Happy Birthday

It's my Birthday!  Here are some ridiculous things that I may be hoping for this year.

1.  Zentangle Kit:  Have you heard about zentangles?  Little paper tiles that you fill up with doodles, repeating designs and colors.  This kit is ludicrously expensive, and I think could be put together for much cheaper by buying the individual pieces.  Doesn't it look fun and relaxing?


http://sarasoulsister13.deviantart.com/art/Teardrop-Zentangle-Doodle-348814784

2.  Betsyann.com  Did you know my name is a chocolate website?  Wouldn't that be a fun treat?

3.  Long naps-for Katie and Jimmy-so that I can do some projects.

4.  The time/money/wherewithal to redo my pantry.  I suspect that there is a lot of wasted space there.  I dream of hard shelves, and many of them, and a step stool and beautiful matching containers.  Not super de duper fancy-not this


http://www.shorewest.com/blog/4-smarter-ways-to-remodel-your-home/

Just some hard shelves so things don't fall through, and some additional shelves for stacking on the shelves, and no more things stacked on the floor and falling over and making it hard to shut the door.

5.  The pre-order for Something Other than God by my favorite stranger blogger, because then I also get the free e-book The Family First Creative.

6.  But mostly mostly mostly, just happy and healthy family and friends, and an appreciation for this beautiful life.  I want to "realize life as I live it" as Emily says in "Our Town"--This homily brought tears to my eyes, and an ache to live as much as I can while I can.

Happy day to me!  And to you!  And to life!

graze box

I can't remember where I saw graze.com-something somewhere advertised a free box and it sounded like fun.  They send snacks through the mail.  You can get on the website and pick the things that sound good to you and nix the ones that don't.  It's a subscription service-they want you to get a box every two weeks, for $6.00 a box.  

It's expensive and there's no way I can justify anything more than the free box, but the snacks were SO GOOD I thought the least I could do was plug them in case one of you has a larger snack budget than I do.  I took mine to school and I have really enjoyed all of my snacks. 

These are the snacks that I got -  the "garden of england" and "hot cross yum" both had dried fruit and candied nuts.   Honestly super delicious, and just the right size.    

Sorry, graze.com!  Maybe someday I'll be richer.  :)

Grrr *sigh*

I bought these three books because they were on sale and since we're a country school, I think it's important we have a good agriculture section.  The kids love ag books. 

They claim to be informational books, but the slant in them is incredible.  Everything about farming is very negative, with no balanced opinions or solutions presented, other than this one small inset saying that one study found that organic farming could feed the word. 

It gets worse!  Can you read the last line of this snippet about GM crops and seeds?  A complex issue involving emerging technology, intellectual property, copyright, etc.  

"This is so that the companies can sell more seeds and become richer."

Gah! 

 Our farm families will definitely take issue with this.  If it were a balanced portrayal I wouldn't mind so much but this is pure propaganda.  I didn't read the books until they were already stamped so I think I'm stuck with them.  I'm glad they were on sale.  I'm considering putting a note in the front of the book describing the bias and asking students to look for it, at the very least then I would have stated that I know it's slanted and that they should not read it as truth. 

I can't read every book before I buy it!  How do I avoid this problem in the future? 

Or do you think I'm overreacting?

TV TV TV and being old

We've been really loving watching The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.  He's so funny! And nice!  I know, we don't really know him, but on the show, he SEEMS so genuinely nice.  And so I choose to believe it.  That he's really actually truly nice and anyway it makes MJL laugh before he goes to sleep and there is nothing in the world better than that.




But we're too old and tired to stay up that late to watch it so we've been taping it and watching it the next day, earlier, and then going to sleep.

Both things; watching the Tonight Show, and going to bed early, make me feel old, but in a happy kind of way.

Do you have anything that makes you feel old, and good about it?

Pod Activities

I had a post request!  Isn't that crazy?  For ideas of things to do in the pod.  WE LOVE THE POD!  We use it all the time.

