100th Post! and some more itsy, bitsy, breaks...

I briefly thought about trying to come up with a list of 100 things of some sort but that seemed tedious... and I blog for pleasure... so no tedium allowed :-)

Here are a few more itsy, bitsy, break photos:

itsy, bitsy, breaks

What can I say, I love my job (I seriously do) -- but I also really, really, love vacations.  Sometimes it's not even a vacation from my job that I'm craving but a vacation from the normal day to day to-do lists and stress. You all know the fun stuff I want a break from: cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, laundry, paperwork, traffic, whining (sometimes my own!)... you get the idea!  So what's a girl to do who has to wait 55 more days until she's tucked into a mountain retreat with her sweetie?  Focus on trying to find some little bits of time to take a deep breath and enjoy a small little piece of vacation wherever I am, that's what!  So I've been trying to capture some quick snapshots of those itsy, bitsy, breaks and I'll try to make that one of my themes for this year on the blog so look for more as the year goes along... and if you see me and I seem stressed.. tell me to go on a little vacation :-)

Here's a few recent deep breath, peaceful, happy,  moments: flowers, sleepy cats, birthday party fun, and library fun!

 

 

Books, Books, Books I Read in January

An awesome blogger friend of mine posts a wrap up of books she reads each month and I thought I might try to do the same.  (You can check her blog out here: http://orangerful.livejournal.com/).

I'm not going to write full reviews on them here - I review most books I read on Goodreads already but I wanted a place to gather together what my reading life has been up to each month so here we go.  I'd love it if you'd comment and let me know what you've been reading too!

This one took up most of my time:

I'm not usually a non-fiction reader but lately I've been reading more of it.  This read a lot like a biography (Harris is a network newscaster who has lead a very interesting life) with some advice on mindfulness and meditation mixed in.  It was a fairly slow read for me but I really enjoyed it.

Sophie Kinsella generally writes adult (like for grown ups ... not "adult"... I know how some of my friends think!) Chick Lit, but this is a book written for teens and the subject matter piqued my interest.  It's funny, and sweet, and typical of teen chick lit -- full of angst and of course romance.  Mixed among all of that the subject of mental illness is front and center..  I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads but now that I have a chance to reflect on it I will probably change it to 4 stars.  It takes a pretty good author to write a fairly light-hearted, yet true to life, positive and hopeful book about mental illness.



Ungifted is a funny story about a middle school boy who accidentally gets sent to a school for gifted students instead of punished for one of his normal trouble-making stunts. It's a fun look at kids from different groups and backgrounds being thrown into the same world and what they can learn from each other.  A good recommendation for boys or girls and I think would also be a hit with a reluctant reader.  It's not my favorite by Korman but it's still worth the read and definitely worth recommending to any tweens in your life.





Picture Book Palooza!  I read a handful of great picture books in January after all of the awards (Newbery and Caldecott and many more) were announced.  Even if you're an adult with no children in your lives these are worth a look!  If you only look at one of them pick up Finding Winnie.  You won't regret it!

Pinterest Success - New Recipe

So like a good librarian, I like to catalog ideas on pinterest: recipes, craft patterns, gifts for people, random fun things.  Often those recipes get forgotten because they aren't something with a deadline. I have been known to make homemade gifts from pinterest ideas and I regularly use my library storytime board ...but those things have timelines attached to them... the recipes seem to just go into some deep void of foods that look pretty in photographs.

With that said - I'm not sure what came over me last weekend--I browsed back through my boards and picked something to try for the fun of it!  I so rarely cook for the fun of it... it always feels like a chore that needs to be done after a long day of work and commuting... but with a weekend that had no holiday plans in it for the first time in forever I had time to cook for fun and this is what I made... Broccoli Tots.  No, they don't look quite as pretty as the pinned version but for a first try they came out OK!  Henry liked them the best (for me I would want to cook the broccoli just a tad longer before chopping - but I like my vegetables mushy!) but each of the kids gave them a shot too.  Perhaps I've found a new weekend activity... pinterest cooking!  Do you have a favorite pinterest find?  I'd love to hear about it!

2015/Here's my haikus in review/Where did the year go?

Something different,
to wrap up last year on here,
by writing haikus.

Vowed to love always,
the one who makes me smile, love
unconditional.

New everything:
husband, kids, house, state of mind.
Settling in. Breathe.

Hello Mickey Mouse!
Hot July, magical fun,
great friends and fireworks!

Book, tea, Margo, me.
So many stories to read.
Try to find the calm.

Sewing machine whirs,
I can hear my mothers voice,
"keep the stitches straight."

This picture makes me
smile, remember to laugh and
be silly always!