Lydia's One Liner Week. Oh, to be surefooted!!

Being a klutz is hard on the knees. *shifts ice pack*

Lydia's "One-Liner Week" Day 2

This morning I dropped my hairbrush down the laundry shoot with my towel because I'm very absentminded.

7 Year Olds Are So Observant

Luke: "Lydia, you sure drop things a lot."

I Dare You Not To Tear Up While Reading This

There are some games where cheering for the other side feels better than winning.

"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? "

Ever since I can remember we've watched It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve. Maybe we we're at home in front of the fire after celebrating Grandpa's birthday and it's snowing outside or we're in Florida at a hotel after dinner at Denny's and it's 80 degrees.

And every single time...



I cry.

Zuzu: Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.
George Bailey: That's right, that's right. Attaboy, Clarence.

Note: We don't celebrate Christmas within our family. Here's a good post about some of the reasons we don't celebrate Christmas.

I haven't done a "Me Lately" post in... forever.

I'm Excited About.... My new laptop. Okay, so it's new to me. It was Debi's and then somebody managed to break it. Debi got a (really nice) new one and David fixed the old one so it's now mine. A certain party that we won't mention by name thinks it's junkie, but it's mine, so I love it.

I've been Writing... Pure randomness. Since I have a wonderful laptop to write on I've had the writing bug. I started a story (if you can call a page and half a start) and we'll see where it goes. I've been wondering lately if I actually am I writer. Sometime "genius burns" as Jo March says it, but most of the time I only have a few embers. I have to write sometimes to get all the pictures in my head onto paper. I do admit last night I turned my light on at midnight to write a scene down, I couldn't sleep with it running through my head.

I've been Wearing... My totally awesome monkey sock/slippers. They're like slippers but feel like a really thick sock on your foot.Sorry, no picture, the batteries in the camera are dead.

I'm Reading... The sequel to Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians. I can't say anything for the sequel (I'm about 30 pages in) but the first book, I can honestly say, is the funniest book I have ever read (I would say Princess Bride being a close 2nd.) I think I like the Alcatraz books because they're very much my sense of humor. Completely random. I also can not honestly call it a "wholesome" or "Christian" book. It's fantasy so there is some stuff that might be considered "magical". (They explain it as advanced technology, so there's no real magic.) I picked it up at first because I'm a librarian and it looked amusing. If you want to read a book for pure amusement's sake read Alcatraz Vs. The Evil Librarians.

I'm Watching... The Andy Griffith Show. I always forget how much I love that show. Aunt Bee is so cute, so is Opie, Barney is hilarious, and Andy is Andy.

I've Been Thinking About... My Grandpa's birthday. He's turning 70 on Christmas Eve Day (I always thought that was weird... Christmas Eve Day, kind of an oxymoron.) I got him a really nice present that I think he'll like. Hopefully, because I'm not the best present-buyer.

My Plans for This Weekend Are... Babysit tonight, go to a sledding party tomorrow afternoon, write, sleep, read, maybe go to a move...

I'm Listening to... Days Of Elijah by Twila Paris.

What I want for Christmas... These Extremely Cute Shoes.

Randomness... I wore my checkered flannel PJs until after 10 today. I was wearing them under my overalls under my big DQ sweatshirt under my jacket. Can anyone say snow storm?

Quote of the Day... "A smile cost nothing but gives much. It takes but a moment, but the memory last forever."

I'm Wondering...How I'm supposed to post, listen to some music and sing along,write, chat with Erica and read a book and do some school at the same time. Also, why am I trying to do all that at the same time? (I admit, the school is getting the least attention.)

I'm Questioning... Whether people like to read my blog or just do it out of obligation, is it interesting and fun, or just a chore?

God is... Merciful.

Life is... Busy

Children are... Adorable.

I am... Me.

I've Noticed...

If somebody in a story says "I would rather die!"

They often do.