• Playing in the sink.  With duckies, or cups, or bowls, or washing plastic dishes, or washing the tea set or playing in bubbles, or with warm water or cold water or with ice.  

• Playing with play dough.  We really like this recipe-I made it a month ago in three colors, I just give the kids a hunk out of the fridge of whatever colors they ask for, and then they play with it and mix it all up and I don't feel bad throwing it away when we're done.  We still have lots left.  

• With the play dough, we use knives, or scissors to cut it, or cookie cutters and rollers, or beads to poke into it, or toothpicks and beads, or raw spaghetti and beads--whatever random thing I can come up with to make it a little bit new.  
• Ice and cups and bowls and water and spoons.  Katie and Jimmy both love measuring out ice and water and spooning it around and mixing it up.  
• Putting away the silverware from the dishwasher.  Great sorting activity and fun first chore.
• Katie's been really into cutting and gluing lately, so there have been lots of projects with paper to cut and clue to cardboard.  All sorts of paper are fun to cut-newspaper, ads, construction paper, coupons, catalogs, and all sorts of ribbons.  I've been thinking we need to try cutting straws (bonus-beads to string when she's done!) and Styrofoam trays (run them through the dishwasher first).  We've been using a lot of glue.  I've contemplated mixing up some flour and water paste and putting into a glue bottle, but surely glue's not expensive and we're not quite out yet.  
• Little animals in the play dough too- and we played with little animals in the snow that we brought inside, and with the snow dough that we made.  We did this one which was corn starch and oil and glitter but it didn't hold together that well and wasn't super fun.  

  We also made this one of corn starch and shaving cream and it was really really fun but

OH MY GOODNESS the mess was amazing and incredible.  I was so thankful MJL was home to bathe the kiddos while I cleaned up the mess.  

• We also like to paint with water and paint with watercolors.  Those wooden trays that Melissa and Doug toys come in are great for watercolors, they soak up the paint nicely and go right back to being used.  Acrylic painting is best done with better supervision than I provided on this day.  Rocks are great things to paint.  

• I keep trying to interest Katie into sorting beads into a muffin tray but that is a big no. 
• I want to get them both into helping more with dinner, but so far scrubbing potatoes is the only thing they've done.  

How's that for a list?  Got some more ideas for me?

Chapter Books: The A's

I'm reading Chapter Books this semester and it's going SO SLOWLY.  I just cannot fly through these like picture books.  The kids are a little disappointed in me and I think I've learned that I have to have a concrete goal.  I can't just "See how many I can read in a semester".  I need the push of keeping up with something.  

But the point of it all is for me to read the books, and for kids to see me reading, and the kids are definitely checking out books off of the "What Mrs. L. is reading..." shelf so I'll call it a win, if a slow one.  

I thought this one was hilarious and had a nice, "be yourself and be nice to others and give people the benefit of the doubt" kind of message.  A little talk of boys and girls but not much.  I got the rest of the books in the series and the kids are eating them up.  WIN!  (And-checking out origami books too, which warms my little crafty heart).

This won the Newbery award last year, and I've heard and heard about it, so I was eager to read it.  It was good.  I'm not a huge animal fan in the first place, but for those kids who are, it'll be great.  I'll keep recommending it.  

This one was my absolute favorite.  It suffers from a TERRIBLE cover.  I can't sell it to anyone, even when I tell them it was my favorite of all the A's.  I finally talked a 4th grader into it and she said she liked it, but that she found it hard to follow.  I made MJL read it and he loved it too.  You should all check it out.  I don't think Anna's read it yet, I'll try to get her review.  It's about a refugee from Africa who's adapting to life in Minnesota.  

Only one book from the A's which I think I'm going to weed out- just poorly written and doesn't contribute anything new to the giant genre of pioneer stories and it's a paperback and no one's checked it out in years.  

On to the B's!

Math Games

I like to play word games, like Bananagrams and Snatch-It (though I'm a little too competitive with Snatch-It) and Scrabble, and MJL often says that if we could find a fast math game, it would be a little more fair.  

