What you don't realize: daily duties of a librarian assistant

I love the public library! It is one of my favorite places to be...all of the books at your fingertips just waiting to be read...all of that knowledge...and it's free, provided you return it on time and not spill your coffee on it!

Of course there is a lot of work that goes into the library so people like you and I can enjoy this wonderful freedom. We must never take the library for granted...especially the librarians. It might seem like they have an easy job. You may think that all they do is check books in and out and put them back on the shelf. Well, that is just not so!! There is so much more to their job than that!

Recently, I have been enlightened about the responsibilities of a librarian assistant. I have a wonderful friend named Kathy, whom I know through the blog world who is a librarian assistant. Her blog is Kathy's Trip Through Life  I always enjoy reading her posts, as she always has something interesting going on at the library or in her daily life.

I asked Kathy if she would write a post about the daily doings of a librarian assistant. I was so curious about her work, as she was always saying that sometimes it's hard to get all of her work done in her shift. I was often wondering what was the work that she couldn't get done. I knew there was much more to her job than I as a patron knew or realized. She so graciously answered my request and wrote about her job.

Please click on the link I have provided to read about her daily duties at the library. 

Kathy's trip through life: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A LIBRARY ASSISTANT  

*When you leave a comment on her blog, please let her know that I referred you. 

*If you remember, please comment here and let me know you read her awesome post!

 I know it will give you a greater appreciation for your local librarian!! It certainly has for me!

P.S. For some reason the link to her post puts you at the very bottom of her post..please just scroll up to the top of her post...I am SO not good at creating links!! LOL Either way it gets you there! Thank you!!

Apple Cozy

 

An apple cozy. 

You need this!
Don't deny it.

I am completely smitten by my new apple cozies!
I saw the idea on Pinterest...and immediately messaged my friend who crochets.
She whipped up about 20 different cozies for me to pick and choose from.

I bought 8.

I could have bought more.
I wanted to buy more.
I will buy more!

 I'm taking an apple in a cozy to my son's teacher for open house.

I gave one to my friend as a hostess gift when she threw a campfire weiner roast for our Bible study group at her home.

I'm going to give one to my mother-in-law today when I deliver a home cooked meal for their dinner because my father-in-law just got out of the hospital/rehab from a very painful back injury.

 I'm giving one to my neighbor today when I return her travel mugs she lent my hubby and son for a backpacking trip so they could make tea and oatmeal and what-not.

I want to give one to my son's principal because she rocks.
She's a tough bird, but a fair bird who somehow naturally commands authority and trust.
She is exactly what elementary school students need.
I'm sorta scared of her, but not really.
LOL
Does that make sense?

The opportunities for giving apple cozies are endless.
It's like giving a smile you can hold in your hand.

Oh and did I mention...the girl that makes these only charges $2.00.
She's already planning to make jack-o-lantern faces and Santa faces for teacher gifts.

P.S.
I'm purchasing a small, chubby pumpkin today.
I've asked her to crochet a cozy for my pumpkin..
Solid black with a big brown button!
I'll be sure to share a picture when it's done.
I think it will be absolutely beautiful!

Brown Sugar & Thyme, Roast Pork with Apples

I have to tell you about the dinner I made the other night!

It was....SO DELICIOUS!

Brown sugar & thyme roast pork with apples...yes please!

I have a bit of leftovers in the fridge, and writing about this makes me want to go eat what's left!

Ok, this is easy, easy, easy!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place pork roast in a casserole dish.

Peel and rough chop 3 or 4 apples.

Place apples around the roast.

Drizzle olive oil over roast.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over roast.

Sprinkle handful of brown sugar over roast and apples.

Dress roast with fresh sprigs of thyme.

Cook in oven for 50 to 60 minutes depending on size of roast.

Discard sprigs of thyme after cooking. Enjoy!

Presque Isle State Park

A few weekends ago, we took the kids for a day trip to Lake Erie. We live in PA, so this would be the part of the lake that borders PA. Lake Erie is huge! It is the 4th largest lake in the 5 Great Lakes in the U.S. It is 241 miles long and 57 miles wide at it's widest point. The lake extends to the north where it meets Canada and to the south where it borders Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York...to the West, Michigan. Fortunately for us, we only live a couple hours south of Erie, so day trips are totally possible. And you know what??? I can't wait to go back!

We visited Presque Isle State Park, which is located on an absolutely beautiful peninsula! Presque Isle is actually French for "almost an island".

Can I tell you....I love Presque Isle State Park! It is absolutely gorgeous! The park is so beautifully maintained. I grew up going there every year for family vacations. My parents, us 6 kids, aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents would all go for one week every summer.

It was incredibly fun! We would all stay in these quaint little cottages just outside of the park. The cottages are still there and that makes me very happy. Every day, each family would load their kids, laundry baskets full of beach toys, and coolers full of food and head out to one of the 7 beaches on the peninsula.

The memories I have of this place....oh the memories...wonderful! It's one of those memories that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy and nostalgic inside.

There is also a Coast Guard station and 2 lighthouses on Presque Isle. I've only been to one lighthouse which is located on Lighthouse Beach, but the next time I go back, I am definitely scoping out the other.

Just before you get to the park, there are a couple of very fun, very quaint, family diners. Excellent food and great prices.

I loved it! You can also get ice cream there. Yes, we were there twice that day with the kids. Once for lunch, and later after swimming, for ice cream cones.

If you ever get to visit Lake Erie on the PA side, you HAVE to visit Presque Isle State Park and the town of Erie.

