summer reading

Summer is upon us and that means Summer reading at the library. In an effort to keep kids from suffering from the learning gap that accompanies the long school break and to get people in to the library we offer a host of incentives including prizes for the kids who meet their personal reading goals and activities nearly every day of the week. It also means that kids of all ages, sizes and under various forms of supervision (or lack thereof) descend on the library like a swarm of army ants, swarming over every available inch of floor and low laying display space and leaving a swath of chaos behind them. Books are used as flotation devices, stepping stones, building blocks, and weapons of mass destruction by the armfuls but rarely as the vehicles for transporting kids to other times and spaces (oh that this could be done literally and not just figuratively!) I love kids and I love the library but sometimes they just don’t really seem to go together.

I realize getting them into the building, even if they only come for the puppet shows and never crack a book, is half the battle. They’re aware of the library, they feel comfortable here, we make a name for ourselves in the community and hopefully as the years go by they remember us and return often and maybe even use us for our books. In the meantime we have bedlam in the program room and anarchy in the stacks. So, I dose myself with heavy duty, deep dark chocolate, keep the Advil at the ready and mentally prepare for the daily onslaught, counting down the days to my stretch of unemployment (while trying not to think of the lack of paycheck that will mean.) Bring it kiddies, bring it!

looking back at a to do list and making a new one.

I took a moment to review my New Year's Resolutions earlier this month. The half-way mark is always a good time to reevaluate. (Unless you have fallen completley off the wagon and have nothing to show for your hours of carefully documented goals, then it just makes you feel like a failure!)

 

Ok, not a complete failure. I've made a bit of progress in some areas (my scripture study, shockingly enough has improved leaps and bounds) but other areas, well, you'd never know I'd made a goal for as little as I've tried to do anything about them. Let's take a look.

  

• Visit 5 new states and 1 new country--I've got the goal to visit all 50 states by the time I'm 40 and all 7 continents (and at least 25 countries) before I die. The way things are going down this year I doubt I'll get more than 1 new state in but I'll have 1 new continent and at least 4 countries for sure.
• Start a bookclub--check! (it still counts even if I'm abandoning it, right?)
• Take a yoga class--check! (though unfortunately I've had to abandon that too)
• Play the piano every day--uh, what I really meant was 'look at the piano every day but never actually touch it, ever'...check!
• Finish a book--writing one, that is. Hmm, I did do a bit of work on it so that's got to count, but I'm not really any closer to finishing than I was in January. I am hoping for some good time to work on this come August though.
• Catch up my scrapbook--uh, nope. 2 years behind and counting!
• Attend at least one performance per month--done! Though I haven't made it to as many concerts as I'd like. Curse all you concert buddies who moved on me! I blame you! :)
• Take a photography class--nope
• Make pickles--wha?
• Complete a Pinterest project each month--if by project I meant spending hours and hours pinning stuff and then never looking at it again then I'm a winner!
• Be on time--Ok, this one I really did put some effort into at first. I'm at least more conscious of the times that I'm late even if I haven't quite transitioned that into actually being punctual.
• Stop swearing--again, I've made a bit of effort. It still comes spewing out unbidden as a gut reaction to various circumstances but I've gotten better at thinking before I speak and more often than not I think of something besides a curse to say.

Now that I look at it it's really not too shabby after all. Often the goals that are more project oriented are easier to accomplish and dominate in the finished results category while the character building/habit forming type take a backseat or get abandoned altogether and kind of the opposite has happened this time around. There's added proof in the accomplisment of the biggest and least defined goal of all which has taken more of my time and mental energy than I'd anticipated but has surprised me in so may ways. On one sheet I had it listed as 'make a decision and stick with it' and somewhere else I wrote down 'find a new job'. Those were not necessarily the same goal to begin with but they've morphed into my Thailand decision and I'm excited and hopeful with what else will come with that.

So, this brings me to the next, and more immediate quest. Summer goals.

I've got about 6 weeks left here in DC and while there will be a flurry of packing and last minute preparations for Thailand I've also decided I need to make an effort to squeeze in some last minute fun as well. It is summer after all. And summer should be filled with all things good. Things like lemonade and movies under the stars and trips to the beach. There's not enough time to do all the things I'd like to and I'm not even going to start on the list of things I want to do one last time before I leave but here are the few things I'm going to do to make this summer count.

