library – Peaceful Reader

School Days/Summer Days

The school year is over! Literally Thank God! Tough year but also a wonderful year. Fantastic 6th graders I had to say good-bye to ( or really see you again) and some very tough cookies that I’m happy to move along to the next part of their educational journey.

Summer is here and I’m so happy to have this new summer. Last year at this time I was still healing from surgery and it was a thrilling day to just walk up and down the driveway and then eventually around the block. It was a hard and happy time; this summer I’m ready to take that healing to a new level with lots of yoga, walking, and bike riding. I’ve also got plenty of days set aside for reading on my patio and meeting up with friends.

We are headed to the Redwood Forest this summer and I’m very exciting as this trip has been on my bucket list for a long time, yes since childhood! I have 6 days for open library time at Hansen this year. I love to see students coming through the door excited to find summer reading material. It’s a joy and I didn’t get to do it last summer.

I will reminisce about sitting on the patio with my mom, playing cards with her time after time, or taking her to Scoopski’s for rhubarb crumble ice cream as I make my way through this summer but hopefully most will be happy thoughts and positive reflections. Some days it still seems so surreal.

September is really here

and school has been in session for two weeks. No longer am I welcoming students into my amazing library space to talk about books, pick out books, and work on projects. Instead I am pushing my library around on a cart; books and computer riding with me. It is a weird year. Oh did I mention the masks, and face shield, hand sanitizer, wipes-those are all there also.

Kids are happy to be together and most seem to be okay wearing masks everyday. I feel their strength in the idea that it’s better to be together with a mask on than not. We have one 5th grade student demonstrating irony to us every day with his “Trump 2020” black mask. IRONY. We are in this mess because of that guy.

We were to stay positive with both students and staff. I did get more books in on Friday and so next week after school will be a little like Christmas as I unpack them and get them in to our system.

This weekend I’ve done equal parts relaxing and getting things done around the house. The mess of life spirals so easily into piles on tables, mail clutter, laundry…so I worked to get that under control. I’ve also made lemon bars (recipe from my Baking Ill. cookbook), a butternut squash and kale soup, both produce from my garden, and an angel food cake recipe for my mom. She is struggling with some health issues and could use a more desserts in her life.

I am mourning Chadwick Boseman like everyone else in the world. I marvel at his ability to continue to make amazing art while he was very sick. The resiliency of people amaze me. I started to watch the whole Captain America series on Disney so I could understand the story line and see where Black Panther connects up. I also watched the pilot for Lincoln Heights, one of the first shows he did. My husband and I watched a great love story, Always be my maybe with Ali Wong, on Netflix and we started a new show Away with Hilary Swank headed to Mars. We are looking forward to the new series Enola Holmes at the end of September.

I haven’t just been cooking and watching! I am reading The Choice; a memoir by Dr. Edith Eva Eger. My brother sent this to me over the summer and it’s been on that stack of to-reads. Resiliency is the theme here today I guess. We are all going to make it through this one way or another. Let’s get to November, VOTE, and then keep voting for the good candidates, the ones who can get it done like finding ways to end racist laws/practices and climate change. The list is long…

Peace

July is almost over…

It’s been an amazing summer so far! It’s always hard to see summer melt away. And I’m one of the lucky ones in that I have days off to enjoy and sit in my hammock and read.

I met a friend at the farmers market this morning and I bought beets. She had a great time exploring-it was her first time at our downtown market-and she bought sweet corn, a huge tomato, and a berry pie. I’m sure they’ve finished at least half the pie by now. It looked delicious.

I met another friend at the library and we talked books for about an hour and a half. She’s also a librarian and she makes it to Book Expo so she is always far and ahead of me on what is new and great.

Book I finished yesterday:

Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson (2016): An excellent read about three boys who try to make their cancer-stricken teacher have a great last day before she leaves for treatments. Perfect for elementary and middle school.

In my bag now:

The Impossible knife of memory by Laurie Halse Anderson (2014): Recommended by a friend and I love Anderson’s work.

Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn (2017): Read about this one in an article about post-apocalyptic novels and after reading American War I decided this one sounded interesting as well. (RT update-I read almost the entire book in the car yesterday)

The Island of Dr. Libris (2015): Need to read for school, highly recommended.