I found this one called "24" and he and Anna and I played it one snowy day during naps.  

You can add, subtract, multiply, and divide and you want to get to 24.  Everyone looks at the card and races to find the solution.  There's more than one way to solve each one.  For the card above, you can just add all four numbers:  6 + 7 + 6 + 5 = 24 

This one is 8-5 is 3, plus 1 is 4, x 6 = 24

  

This one none of us has figured out!  We've had it hanging on the fridge for 3 weeks now.  Any help?

Spring List!

Winter 2014:

1.  LIBR 859--My practicum.  I could get it done by March, if I hustle, and then I'd have a nice long break again.  I would love to do that.  Not at all done.  But 1/2 done?  It's not bad, just annoying.
2.  Potty Train Katie.  She mostly did this herself.  I feel bad taking credit.  But it's done anyway!  (or kind of-she wants to wear diapers at the moment, but I'm telling myself it's just a strange phase and not to even think about it.  
3.  Make something with Anna.  Snuggle her and talk to her and try not to hurry her so much. Just thinking about this has really helped.  
4.  Get back to my weekly routine.  Yes!  With some sliding here and there, but who cares?  :)
5.  Make those things for MJL.  Done and given and happy all around.
6.  Mending Basket.  (it's toppling full-mending is not my favorite but it should go fast)   I did some mending, but not all of it.  :/
7.  Use nap time to do things that make me happy (or work on my class).  I think mostly yes.  
8.  Valentines Boxes to College Kids.  Hooray!  
9.  Make another postage stamp block.   It's a bit smaller though.  I can't figure out if I just went too fast or if I cut the squares too small.  we'll see what happens with the next one, I guess!
10.  Work on Jairus' skunk.   Poor skunk.  

Spring 2014

1.  LIBR 859--Done! One more, Praxis test, all over!!!
2.  Easter!  Have a super fun party hopefully with some friends.  Find the line between making things fun and being ridiculous and making myself crazy.   Lovely and perfect.
3.  Anna's Birthday!  Have a party.  See above.
4.  Clean up (out) my craft room.  Yes, but then Katie came down on her own and torpedoed the place again.  With red glitter.  I'll cross this out too if I clean it up AGAIN.
5.  Make Cover Ups for all three kiddos. This was so much fun that I also made matching outfits.  
6.  Finals Boxes to College Kids.  
7.  Finish Bible Project.
8.  Alleluia Banner I just put the Anna mantle up right after Easter.  Maybe next year.  
9.  Mending Basket  I dread this so much!  But it wasn't bad.  
10.  Mail pile of things to be mailed.    10 things!  Poor postman thought we'd never finish. 
11.  Plant garden.  Be ambitious, but not crazy.  See #2.  

I wanted to limit myself to 10 things a season, but I can't think of what to eliminate.  So I'm not going to worry about that.  

Happy Spring!  Soon I'll go to school in the light, and won't that be glorious?!?!

The scariest part

I really love my new job as a librarian, but there's one part of the job that makes my hands shake and my heart pound.  

It's when I put the new books into the computer.  What if no one reads them?  

I feel all excited when I'm ordering, but then they come, and it's $1700 worth of books.  Doesn't it seem like a small pile for that much money?  

It's terrifying, but next week the books go out on the shelves.  Here's hoping I chose well!  

Ash Wednesday 2014

It's been a couple of years since I posted this one-it's still the best thing I can find.

Lent 2014

I always want to plan a million things to do for Lent, but this year my word is "less" so I'm trying to remember that.

I'm going to get up a little early each day to make time for morning prayers.

The nights when we're home for dinner we'll light one purple candle and read this Peeking Through the Palms booklet that Grandma Joan gave us last year and we'll sing this song together with Daddy playing guitar.



Anna's going to try to be nicer to Katie.  :)

What are your plans for Lent?

Heart"felt" gifts (hee hee hee)

Years ago, probably, MJL asked me to make him some felt cases for all of the bajillion little percussion instruments that he has.  