*thinks*

"When It's Dark and it's Cold..."

Now I'm going to be honest. I deal with being fearful, overly fearful. Since I'm human and female this is not an unusual thing, but it's something that, lately I've realized, has been taking up too much of my time. I'm constantly worried about this or that, breaking this losing that, messing up something important etc. The annoying thing is, when I'm worried about something I get stressed, and then I usually mess it up anyways.

Now if I worry this much about little things you don't even want to know what happens when there's actually something to worry about. Take for instance this Sunday afternoon: Debi Katie L. and I went to a play a friend of mine was in. It was in a town about 90 miles away. We had a pleasant drive up and the play was really well done. About halfway through the performance Mom texted Debi "Call and leave immediately after the show. Bad Weather."

Needless to say, I was more than a little worried.

We started home in a light rain.

It turned to ice.

Then hail.

Then it got dark.

Then we got lost in the hills of southern Wisconsin.

On icy roads.

In December.

In the middle of nowhere with no cell phone reception.

I was slightly freaked out:-)

We finally stoped at a T in the road and Debi and Katie poured over the map.

"Where are we?"

Debi put in a CD and this song started to play:


Now I love this song, it's so simple and heartfelt I've heard it many times before but This verse had verse suddenly had new meaning to me:

When it's dark and it's cold
And I can't feel my soul
You are so good
When the world is gone gray
And the rain's here to stay
You are still good
So with every breath I take in
I'll tell You I am grateful again
And the storm my swell
Even then it's well and You are good.

As I listened to this I suddenly felt peace fill my soul. God is good. He'll take care of us and he didn't need me freaking out.

By some miracle we got through to Mom and eventually got home, we took the scenic rout but we got home safe and sound to our warm and dry home.

When the sun starts to rise
And I open my eyes
You are good, so good
In the heat of the day
With each stone that I lay
You are good, so good

With ever breath I take in
I'll tell you I'm grateful again
When the moon climbs high
Before each kiss goodnight
You are good

Umm.. Okay...

So I got home from work tonight to discover my I was locked out of my room.

No, there wasn't anyone inside my room.

No, I don't have a key.

No, I didn't lock it before I left. I know this because a certain party used my room as a passage way to get to the furnace room.

I tried the door a couple of times, so did Debi, it was definitively locked from the inside.

?????????????????????????????????????????????

I did eventually get it open, but only after moving some boxes of canning jars and having Luke crawl through a dusty passage way beside the water heaters from the closet to the furnace room back into my room.

Yes, I have a (sort-of) secret passage way in my house. I never really appreciated it much, until tonight that is.

I'm feeling irritated

Wordy Wednesday #5

Mood:The state of a person's mind; the general feeling of a group.

I've always loved the way LiveJournal does moods, but I'm dedicated to blogger, I'd never switch. So I decided to bringing moods to blogger when I found this cool set of Jane Austen ones. I'll try to put one at the end of each post as well as changing it about every time I visit so I now have a "current mood" gadget on the right part of the screen beneath my profile.

This is more of something I wanted to do than something for my readers.

I guess I'm feeling moody and random right now.

(BTW, I checked, there isn't one for random. A pity, I would use it often.)

How to Check a Book in at My Library in 8 Steps.

This was an English assignment where I was supposed to explain a process that was familiar to me, but that I was supposed to assume my reader knew nothing about. Enjoy!

Libraries are a part of modern life. It is a place to gain knowledge, or even just to enjoy some entertainment. Libraries are places of order, but do you ever think about the people who keep it that way? You randomly pull a book off the shelf check it out and bring it back. You drop it in the return book and think nothing else of it. After you leave a librarian must check the books in. Here how she might do it:

(We are of course assuming this library has updated to computers, instead of the old card catalog, which, while having it’s merits, is now old technology.)

