conversations of other people, but what the heck. If I'm at the store or at work and someone says something loudly enough for me to hear, then I figure it's fair game. If it's funny, then eventually it's going to be fodder for my Blog!
Listening
A teacher, with her group of students says "Friends, we need to talk about our word of the day. Today's word is LISTENING."
"This is my personal hell." says a young child. (My guess was age 10-11.)
Daddy's Birthday
A mom and her two young kids were looking for birthday presents for Daddy.
"Now remember, we want to get him things he really needs. What's something you think Daddy really needs to have?"
Without missing a beat, the six year old replies: "Daddy needs muscles."
Listening
A teacher, with her group of students says "Friends, we need to talk about our word of the day. Today's word is LISTENING."
"This is my personal hell." says a young child. (My guess was age 10-11.)
Daddy's Birthday
A mom and her two young kids were looking for birthday presents for Daddy.
"Now remember, we want to get him things he really needs. What's something you think Daddy really needs to have?"
Without missing a beat, the six year old replies: "Daddy needs muscles."
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Shrimp Stir Fry
Daughter and I were looking for a quick and easy dinner earlier this week. We both work 5 until close at our respective jobs, and we leave home at 4, so we aim to eat something hearty around 3:30. Monday afternoon, we were searching for something but didn't want to go to the store, so we foraged in the refrigerator and freezer. We decided a stir fry would fit the bill quite nicely. We were missing ingredients we normally use, but hey, necessity is the mother of invention. Let me tell you, this was a quick and tasty stir fry!
Shrimp Stir Fry
1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large sweet onion, cut in half and sliced into strips
2 cups cooked rice
For the Sauce:
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
2 TBSP dry sherry
1 tsp sugar
1 TBSP crushed red pepper
Mix the sauce ingredients in a measuring cup or mason jar, set aside.
Over medium-high heat, pour enough olive oil into the bottom of a skillet to cover the bottom of the pan.
Stir Fry the carrots until mostly done - about 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the onions, cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly.
When the carrots and onions reach your level of done (I like my carrots to be soft, but still have some crunch. The onions should be almost translucent.)
Add the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp is pink. Turn the heat under the pan off, but keep the pan on the burner.
Give the sauce one last stir to mix up anything that's settled on the bottom of the glass, and then pour over the shrimp and veggies. Stir until the sauce is fully incorporated into the vegetables and shrimp.
Serve over rice.
Shrimp Stir Fry
1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large sweet onion, cut in half and sliced into strips
2 cups cooked rice
For the Sauce:
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
2 TBSP dry sherry
1 tsp sugar
1 TBSP crushed red pepper
Mix the sauce ingredients in a measuring cup or mason jar, set aside.
Over medium-high heat, pour enough olive oil into the bottom of a skillet to cover the bottom of the pan.
Stir Fry the carrots until mostly done - about 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the onions, cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly.
When the carrots and onions reach your level of done (I like my carrots to be soft, but still have some crunch. The onions should be almost translucent.)
Add the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp is pink. Turn the heat under the pan off, but keep the pan on the burner.
Give the sauce one last stir to mix up anything that's settled on the bottom of the glass, and then pour over the shrimp and veggies. Stir until the sauce is fully incorporated into the vegetables and shrimp.
Serve over rice.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Amelia S. Givin Library
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Enjoy the pictures!
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| Just look at that stone work! |
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| And the floors! |
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| I admit it, I really wanted to stand halfway up that ladder and go sailing down the row yelling "whee"! |
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| Do you see the spiral staircase to the second floor? It's hidden behind the revolving book racks on the right. |
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| More of that beautiful wood work. Yes, those screens are wood, not metal. |
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| The children's section in the recent addition. It's a huge section, but I love this little corner of paradise! |
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| The view across the addition, from the edge of the children's section. |
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| The Sci-Fi Collection lives on this book rack, located in the middle of the computers. NICE TOUCH! |
Library Website: http://www.cumberlandcountylibraries.org/AME
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
2017 Resolutions - August Update
In the confusion of the past month, I forgot to do my update for the month of July. So, this is the July/August update!
It's been a crazy couple of months. We've had hours available at work, and I've taken as many as I can. We just remodeled the bathroom, and I really would like to build that savings account back up as soon as possible.
So, here's the update:
1) Complete 12 Home Improvement Projects
Recover the kitchen chairs.
Add the knobs to the cabinet under the kitchen sink.
Fix the sewer line out of the house, through the basement wall.
Replace the baseboard heater in the hall bathroom.
Replace the lighting in the hall bathroom.
Re-enamel the hallway bathroom tile.
Replace the light at the bottom of the basement stairwell.
2) Lose a few more inches around my waist.
Honestly, I wanted to lose 2-3 inches. How hard can that be? As it turns out, pretty darn hard!
3) Get away with my husband - TWICE - this year.
Done!
The first trip was a long weekend to visit our oldest child at school. (OK, that's a maybe..)
Second was the long weekend we spent in Princeton - he was up there for business, and I went up there for a long weekend at our own expense at the end of his official business.