• frozen custard at the Dairy Godmother
• screen on the green
• watching a parade
• seeing the monuments by moonlight
• a trip to the beach
• a concert under the stars
• fireworks

What's on your list?

a music swap!

It's that time again!  Time for a music swap update. This round is dedicated to the tunes of summer and has seen many differing anthems circling through the post.

Summer is about getting up early and staying out late. It’s popsicles and ice cream and watermelon and cookouts in the park or the mountains. It’s road trips and beach trips and no trips at all but just being lazy, laying on the grass in the backyard working on your tan or reading a great book or counting the stars. It’s about first loves and fireworks and feeling like a kid again. And of course, it’s about music.

When I was little my mom wouldn’t let me listen to modern music. At home it was classical, jazz, a few records that made it through from my dad’s high school days and the MoTab. As for the radio I grew up in Salt Lake and we had a local station, KUTR, that played mostly church music. A gospel station for the Mormon set. I was subjected to Janice Kapp Perry and Michael McLean, Saturday’s Warrior and other cheesy ‘uplifting’ tunes (I’ll Build You a Rainbow, anyone? Anyone?!) But finally after some serious familial coercion (god bless you, Aunt Julia!) I was allowed to listen to the Oldies station. Back then ‘oldies’ meant 50s and 60s and I was in heaven. My days were now punctuated with The Beatles, Elvis, Motown standards, Simon and Garfunkel, and my first ‘fan girl’ favorite, The Monkees. These hits became the soundtrack of my life and the basis for many a ridiculously choreographed dance in the backyard sprinklers.

Fast forward a few years to my first real relationship. I’d just graduated from high school and had college on the horizon and the world at my doorstep when in walked a guy who was inexplicably enamored of me. He was sweet and although I wasn’t all that interested in him I was flattered and loved the idea of him. He was a few years older than I was, prepping for med school and, wait for it, was in a band! Yours truly, a perpetually music-stunted individual spent hours that summer watching him jam on his guitar (and I admit it, possibly crushing on his best friend, the drummer) and listening to a wide and varied selection of music that would have made my mother cringe. He even took me to my first two concerts; Sarah MacLachlan in a huge arena and Richard Marx out under the stars. (Outdoor concerts will always be my faves!)

College brought the introduction of country music and resurgence of the hits of the 80s and I’ve slowly been inundated by alternative and indie music as the years have gone by. I’m still a beat or two behind the musical times and still have a thing for drummers (and pianists, and trumpeters, and banjo players, and bag pipers!) but music of all kinds has remained a constant. I doubt there will be any songs here that are new to anyone, but perhaps that’s for the best. Maybe they’ll work their summer magic and transport you back in time to a happy memory of your own, if only for three short minutes!  (I've linked a few but you might have to just do a little work yourself and check out the others.)

1. Summertime ~Oscar Peterson

2. June Hymn ~The Decemberists

3. The Morning Sun ~Gashcat

4. Summer in the City ~The Lovin’ Spoonful

5. Pleasant Valley Sunday ~The Monkees

6. Summer Breeze ~Jason Mraz

7. I Will Live on Islands ~Josh Rouse

8. Hot Fun in the Summertime ~Sly and the Family Stone

9. Roam ~The B-52s

10. Ice Cream ~Sarah MacLachlan

11. Endless Summer Nights ~Richard Marx

12. Aint Goin’ Down… ~Garth Brooks

13. America the Beautiful ~Martin Sexton

You can go here and here to see two of the other playlists that were waiting for me when I got back from my trip. And there are two others on their way.  What are some of your favorite songs of summer? 

having 'smore!

I've got a group of friends that gather every now and then for 80s movie night. Being children of the 80s we've got a slew of great ones to pick from and even more memories tied to them that we hash and re-hash. It's great fun!

Well, this month we had a few suggestions rolling around with a few strong opinions about a not-quite-80s choice. The 80s die-hards won out (Karate Kid Kid is still as awesome as it was 20+ years ago, Mr. Miyagi is the fount of all wisdom!) but we had a follow-up viewing the next night for the other film.

The night was clear with the first beginnings of the cool, crispness of fall perfect for a campfire. Unfortunately all we had was a BBQ grill in the backyard but it was enough to toast the mallows. Followed by the addition of some chocolate (a little peanut butter for the more adventurous among us) and graham crackers we had ourselves the quintessential summer send-off snack…s'mores!

Have you guessed our movie choice yet? You’re killin’ me Smalls!!