The Witch’s Boy by Kelly Barnhill (2014): I loved Iron Hearted Violet and more recently The Girl who drank from the moon!

Recommended by my friend:

This is how it always is by Laurie Frankel
The stranger in the woods by Michael Fink
We were the lucky ones by Georgia Hunter
Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak
Small great things by Jodi Picoult

I’m excited to check some of these out from the library. After waiting and waiting for a copy of Alex and Eliza to come in at the library I finally downloaded it only to get a notice the VERY next day…#lessonlearned

It's a crazy time of year…

Work is crazy-good-but crazy. I have a new library assistant and it has been amazingly fun to work with her, train her, and watch her work and develop relationships with our students. I have 4 boxes of new books from Follett and several boxes from Scholastic to process and add to the collection. We’ve had several big school events that our group of leadership ambassadors have been part of and that just takes work from me to organize. It’s inspiring to work with them and pushes me in new directions but it’s challenging to add that to my already busy library tasks.

{Groovy Girl – 9th grade formal ready}

Home is crazy because dance is on extreme mode as we approach the end of May recital. We have costumes to attend to, tickets, pictures, makeup, pasties to buy. We also shopped for a 9th grade formal dress/shoes and that was a whole fun shopping night. We found beautiful shoes and an on-sale dress that matched and were perfect. Groovy Girl is going with a group of free-spirited girls and a few boys are tagging along with them. One (girl)friend will wear a suit of some sort, another a pair of sparkly Chucks with her dress, a few have dates, but most are just going to be together, dance, and have fun.

Home is also crazy because my husband has three different plays going on and is working with 1st graders at a local school. Plus he’s building a structure in our backyard to house a special new family pet. This enclosure has been time-consuming but it looks so beautiful. He had to take out our garden plot to build this so this year I will try gardening in the front yard plot plus some containers on the patio.

{Beauty uncovered}

We will soon celebrate Teenage Boy’s birthday-he’ll be 22 on Friday. No longer a teenage boy anymore but that lives on in my mind. We are celebrating together at an Italian restaurant in Marion. We will come bearing gifts fit for a 22 -year-old college student. He and his girlfriend took a quick trip, for a family wedding, to one of our favorite states-Colorado.

Anton is doing really well and has worked with a local organization that helps at-risk young adults return to school. He’s put in an application for Hawkeye Community College. That was a happy day. There is still a long uphill journey to go but at least we started out.

{Colorado Trip}

December reading

Ah December. I’m almost done Christmas shopping-YES! I’m in the process of decorating; the tree is up but not one ornament hangs on it yet. I’m crazy with homework; this Google advanced class is far more work than I expected. I am learning a lot so that does make it worth it.

With all the homework I’ve still managed to read two books so far this month and both were “thrillers”. I think I have to move away from this genre though for bedtime reading. One of the books gave me pre-sleep jitters…I got so involved with the characters and would continue to think about the situation while I trying to go to sleep.

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (2016); This is the one. Something about Scott’s character appealed to me because he was someone who was flawed and admitted it. The first scenes of him in the water with the young boy as they attempt to swim to shore were agonizing for me and I had to keep reading even though it should have been time to put the book down and get some sleep. Each section was a little like that. I appreciated Scott’s philosophy throughout the book and felt attuned to the message that we all have a purpose here. So many interesting characters held together by an excited story line and the political commentary fits so well with what we are experiencing now! Chapters are done in alternating POV so you get to hear and understand from a variety of characters.

Zero Day by Jan Gangsei (2016); I picked this out one afternoon with Groovy Girl at our local library. We were there on a mission to find some good books for her to read, not an easy feat, as she is a picky non-reader. Also she has an English teacher right now who is taking the joy out of the written word. But I digress.

Zero Day takes place in Washington DC and Virginia and is focused on the political scene. Addie Webster, the then Virginia governor’s 9-year-old daughter, is kidnapped one day right out of the governor’s mansion. Eight years later she resurfaces. Her DNA checks out and she is reunited with her family in the White House. It’s not an easy transition and it is difficult for Addie to realize that her family moved on even without her. Her kidnapper still has a hold on her though and so while she attempts to fit back into her family she also has to do some weird undercover assignments for her “father/kidnapper” who is the head of an international terrorist group. I like both Jan’s writing style and the main idea but it all got a little far-fetched for me.