He got them for Valentines Day!  I think I made 10 or so.  

Some were from bits of old felted sweaters and some were from some blue felt that I had leftover from something else.

I was worried about how to make them all perfect and lovely and finally I decided to just do it already.  Folding them all asymmetrically gave them a look that I liked and was a unifying feature.  

Pinking shears, buttons from the button jar, and green thread just for fun completed the project.  Anna helped sew on buttons, Katie helped make messes, and Jimmy helped by being a good napper.

     

Oh, what a lucky Mama am I!  

Doesn't it feel wonderful to get something done that's been kicking around in your head for ages?

Livin' it up!

Matthew's gone this week, and Katie's been on a tear, so last night once all were in bed I looked forward to a quiet evening.

Just me, the Olympics, and this enormous pile of laundry.

 I kept trying different angles, but there's no way to make it as impressive as it felt in person.

It's like trying to photograph a sunset.  

Go World!

Eric Carle

When I was reading through the picture books last semester, Eric Carle was a nice surprise.  

I knew the famous books, Hungry Caterpillar and Grouchy Ladybug, etc, but I had no idea they were ALL good!  This Animals, Animals has lovely little quotes and tiny poems for each animal.  

These stories are written in a nice, straightforward version, great for those middle readers, I think, who don't want to read a giant chapter book yet, but are ready for more than a simple picture book.  

This one is so cool!  It plays with what your eyes will do who when you look at one color and then at a blank page.  

I recommend reading all of the Eric Carle you can find.  :)

Valentine Wreath

I wanted a new Valentines Day wreath because the other one I had was looking bad and took up too much space.  Also I had all of these Spanish conversation hearts that I've used for the past 10 years at school but didn't need anymore.  

Thanks to the glory of a snow day, Anna and I made one!  I just cut a heart out of a piece of cardboard, and we used Elmer's glue to glue the hearts down in a completely random pattern.  Anna was the one who suggested we not try to do a pattern and I think she was right.  It looks great and was super easy.  

We let it dry overnight and sprayed it with a couple of coats of lacquer to keep the buggies away.  

Happy Valentines Day!

Winter List 2013

I completely missed my list this season!  It's halfway over, but better late than never.  These lists really help me to focus my thinking and be realistic about time and projects and priorities.  I need that.

So my Fall List:

1.  Make Christian's Quilt 

2.  MIT 805  Instructional Technology Theory and Practice

3.  Finish Jimmy's baby book.

4.  Make as many Christmas presents as possible, spending as little as possible. 

5.  Work the garden through the end, and winterize.    

6.  Make another postage stamp block.

7.  Finish Jairus' skunk.

8.  Help Anna make some gifts. 

9.  Make Cosette costume and find something for Jimmy.

10.  ENJOY Thanksgiving and Advent.  Slow down, worry less, look around more.  

Not bad.  I wish I had helped Anna make some things.  I really feel that I've got to spend some good time with her.  She gets shuffled to the back too much.  

Winter 2014:

1.  LIBR 859--My practicum.  I could get it done by March, if I hustle, and then I'd have a nice long break again.  I would love to do that.  Not at all done.  But 1/2 done?  It's not bad, just annoying.
2.  Potty Train Katie.  She mostly did this herself.  I feel bad taking credit.  But it's done anyway!  (or kind of-she wants to wear diapers at the moment, but I'm telling myself it's just a strange phase and not to even think about it.  
3.  Make something with Anna.  Snuggle her and talk to her and try not to hurry her so much. Just thinking about this has really helped.  
4.  Get back to my weekly routine.  Yes!  With some sliding here and there, but who cares?  :)
5.  Make those things for MJL.  Done and given and happy all around.
6.  Mending Basket.  (it's toppling full-mending is not my favorite but it should go fast)   I did some mending, but not all of it.  :/
7.  Use nap time to do things that make me happy (or work on my class).  I think mostly yes.  
8.  Valentines Boxes to College Kids.  Hooray!  
9.  Make another postage stamp block.   It's a bit smaller though.  I can't figure out if I just went too fast or if I cut the squares too small.  we'll see what happens with the next one, I guess!
10.  Work on Jairus' skunk.   Poor skunk.  