Now? Okay, okay I’ll tell you…The Sandlot!

If you’ve never seen it, you’re missing out on a fabulous flick. A group of boys who spend the entire summer playing baseball and trying to get a signed Babe Ruth baseball back from the killer dog that lives over the fence. Yep, doesn’t get much better than that.

And it’s got to be one of the most quotable movies ever…

*Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die, follow your heart kid, and you'll never go wrong.

*I'm bakin' like a toasted cheese-it! It's so hot here!

*I've been coming here every summer of my adult life, and every summer there she is oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling... smiling. I can't take this no more!
 

and then after kissing the 'oily' lifeguard...

*Did you plan that?
Of course I did. been planning it for years.

The ultimate of insults...You play ball like a girl!

*For-ev-er!

And in case you’ve never made s'mores (who are you and how have you lived this long?! You have no idea what you’re missing!) here’s a step by step guide straight from the film:

Want some fancy upgrades to the typical s'more? Try some of these ideas… 

And on another baseball note, our Nats made it to the playoffs. Woohoo!

Happiness is...a few of my favorite things recently.

*naps on the beach

*Rita's frozen custard creations
*grilled corn on the cob with rosemary lime butter

*blowing bubbles
*a fabulous sunset (photo stored on my phone of average intelligence, meanwhile this person with equally average intelligence has no idea how to get it off...but just close your eyes and imagine it, it was spectacular!)
*a concert under the stars

*fresh blackberries with mint

*Olympic fever!
*midnight breakfast at the Waffle House

*booking hotels for an upcoming trip
*homemade basil lemonade

*dinners and celebrations with friends

I'm such a slacker on the photo front lately! I'm not sure why but I just haven't been on the ball with all of this so I apologize for the lack of images and documentation. My summer has consisted of more than just food I swear!  I promise to do better from here on out :)

As the end of summer draws near I always feel this rush to squish in just one more quintessential summer memory. I still have a few things to work on from my summer to-do list and a few things that I've added along the way but so far there are no complaints. How has yours been?

Happiness is...a free Slurpee!

Do I really need to add anything else?  What a great way to celebrate Summer and cope with the crazy heat!  Happy 7-11 Day!

Happiness is...the start of summer!

Happy Summer Solstice, all!

Today is the longest (and possibly the hottest so far) day of the year and in honor I've made a list of things I feel are quintessentially summertime, things I want to make sure I do before the air turns crisp and the leaves change colors and I'm forced to wear socks and shoes again on a regular basis.

• Go on a picnic
• Spend a day at the beach
• Watch a movie under the stars
• Blow bubbles
• Make lemonade
• Go to an outdoor concert
• Watch fireworks
• Make ice cream
• Participate in a water fight
• Go to an amusement park
• Make a summer playlist
• Take advantage of the neighborhood pool
• Go camping
• Eat BBQ
• Decorate the sidewalk with chalk
• Watch lightning bugs
• Go hiking
• Run through the sprinklers
• Make a meal solely with food bought at a farmer’s market
• Go to a baseball game
• Lie on my back and count the stars

Anything missing?  What are your favorite summer pastimes?

Happiness is...the first firefly of summer.

At this exact moment we are experiencing a crazy tropical storm system with tornado warnings, torrential downpours, the works.  But yesterday was a beautiful day.

Last night I stood outside having a thoroughly enlightening conversation with a friend until nearly midnight.  The air was warm, the grass was cool on my occasionally bare feet and as the sky grew darker the lightning bugs came out in full force. They flickered around us, in and out of the grass and trees like stars falling from the sky or fairies playing a game of tag.

I always have to control myself to keep from wishing on them.  Well, that's a lie.  I usually do make at least one wish on the first one, just like I do with stars.


Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight.

If I could see the stars (or the fireflies) through the clouds and the deluge tonight I know just what I'd wish for.  How about you?

Happiness is...the onset of fall!

Today it became fall. This past week we've had some lovely balmy 70+ degree days and glorious hints of sunshine in the midst of our seemingly perpetual rain.  But overnight fall settled in. There's a definite chill in the air that precludes rolled-down windows and necessitates layering.

I love fall. (I really love spring too, but we're not going to go there today.)

I love slipping back into socks and sweaters.  I love boots and tights and scarves and not having to shave my legs every day.  I love curling up under my down comforter again and indulging in a mug of hot cocoa or herbal tea before bed. I love the crisp, cool air and kaleidoscope colors of changing leaves.  And I love crunching through those leaves when they give up their hold on the branches and collect on the sidewalks and in gutters.