Back-to-Back adult novels

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (2016):

Four Plumb siblings: Leo, Jack, Beatrice, and Melody fight over “The Nest”, a small fortune left to them by their late father. Repercussions abound as the fortune never recovers after Leo makes a huge error in judgement and borrows money without sibling knowledge or consent. Each Plumb family member deals with this is a variety of ways and the fallout after is monumental.

I can relate to this story without the large inheritance. It seems my three brothers and I can’t get along for 10 minutes anymore so this story hit close to home. This story is better writing than ours with a very unique cast of characters. Read this one if you like someone else’s family drama.

The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian (2016):

This tale revolves around a bachelor party gone extremely wrong from the get-go yet there is so much more to this story. Good guy big brother Richard Chapman agrees to host his brother Philip’s bachelor party without understanding that Philip’s friend Spencer has hired a service providing the entertainment. Richard’s wife and daughter are off spending the night in Manhattan with his mother-in-law. Philip’s friends have Richard’s beautiful house to themselves and are immersed in full enjoyment when the party comes to a crashing halt.

Bohjalian built a truly interesting tale around a timely topic and shows us the harsh reality of the sex slave trade. I enjoyed the alternating point-of-view as Alexandra’s character will move you.

Happy reading!

Craft Cocktails for the end of summer

Summer Cocktails

By Maria Del Mar Sacasa

I’ve had this checked out from our public library for a few weeks…and have yet to take the necessary time to make any of the recipes.

I love craft cocktails especially made from garden ingredients; think cucumber or rhubarb.

I wanted to make quite a few recipes from this book-that would have been a lot of cocktailing through September…I tried to pick a few of my top favorites-there were so many delicious choices though.

Bee Sting

2 ounces Barenjager honey liqueur

Champagne, prosecco, or sparking wine

Pour honey liqueur into a champagne glass or flute. Top with champagne. Serve.

This is an easy one but I love bees and this would be a great celebration cocktail!

There is a delicious recipe for Long Island Iced Tea that I would love to try because it would be far superior to the cocktail I drank in college on crazy nights. I’m interested in the homemade sour mix.

Also she talks about a Dark and Stormy and her recipe includes actual ginger slices with ginger beer-that would take it up a notch so, of course, I’m going to give that a try.

This would be perfect for a gathering of friends even in late fall:
La Dolce Vita

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into cubes

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 T granulated sugar

2 cups brandy

1 t lemon juice

2 bottles of Asti Spimante, chilled

2 cups fresh tangerine juice, strained and chilled

2 cups dry lemon soda, such as San Pellegrino, chilled

1 cup homemade sour mix

Ice chunks

1 cup red/green grapes, thinly sliced

Fresh thyme and rosemary twigs for garnish

Place apples in a large bowl. Rub lemon zest into sugar until no strands remain and sprinkle onto apples. Add brandy and lemon juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours.

Stir together wine, tangerine juice, lemon soda, and sour mix in a punch or other serving bowl. Add several large pieces of ice, the apple brandy mixture, and grapes. Stir. Serve drink in ice-filled cups, adding a scoop of fruit to each. Garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme and/or rosemary and serve immediately.

Salty Lime Soda (I love limes about as much as I love lemons)

6 fresh curry leaves
2 kafir lime leaves, cut into thin ribbons
2 T granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 ozs white rum
Ice cubes
1/4 cup club soda, chilled

Toast curry leaves in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and dry, shaking pan often, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a shaker. Add lime leaves, sugar, and salt and muddle. Add lime juice, rum, and ice and shake vigorously. Strain into an ice-filled glass and top with club soda.

I’m not exactly sure where I’m going to find curry or kafir lime leaves but it will be totally worth it.

Enjoy!

New library space!

When I switched districts and schools I knew that more than likely I wasn’t going to have a library space to start off the year. My start has been great none the less. I’ve met with kids in classrooms and have really enjoyed their energy! My space is slowly coming around though and I thought I would share some pictures.