4) Lenten Cleaning Challenge
5) Post at least 12 book reviews on my Books for Teens Blog
7 Down!
You can view my blog here: https://librarynut-booksforteens.blogspot.com/
6) Finish the Hallway Bathroom
9 years after the long nightmare began, we now have 2 working bathrooms in our house!
7) Participate in the NoSpenduary Challenge
The moratorium is over! End of May, and we can spend money on unnecessary things again. For now, that means I can pay for some plants for landscaping in the front. Bigger picture, I am saving again in order to build our emergency savings fund back up to where I like to have it.
8) Learn another language.
This is haunting me. Every month, I write it down, and every month I have to admit I haven't made any real progress on this challenge. I'm disappointed in myself.
9) 100 Things Every Marylander Should Do
I was hoping to knock off a few of these this year. Not all 100, but maybe five more of them? I really need to get my act together! Maybe if I ever get more than one day off of work this summer.
10) Daughter's Quilt
Progress! I am making big progress! It's more than 1/4 quilted now. I don't think I can safely say it's 1/3 of the way done, yet. I'd like to have it completely finished by the end of the year!
11) Clean Out Closet and Dresser Drawers
I really need to get back to this. I've been trying to pack up oldest child's stuff and move it down into the basement so that middle child can move into the room - and LIVE in that room - until he saves enough money to move out on his own.
12) Clean Out the Little Room in the Basement and Make it Usable
I've made some progress on cleaning this out over the past month. I don't know how much progress I'm going to make on the actual remodeling of it considering how much money
13) Work on Landscaping the Front Yard
Sadly, I got a head start on this when the plumber pulled out one of the big bushes in front of the house. Now, I have only 4 overgrown bushes to take care of in the front yard. I've got Tiger's Memorial Garden in the back yard, and I'm not planning on doing any more landscaping until Fall.
14) Take at Least One Class through the ALA
I finished the class! I submitted two of the lessons that I wrote, and they have been approved as library programs for this summer! Hooray! It's going to be a great summer! Even better? I got a few more CEU's to add to the total number of hours I need to renew my teaching certificate.
How are you doing with your resolutions this year?
It's been a crazy couple of months. We've had hours available at work, and I've taken as many as I can. We just remodeled the bathroom, and I really would like to build that savings account back up as soon as possible.
So, here's the update:
1) Complete 12 Home Improvement Projects
 |
| New LED fixture at the bottom of the stairs. |
Recover the kitchen chairs.
Add the knobs to the cabinet under the kitchen sink.
Fix the sewer line out of the house, through the basement wall.
Replace the baseboard heater in the hall bathroom.
Replace the lighting in the hall bathroom.
Re-enamel the hallway bathroom tile.
Replace the light at the bottom of the basement stairwell.
 |
| View of the farmer's market. |
Honestly, I wanted to lose 2-3 inches. How hard can that be? As it turns out, pretty darn hard!
Done!
The first trip was a long weekend to visit our oldest child at school. (OK, that's a maybe..)
Second was the long weekend we spent in Princeton - he was up there for business, and I went up there for a long weekend at our own expense at the end of his official business.
5) Post at least 12 book reviews on my Books for Teens Blog
7 Down!
You can view my blog here: https://librarynut-booksforteens.blogspot.com/
6) Finish the Hallway Bathroom
9 years after the long nightmare began, we now have 2 working bathrooms in our house!
The moratorium is over! End of May, and we can spend money on unnecessary things again. For now, that means I can pay for some plants for landscaping in the front. Bigger picture, I am saving again in order to build our emergency savings fund back up to where I like to have it.
8) Learn another language.
This is haunting me. Every month, I write it down, and every month I have to admit I haven't made any real progress on this challenge. I'm disappointed in myself.
9) 100 Things Every Marylander Should Do
I was hoping to knock off a few of these this year. Not all 100, but maybe five more of them? I really need to get my act together! Maybe if I ever get more than one day off of work this summer.
10) Daughter's Quilt
Progress! I am making big progress! It's more than 1/4 quilted now. I don't think I can safely say it's 1/3 of the way done, yet. I'd like to have it completely finished by the end of the year!
11) Clean Out Closet and Dresser Drawers
I really need to get back to this. I've been trying to pack up oldest child's stuff and move it down into the basement so that middle child can move into the room - and LIVE in that room - until he saves enough money to move out on his own.
12) Clean Out the Little Room in the Basement and Make it Usable
I've made some progress on cleaning this out over the past month. I don't know how much progress I'm going to make on the actual remodeling of it considering how much money
13) Work on Landscaping the Front Yard
Sadly, I got a head start on this when the plumber pulled out one of the big bushes in front of the house. Now, I have only 4 overgrown bushes to take care of in the front yard. I've got Tiger's Memorial Garden in the back yard, and I'm not planning on doing any more landscaping until Fall.
I finished the class! I submitted two of the lessons that I wrote, and they have been approved as library programs for this summer! Hooray! It's going to be a great summer! Even better? I got a few more CEU's to add to the total number of hours I need to renew my teaching certificate.
How are you doing with your resolutions this year?
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