The Snow Kept on Falling

This book is one of our favorites.  It's just a sweet little story about two kids living with their grandparents and a big snow.  It's one of those inexplicable stories that is lovely and perfect and makes you feel good and snuggly and happy and warm inside.  

I don't remember where it came from, but it's an ancient paperback that is completely falling apart.  I laminated the cover and used my super cool giant librarian stapler to put it back on (again).  

If you see one (or two-because you should get one for yourself) at a thrift store or garage sale would you pick one up for us?  

Thanks.

February Portraits

For this sweet girl's 3rd birthday we took some pictures.  

Sweet big sister Anna 8.75 years

Darling Mr. Jimmy 1.5 years

Beautiful Birthday Girl Katie 3 years.  

Here's another Jimmy.  He's getting ready to say "Ba!"  I think.  

And another Katie.  I think I don't like this one as much because she looks older.  

So big.

We're thankful for 3 wild and crazy fun and challenging years with our Katie girl.  

Here's to many more!

Opening Ceremony Bingo Sochi 2014!

Friday Night is the Opening Ceremony!

I was nervous, but darling MJL found me a bingo last night and I'm happy to share.

Thanks, Wall Street Journal!

Sochi Opening Ceremony Bingo

Under the picture of the bingo card, on the left, there are links to 4 different cards with the pictures shuffled.

I printed them a bit bigger by using ctrl + shift+ p to open the dialog box, and then choosing preferences, and then effects and then choosing to print at 135% .  Now you don't have to waste ink figuring out how big you can get away with.  :)

Have Fun!

"New" Thanksgiving Tablecloth

Ha!  I found these pictures all loaded and ready in my "drafts" folder.  

Look at my new-to-me tablecloth!

I've been looking for a number of years now for a new tablecloth for Thanksgiving.  I just wanted something perfect that I would love forever, that's all.  I found this one on Etsy and decided on a whim to treat myself.  

Look at the funny printed stitching.  It's made of that linen cotton blend that old tablecloths used to be made of that hangs so nicely.  

I got it from Chaps + Rascal who included this lovely note.  I feel like she's a kindred spirit, because there can't be very many people in the world who would be concerned with "truly appreciating" a tablecloth.  But I do!  And I completely understand how she would be happy to send it away to a good home.  

There's Thanksgiving!  Perfect and forever.  Yay!

February Giveaway!

I really loved "catch up month" (I need a synonym for "catch up" that starts with a J...) but I'm equally excited to get back to business in February!  This month gets such a bad rap, but it's a lovely month.  Valentines Day means there's lots of pink everywhere, and Groundhog Day, and Candelmas was on Sunday, and Katie's Birthday is this week!

It's a nice, slow, cold and snuggly time of year.  Would you like to curl up with a magazine?

I really loved the January issue of Real Simple.  You know how most of the time, there are one or two articles that are good and the rest are meh?  I loved EVERYTHING in this issue (except the article about Feng Shui, which I just cannot get into.  And I cannot believe it's still a thing!  I remember reading about it in a magazine like 15 years ago and rolling my eyes at the latest fad.  But still-there it is.  Can anyone change my perspective on it?)

Anyhoo-I loved this issue so much it seems wrong to throw it away.  Comment with one thing you're looking forward to about February (and not a secretly negative thing like "it's one month closer to Spring") and I'll let the birthday girl pick a name and we'll send it to you.  :)

Happy February!

January = Catch up month

One of the best things I did this year for my own happiness was to decide that December didn't "count" as a month to do things in.  All "normal" chores and activities and responsibilities are out the window.  December is just for Advent, getting ready for Christmas.  House, heart, family, everything.

Then in January, as I saw the giant piles of EVERYTHING, there were a few moments of panic.