I love pretty much every single thing that is and can be pumpkin flavored. (Steamed milk, ice cream, cookies, cheesecake, soup, bread, waffles, cupcakes, pies, smoothies, you name it!) I love Halloween with all its trimmings and trappings; pumpkin patches and jack-o-lanterns, witches' cauldrons filled with dry ice and those giant fuzzy lawn spiders. And everything resembling ghosts (I have a soft spot for ghost motifs.) I love the yearly ritual of watching the animated Disney version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. And of course, the candy.  And I love following it all up with Thanksgiving which ushers us right into the next best time of year; the Holidays!

While hunkering down in the basement and doing a bit of scrapbooking after my early morning hike in the drizzle and damp I was going through some of my photos and, feeling a bit of melancholia, decided I must do a farewell to summer post.

So, in no particular order, or rhyme or reason really, here are some things I will miss about summer. (*Note-this will in no way diminish my enjoyment of fall!)

Green leaves and the noonday sun

Garden fresh fruit

Going barefoot

Flowers in the yard

Outdoor events and gatherings

How about you? What are things you look forward to with the changing of the seasons? What are the things you'll miss most? Which season is your favorite? As always, I'd love to hear from you! (I heart comments almost as much as I heart banjos and fiddles!!!)

Happiness is...a to do list.

The start of summer came and went without my noticing last week. We've had a bit cooler weather than normal and things have been crazy busy with a couple of friends and roommates leaving and getting married and doing a million parties and get-togethers and packing and cramming in last minute events and I blame it on that.  It doesn't really feel like it should be summer yet.  (That is one thing I miss about not working in a school setting is the very clear delineation between 'school time' and 'summer vacation'...I miss my summer vacations!) I realized that the summer could very easily slip away from me if I didn't do something about it.  So, I sat down to make myself a list of some summery things to do and goals for the next couple of months. 

Here's what I came up with: 

• camp on the beach
• catch fireflies
• go to the 4th of July celebration on the Mall
• make some homemade ice cream
• go to a baseball game
• take advantage of the pool at the new place
• go to an outdoor concert
• kayak the Potomac
• go to a movie under the stars
• Go to Yellowstone, Southern Utah, the Shenandoahs, 
• go to a performance at Wolf Trap
• do more hiking

Am I missing anything? What are some of your favorite summertime activities/traditions?

This week we are starting our big Summer Quest Reading Programs at the library.  We sign the kids up to read books throughout the summer and host fun activities (puppet shows and magicians and such) each week through the first part of August.  I decided I needed to shake up my reading just a bit and if I was going to spend time encouraging kids to read and set goals for the summer I could do the same.  So, my goal is to read one book each day and blog a short review about it for the six weeks that our Summer Quest program is going on.  My hope is to do at least one 'adult' book each week because I just never seem to be able to find the time to read things other than my kid books. And I'm hoping to limit myself to no more than two picture books each week as well.  The rest will be a mixture of juvenile and young adult, fiction and non-fiction depending on what strikes my fancy.  

I have about 12 books on my desk at work at the moment so the first few shouldn't be hard to choose.  I would love some suggestions for grown-up books though. What are some of your absolute must-reads? Those books that you are constantly trying to foist on people so you have one more person you can talk to about it and share your love/pain/frustration/excitement etc.? I'm open to just about anything (though really long books may get nixed for now due to the time constraints).  

Here are a few I'm thinking about:

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (I'm just about halfway through this one so it's cheating a little but I may count it anyway!)

Room by Emma Donahue

My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

The Portable Dorothy Parker

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (except this is a series so I may postpone it for when I have nothing else on the docket and can read the whole darn thing!)

something by Georgette Heyer

Divine Signatures by Gerald Lund

I'd like to maybe throw in a purely beachy chicklit-type read, something light and fluffy akin to a Hallmark movie.  And maybe a classic of some sort.  My bookclub takes a summer hiatus and suggested Middlemarch as the longer read to keep us busy but it's like 700 pages or something ridiculous so I may skip that and just watch the movie! (Shhh, don't tell!) Any others I should put on my list?

Thanks for indulging my list-making once again. I look forward to any suggestions anyone may have for additions to either list. I'm off to bed but I'll be back tomorrow with book review #1!