Friday, October 24, 2014

7 Quick Takes {Take 58} A happier place in librarian land, seasonal plans & crafts, & tons of book reviews upcoming! edition


-1- A slightly perked librarian...

 Last week I mentioned that my librarian identity was going through a bit of a dip. That's normal in all facets of life, and certainly in one's job. I'm pleased to report that since then, things have taken an upward turn. I know I talked about the fact that I had two English Composition classes to teach last Friday. Those went remarkably well. I had a positive interaction with the instructor and good rapport with the students. I mean, I almost always have positive interactions with people, I like to think I'm a good-natured person *beams*, but sometimes things "click" better than others, kwim? And it went very well. I felt like I had my librarian mojo back after that. I even started planning a writing project (a professional one, not for the blog, bummer ;-) but it would be for a Catholic publication, so my personal interest is certainly there. I have ambitiously set forth an end of November goal for myself, because I'm nuts like that, and I'm all excited. I should have more time in November to work on this, and I'm feeling good about it.

-2- "Mommy, I will NOT sit in my seat!!"

 One of the items on my to-do list yesterday was to buy tickets to a local production of The Nutcracker for my mom, Henry and myself. My mom and I have a tradition of going to see The Nutcracker each year for quite a long time, and for about three years now we've incorporated Henry into it. I have *loved* including him, since seeing Christmas traditions through the eyes of a child is just so, so special. This year, the thought crossed my mind that Anne may be ready to go with us. Now, Henry is completely against this idea. :0

"MOMMY. You know how Anne is. She won't sit down, she'll talk during it, she'll want to go to the bathroom. She'll ruin everything."

I'm not saying the boy is wrong. ;-) But I know that she would LOVE it. All of the little girls get dressed up in fancy, poufy dresses, and the lobby is filled with Christmas lights and nutcracker trinkets, it's just magical. I really debated simply waiting until next year to include her, when she would be 4. But then I thought to myself... so much of what I do in life is wait until I'm absolutely, positively sure that everything will go the way I plan. Is that really the way I should do things? Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. And when it comes to sharing special things with my kids, I shouldn't wait, you know? Life is short. Create those special memories now. So I bought her a ticket. Here's hoping for no explosive temper tantrums in early December. :0

-3- Doesn't everybody need seasonal, LOUD, handknit socks?

 Halloween Trick or Treat socks are...DONE!

They're bright and eye searing, and it hurts to look at them. I love them. :0

-4- Feeling super proud of self *beams*

The jewelry that I've been making since the summer is all self taught, and I'm feeling mighty proud that I'm actually producing some recognizable objects. :) Below is a rosary bracelet that I finished for Anne's Christmas stocking. She likes lots of color, so there's green, blue, purple, pink and peach in there. And she's very much a girly girl, she loves jewelry, so I'm hoping that she will enjoy this.


-5- Confidence or denial?

 My studio's next hafla is in a month and I have come up with zero concrete plans for what I'll dance to. I thought maybe I'd balance my sword and do a slightly slower piece (always a good idea to go for slower when you have a sword on your head) and that's still a possibility. Then I thought maybe I'd just select a song, dance with no props, and simply improvise. I have a playlist of potential songs I've been listening to, but I just can't make a decision. Does this mean that I have a lot of confidence in my improvisational abilities (unlikely :0) or just that I'm in denial about once again putting myself WAY outside of my comfort zone by dancing solo. Yep, thinking it's the latter.

-6- A schedule of upcoming book reviews... *adjusts glasses*

I have a lovely selection of book reviews coming up separate from my official Catholic Book Club. I've been trying very hard to stay on a strict reading schedule so that I can get these done in a timely fashion :) and wanted to give you a sneak peek of what is to come.

A book that was on my Amazon wish list appeared as an option for me to review on behalf of the Image's Blogging for Books program, and so I snapped it up. That is The American Catholic Almanac:


You know how I feel about reference sources, dear reader.

*angels sing*

I'm getting started on that one now. Also in the queue is A Subtle Grace, by Ellen Gable:


This is historical Catholic fiction, and I can officially say I've never read a book in this genre before. I'm very excited! I'm hoping to have reviews of both of these up by early to mid-December.

-7- November edition of the Catholic Book Club!

Our official selection for November's Catholic Book Club is The Cana Mystery by David Beckett:


This is what I would categorize as a "Catholic thriller." I've been wanting to read it for some time, so I'm excited to dive in. I just downloaded it this morning so that I can get started reading ($4.99 for Kindle, if you want to join in!) I'll post a review of this on November 26th, that's the day before Thanksgiving. So take a break from making pumpkin pie to chime in with your thoughts. :)

All right everyone, I hope that you have a beautiful weekend! I'll return to you on Monday. In the mean time, check out more 7 Quick Takes over at Conversion Diary!

4 comments:

  1. What a lovely rosary bracelet! I've tried to make a few pieces-- and oh, those little crimps and closures can be so fussy, can't they? There's a definite learning curve, and I'm still trying to overcome it. :) Looking forward to your book reviews!

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    1. Thank you so much, Rae! That's my middle name, you know. :)

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  2. I hear you about librarian identity. When I changed jobs, leaving the library, I definitely felt like I lost my moving into a strange new world outside my comfort zone. Also - want to say that I read The Cana Mystery earlier this year or late last year... you'll enjoy it. I may go back and re-read it so I can comment on your review! Hope you have a happy week ahead! (I actually posted 7 quick takes last week too!)

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