And then I decided that January didn't "count" either!  It's just a catch up month.  All of the digging out from Christmas, all of the beginning of the year work-the filing, the photo ordering, the thank you writing, all of it happens in January.

It has been such a help to me!  Instead of worrying about getting it all done in the first week, it gave me a whole month to do all of that stuff.  And instead of feeling behind, I feel right on track.  I know it's all arbitrary and ridiculous anyway, but if I can get my inner boss to give me a little slack we all fare better.

Here are a few fun things I've had saved in my reader.

Sewistry.com is a new blog I'm really loving.  Not that I've had time to make anything at all, but I like it nonetheless.  Projects, sales, ideas on how to refashion things, it's all about sewing on the cheap.

Pleats and Ruffles is another blog I just started following.  It's "real" sewing, not the kind I do where I'm just making it up as I go.  I'm hoping to learn something and be inspired to try a bit harder.

I loved this post on "Protecting your Creativity" from an art teacher blog that I follow (did you know I'm also certified as an art teacher?  I thought I ought to be reading a little in case I ever end up there!)

Anna loves having a "craft box" full of junk that she can make things out of.  Sometimes I get cranky about it, which is crazy (and probably reasonable) because I'm always battling myself on the same issue- "But I could make something out of it!"  I laughed to see this post about having a box of junk- much more exciting to call it an Inventor's Box.  I liked the idea cards that you can download from the post.

Since Katie happily entertained herself in my office yesterday while I was at a meeting after school by cutting two measuring tapes to bits, I think she would love this Valentines Day project I had saved.  :)  I had to quickly change my face from appalled to pleased when her unsure little face looked up and said "I made you a blankie."

And a question.  We're out of TV to watch on our Amazon Prime.  We tried "Mr. Selfridge" but I don't like to watch shows where the people are being rotten (which eliminates almost everything on TV, I know).  I like happy shows best, but detective shows are also good, as long as they're not too creepy or gory or violent or yucky. Poirot, Monk, Suits, Parks and Rec, Chuck, these are all things we've liked.  Honestly, it's amazing we've found anything to watch ever.  I just don't like watching TV very much, but MJL really does.   I try to watch something with him at night, but it's so hard to find something I can stand.  Any suggestions?  

Happy Kansas Day!

Less

You've probably heard the thing on the internet where you pick a word for your year.  I thought it was an interesting way to tap in to one concept for the year. On New Years Eve MJL and Anna and I filled out these papers (after a great game of Ticket to Ride!  So fun that she's old enough to play that with us now).

Anyway, my one word came to me quickly.

Less.

I think it works for me on lots of levels.  I've been busy sorting and getting rid of things and trying to make room to get to work on the basement.  I've been trying to sort out and get rid of things that take my time away from the things that really matter, and most of what swirls around in my head can be solved with less too.  Less worry, less thought of myself, less judgement.  

It's working marvelously so far.  I found myself feeling a little wanty about these beautiful Christmas plates which of course were on super sale all over the place after Christmas but I remembered "Less" and happily closed the browser window.

And when I worry about planning things and doing more and fitting in another thing I remember "Less" and take a deep breath.

As I sort through things I ask "Do I love it, do I use it, and does my home NEED it?" and I end up with less in the cupboard and less in the closet and more on its way to Salvation Army.

And sometimes, when sitting in front of the fire looking at Pinterest, I wonder if I should get up and work and I think "Less" and I choose less worry about wasting time, and enjoy being toasty and looking at pretty things.

Here's a lovely New Year's blessing.  Never too late, I think.

May God, the source and origin of all blessing, 
grant you grace,
pour out his blessing in abundance,
and keep you safe from harm throughout the year.  Amen.

May he give you integrity of faith,
endurance in hope,
and perseverance in charity
with holy patience to the end.  Amen.

May he order your days and your deeds in his peace,
grant your prayers in this and in every place,
and lead you happily to eternal life.  Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever.  Amen. 

-Roman Missal, Solemn Blessings, “The Beginning of the Year”-