First we must look at the quantity of book in the return bin, in this particular case; we have a square hole in the counter. Below is a hollow wooden box of the same size of the hole with a top on springs, the heavier the load of books in the return bin the lower the top. If there are only a couple of items in on top of the bin I advise taking checking them in with not much fuss. Easy.

If, as it is the norm, the return box is quite full of items, I advise going about it in this orderly fashion:

1.) Take everything out of the box. (If there are especially a lot of books and the top is way down you might have to go below the counter to remove the books more easily, especially if you are shorter than the average human.) Check for items that are wedged between the top and the lip of the box. Also when the bin is empty (and if it has wheels) roll it our from under the hole and check around the area for anything that might have fallen off the over-stuffed bin onto the floor. Replace the bin.

2.) The items you have removed should be placed in stacks around the hole on the counter. Divide them into sensible categories: The VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs, Books on Tape, Large Print, Children’s, Paperbacks, Teens, Mystery, Adult Fiction, Non-fiction and Fantasy all go into several assorted piles.

3.) Pick a pile and start with the item on top. (I usually start with the DVDs because they are high-demand.)

4.) Locate the barcode. (A barcode is a series of parallel vertical lines, or bars used yp assign a unique identification code.) Depending on the item and who it belongs to the barcode could be anywhere. On our DVDs the barcode is usually in the right side of the case above the DVD. Other libraries have the barcode on the front, some on the back. CD cases almost always have the barcode on the front.

5.) Place the barcode under the scanner’s red laser light. (A scanner is an input device that puts something into digital form.) Now this is the most difficult of the process, I can’t really tell you how to do it because it’s a “touch” one must learn how to do. You must place it in the exactly right place and pull it out quickly. There can’t be anything too close, even your hand, or the scanner will become confused. If the scanner reads the barcode correctly the name of the item with appear on the screen and the computer will give you a reassuring “beep”.

6.) If, indeed the barcode is on the inside of the case, when you open it you will be able to see if the DVD or CD is there. (You’d be surprised how many people return the case but leave the DVD or CD in the player.) If the DVD/CD isn’t present use your mouse to click where the name of the item appeared on the screen. The name of the patron who had had the item will show in a pop-up window. Write down the name and put aside to call later.

7.) Place the item on put it on the correct cart. In my libraries check-in area there are three carts surrounding the counter. To the left of the hole there is a two sided yellow cart with two shelves in each side. On the inside cover of most items is the month and year which the library purchased it; if it was purchased in the last six months, place in on the top shelf of the left side of the yellow cart. The top right shelf is where all the other books go (no matter if they are children’s, teens, adults etc.) Magazines go on the right and left sides bottom shelves. Adult DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs and Books on tape go on a single sided three shelved black cart behind me. DVDs on the top shelf, VHS tape on the middle and CDs and Books on tape on the bottom. There is a low one sided yellow cart to your right. Children’ DVDs, CDs and Books on tape go there.

8.) At our library we trade books with some neighboring libraries. If one of these borrowed items is returned the computer will tell you who to send it back to. You then put the item in the crate on the shelf below the computer that is there for just such a purpose. It is also possible that an item might be requested by a patron of the library when checked in the computer will tell you. You can then print out the slip of paper and tape it (with removable tape) to the spine of the item and put it on another shelf below the computer in the area marked “To Call”.

It is a possibility that a personnel item may be returned, or even an item from a church or school library that your library is not associated with. If it is a church or school library item return to the library. If it is a personnel item you can try to find the owner by searching the names of people who have just brought items back.

Sound complicated? Well then would you like to know then that the item is not even half-way back to it’s proper spot. From the carts it must go to the shelves in the staff room where it will sit until someone takes it and puts it on a different cart, takes it to the right place in the building and puts it on the right place on the shelf. (All this is has a system unto it’s self.) Often enough the item doesn’t stay there for more than a week, when somebody checks it out, takes it home, utilizes it, and drops it into the return bin. Here we go again.

Just Because I'm Silly...

Prince Caspian Bloopers