A Scarf with Fringe

Tonight I was getting ready for a meeting. Jacob had just had dinner and was in his pjs. Wes was at the gym. I was in our bedroom, changing clothes. Jacob was wearing himself out running from the bathtub to the elliptical and back again and again and again. Three days in doors because of snow and ice and very low temperatures is getting to him! I put on a red turtleneck sweater and my red and black scarf. After I was ready, Jacob walked up to me. I leaned down to talk to him and he reached out to play with the fringe on my scarf. It was a sweet moment to watch his little fingers go back and forth touching the fringe, something he doesn't often see. So many things fascinate him right now. As I watch him discover things in his world, it is like I'm discovering them all over again too! So sweet!

Next Blog Button

Have you ever tried the Next Blog button at the top of a blog?  It is a great way to see what is out there in Blog Land!  There are some neat things and some weird things too!  You'll get lots of craft ideas, cooking ideas, blogging ideas, and ideas on things you probably don't even want to know about!

Go ahead and push the button sometime!

Blog Title

I've found so many blogs with such cute titles!  But it seems like all of the good ones are already taken.  I'm inspired by what other people come up with but at the same time I don't want to copy them.  So where did I come up with the title of this blog? 

Things have been hard with our move.  Most days are fine, but then I'll be missing someone and have a hard moment.  Family inspires me to live in the moment and really work to be present and make memories in the most mundane moments.  Children, especially my nephews really inspire this in me.  Everything can be a special memory where children are concerned, it doesn't matter how small the occasion is.  So really my family, especially my nephews helped inspire the title of my blog.  My goal is to live in the moment and really enjoy the moment and make each one into a positive memory. 

When I think back on things in life, especially when I think about the people who aren't with me anymore, the memories I have are really are of the small moments.  The lesson for me is that it can be a very small, ordinary moment that can become a very special memory.  Don't get me wrong!  Weddings, birthdays, anniversaries can be momentous occasions.  But it can be the very ordinary times together that we remember many years from now.  So that's how I came up with the title of this blog and something I am trying to work on in my own personal life.

So enjoy your moments too!

Back Again!

I've been reading lots of people's blogs lately.  Some are just blogs I've found linked from those of friends and family.  I've been so inspired that I want to take another shot at this.  My sister-in-law especially encouraged me with this post on her blog. 


Things in my life have changed a great deal lately.  We moved to a state that is new to me.  We both started new jobs.  We are trying to find a new church and make new friends.  Lots and lots of change!  Some days have been especially hard, missing old places and old friends and old co-workers.  I talked to one old friend on the phone the other day and teared up when she asked me if I liked everything here. 


Who knows how well this will go!  Part of me feels like I haven't much to say.  Most people who blog seem to have lots of posts about their children and being a mommy.  I'm not there yet, so I'm not sure how much others will be interested.  But after reading Stacy's post, I realized it isn't about who reads what I have to say but about journaling for myself.  We'll see!

Christmas - Just for Stacy

My sister-in-law, Stacy, emailed this to me awhile ago. Things got busy (imagine that!) and I haven't yet responded to her, so I decided to do so on my blog so anyone could see!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper! I'm slow at it because I try to get as close to perfect as possible!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial eventually. We will get a new tree when we have a new house to put it in! Wes requires artificial because of allergies.

3. When do you put up the tree? After Thanksgiving so it is up as long as possible!

4. When do you take the tree down? This is the worst chore! It is so deflating! Not until after New Year's!

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes! But not spiked! I like the nutmeg taste.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A pair of James Avery earrings that I must have worn every day for at least a year.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My husband! He gave me no ideas! And all the ideas I had for him were clothes, which he wouldn't like.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Most any of the girls on my list - Mom, Kathy, Stacy

9. Do You have a nativity scene? Yes, two, but only one is up this year.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I'm not good at that yet!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't remember

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Miracle on 34th Street, the remake from the 1990's

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Summer time

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes for gift exchanges

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies

16. Lights on the tree? Yes

17. Favorite Christmas song? I have lots that I like: Carol of the Bells, O Holy Night, Do You Hear What I Hear?

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Traveling

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen and Rudolph, the most famous reindeer of all!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Bow or star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Whenever I'm with family, so it will be lots of times!

22. Most thing annoying about this time of the year? Not sure

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Dark red and shades of green

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey and dressing or prime rib and mashed potatoes

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? To live in the moment with family and friends, ever thankful for the many blessings in my life and those I'm sure the Lord will send this coming year!

Today was fun!

Today I didn't have to go to work exactly. I went to two library meetings with a nice lunch in between. The first meeting was to discuss the deadline for spending the construction funds to buy books for my library at school. The deadline has been moved up two years to June 30, 2009. This means I have a very large and daunting task ahead of me! I have to spend about $140k by then. I have about $98k to go!

It may sound easy to some. I mean I'm a librarian! Shouldn't I be able to just buy books? (It should be like being a kid in a candy store! Right?) Yes, but it is buying the right ones! It takes time and sometimes there just aren't good ones out there on some topics. Every year there are thousands of books published. But think of it in terms of layers. The top layer is the best books and is very thin, with only a couple hundred. Then there is the second layer, which are really good. There are a few more books in this layer. The third layer is books that are pretty good. But I don't want to have to go any farther down than the third layer. I also have to narrow it down to what is good for my middle school library. I can do that for the past few years, but I don't want to have to buy old books. Anything earlier than 2003 in non-fiction wouldn't be good. They would be six years old by the end of this school year.

But back to today! We went out to a neat place I'd never heard of before called Bonnie Ruth's Cafe. It is such an unusual name, I've had trouble remembering it all day! Lunch was good and then we went to a place called The Cupcakery!

http://www.thecupcakery.com/

Click on the "Our Favorites" link to see the cupcakes! Very cute! Some even had edible glitter on them! I had a mini-Southern Belle. It was red velvet cake, which I don't think I've ever had before! Very yummy and just the right little amount!

The second meeting of the day was 17 librarians meeting at a book store! We had a field trip! Very fun! And yes, we were productive too! It is an independent bookstore, not a big chain. I think it is very interesting to see stores that actually want to go head to head with Barnes and Noble and Borders.

http://www.legacybooksonline.com/

Texas Book Festival

This is a photo from my trip to the Texas Book Festival, my first! First Lady, Laura Bush began the festival many years ago when she was the First Lady of Texas. It is a long weekend of talks by authors, book signings, and book buying of course! There is stuff for adults with any interest and kids too. They even have a cooking demonstration tent where you can see authors of new cook books cook!

The festival is held on the grounds of the Texas State Capital in Austin, Texas. It is a beautiful setting, with lots of green grass, tall trees and long walkways. Some sessions are held in the capital, with those most likely to draw large crowds held in the House and Senate chambers where the law makers do their work. Here is a picture of the capital rotunda. It was a beautiful day!



The picture below is with the author I went to see, Heather Fredrick Vogel. She wrote a neat book I read last summer called The Mother-Daughter Book Club. I enjoyed the story and hope to someday be able to share it with a daughter. So I bought my own personal copy to have autographed and surprised myself by having a fellow fan take my picture with the author. Her newest book is Much Ado about Anne, which I bought too because my name is in the title and I can't wait to read it!