New Circulation Desk

What is all this stuff?

Teaching area; will have comfy chairs

Teaching area with tables and chairs

Computer station for Destiny

Back room work area

Windows that will eventually have screens also.
Great windowsills for plants!

Pretty door area

The walls look bland in the photos (except for the big blue one) but they are actually a nice dark cream color. It is soothing and lots of color exists in the space. The ceiling is multi-layered and there are four skylights. Now we just need lots of bookcases and furniture! And of course all the books need to be unpacked. Kids here have lived a long time without a large library so this is going to be very exciting for them (and me!)

My library visit.

I picked up quite a bag full of books the last time I was at the library and have been reading furiously since then and guess what, I still can get them finished!

My life next door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (2012); Great YA fiction. Loved the relationship between Jase Garrett and Sam Reed. Samantha’s mother is a piece of work and easily could go down as one of the top ten terrible fiction examples for mothering. She’s a single mom with a big trust fund so she’s snooty and has never embraced the more earthy Garrett family, the next door neighbors. Sam, on the other hand, is fascinated with the Garrett family and spies on them from her bedroom rooftop. The Garretts are the polar opposite of Mrs. Reed; messy, loud, affectionate, and kind and Samantha quickly becomes one of them as Jace befriends her. There are several different surprises in this debut tale.

Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin (2013); Rory McShane has had a tough life so far. She also has an inssuferable mother who chooses terrible men over motherhood. Rory takes a job as an errand girl for the wealthy Rule family and even though she hasn’t had a parent to look up to she certainly has a strong moral compass. Set against the backdrop of East Hampton, NY Rory learns a few new lessons but leaves with a sense of purpose about her own life and what kind of person she truly is. Philbin is a wonderful writer and I’ve enjoyed her Daughters series as well.

Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson (2013); Amazing historical fiction, a sequel to Hattie Big Sky, that continues her journey as she heads to San Francisco with an acting troupe. Hattie is full of spirit as she meets new friends and gets a job at the famous San Francisco Chronicle. It may not be as a star reporter as she would like yet for now she’s just happy to walk through the heavy doors everyday. Hattie is such an enjoyable character that I would love to see a third book chronicling her next adventure as she moves to the Pacific Northwest! What do you think Kirby Larson?

Back-To-School Story Ideas

I’ve been back to school for two days now, attending meetings, planning with teachers, and cleaning up the library. On Monday I was exhausted by 10 am and ready for a nap. No kidding. Even though I’ve worked in my house over the summer somehow back-to-school wore me out.

How do you think the kids are going to feel those first few days? Worn out. Ready for a nap. Itching for their handheld electronics or endless amounts of television viewing. Teachers have to have their game on as kids enter their classrooms. Kids might come in thrilled for the new year yet it won’t take much to lose them if we aren’t centered and focused.

Here’s a short list of books that I think are perfect for the first few days of school.

1. First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg: I love this story as it has a bit of a twist that will make kids smile, maybe even giggle and the conversation after reading it is always enlightening. Sharing this book will show your students that YOU, the teacher, has a sense of humor. Busy Teacher’s Cafe has activities for this book-click their name to pull up website. And if you want a digital tie-in here is a video clip. The video ends just short of the surprise ending which leaves a window for students to make predictions. Find more teaching resources for this book at Unique Teaching Resources.

Pete the Cat; Rocking in my school shoes by Eric Litwin and James Dean: This jazzy title gives a quick and fun rundown of what the school days will be like and shares a quick trip around the school. It does not matter what your school shoes look like because once I introduced Pete the Cat last year and I plan to keep him rocking this year as well. The positive message won’t be forgotten. Video to share:

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn: This one is nearly a classic to teachers and children alike. Every year though I’m surprised by students who’ve never, ever heard the story. This is especially appropriate for pre-k, kinder, and first grade students who may have trouble letting parents go on the first days of
school. In my home copy I was lucky enough to have a page of heart stickers inside the book so every time I read it with my own kids I could grace their palm with a sticker. Make Learning Fun has activities to compliment this title. Share this collection of videos.

I hope everyone has a cheerful school beginning-we all deserve that, teachers and students alike. As teachers we have the ability to lift our students up and bring a positive message to their education.