There's a number of things that I could go on about...especially the quaint, nostalgic, small amusement park just before you get to the park, called Waldameer.

I grew up riding these rides...the old metal boats in a foot of water that went in a circle....the wooden roller coaster called The Comet. The haunted fun house that my mom insisted I go into...traumatizing me for the rest of my life!! {I just knew we would go in, but we would never come out!} Memories of that amusement park play through my mind like an old 8 millimeter film strip. The cottages, the beaches, and Waldameer are some of the best memories of my life.

I don't know if you will ever find yourself in northwestern PA close to Lake Erie...but if you do, visit Presque Isle State Park and make some sweet sun-kissed memories of your own.

I'll never be the same again

Hello my friends.

It is I, Bonnie.

I am a changed person.

I am trying to get a grip.

5:00 am this morning I heard a sound.

I checked the hallway...nothing.

I looked downstairs...nothing.

I went back to bed.

Ok, let's rewind a minute here.

My 9 year old son came into our room at about 4:45 am.

He told us he heard noises.

Ok, it's nothing, go to sleep.

He stayed in our bed for a little while.

Fine.

This is not too unusual...

He is usually telling us there might be an alien outside his window.

or

What if Big Foot is real.

oh

and the latest...

Apocalyptic zombies might really exist.

ok

So...this is par for the course around here.

Ok, back to the story.

I heard a crinkle of a plastic grocery bag.

Turned on the light....checked the bag...nothing.

Turned off the light.

Heard a bump on the wall.

Turned on the light...nothing.

Wait...not nothing!!!!

A bat is flying around my room!"

Holy Crap!

I scream "It's a bat!"

My husband hops out of bed.

He says "stay calm, stay calm."

I get down on the floor and cover my head with the blanket.

Sure enough the damn thing LANDS ON THE BLANKET ON THE BACK OF MY HEAD!

I say "I think he landed on me! I think he landed on me!"

My husband comes around the side of the bed...

wait....

He can't see a thing without his glasses!

He goes back around the bed to get his glasses.

I can hear my 9 year old son saying

"Oh! Hi bat! Awesome! Hey bat! That's cool!"

I then see my hubby coming towards me with a T-shirt.

He says "Don't move, don't move, don't move."

He throws the T-shirt over the bat..

the bat screeches in my ear!!!!!!!!!!!

Not a sound I ever planned on hearing in my lifetime!

More of "don't move, don't move."

I can't take it any longer!

I wriggle out from under the blanket...

I try to stand and run, but sorta stumble to the floor.

I proceed to crawl and and basically scratch and claw my way

to the bathroom looking exactly like someone in a horror movie

trying to escape the masked chain saw murderer!

I make my way to the bathroom on all fours and close the door.

I do not move from that spot.

I am in the dark, on the floor, eyes wide as saucers!

Hubby folds bat up inside blanket, takes blanket downstairs and throws it outside.

Bat flies away into the darkness.

Hubby comes back upstairs into bathroom to console me.

I ask him several questions...none of which I can even remember right now.

He says "I'm sorry, but I'm trying so hard not to laugh, but I can't help it!"

He starts to laugh but tries not to.

I am not offended by his laughter.
My hubby loves me so much, but he is not easily shaken.
He knows I am a spazz.

Hubby continues to console me and eventually we go back to bed.

I don't sleep.

I cry a little...

and think...a bat landed on me.

:(

Seriously!
Did I really have to go through that?

I keep asking God..

"God, why did the bat have to land on me?"

"What are you trying to teach me?"

P.S. No animals were harmed in the horrifying-ness of this situation!
My hubby even said he tried to be delicate while folding the blanket over the bat so it's wings did not get damaged.

P.S.S. No one was bit by the bat...no one was hurt...thank goodness!
And my 9 year old son had an awesome story to tell at school!

 :)

just an update

The kids are back to school and the weather has cooled...54 degrees this morning with a steady downpour of rain. However, I'm snug as a bug in a rug on the living room floor...large mug of coffee to my right. I've got one window open just a bit...fresh air flow and the sound of rain drops are SO therapeutic.

On Saturday, the hubs and I..as well as the boys, wandered through IKEA...inspiration for a living space in our master bedroom. I've got some great ideas a'brewin in this little head of mine. Thank goodness for my husband...he is very creative and can carry out any idea we come up with. By the way...have you ever had the $1.00 cinnamon rolls from IKEA?? HoLy CoW, they are crazy good!

Sunday afternoon found our family perusing Barnes & Noble. Man do I love that place. I really, really LOVE a really, really good book store! I only wish there wasn't a toy section to distract my kids from enriching their minds with reading. Don't get me wrong...Barnes& Noble has THE BEST toy selection ever! In fact, I already have my nephew's 1 year birthday gift picked out! It's just hard to get the kids interested in looking at books when in the corner of their eye they spy the coolest doo-dad you've ever seen! Once they've spied the toy section, it's all over.

Sigh.

I've been working on cleaning up and cleaning out. More specifically...my master bedroom. Over a period of 2 days, I hauled out 3 bags of trash and 3 bags to give to the thrift store. I have plenty of room in our master to have a "living area". This will be what you all know as "decorating on a dime"...but I am still excited as my hubby and I have come up with some great ideas.

Until next time....I'll be sewing up a storm...I bought fabric for curtains for the master bath.

:)

Farmer's Wife

Trying my hand at charcoal sketching.
My second drawing.

She's a tired old girl.
She rises early to make biscuits and gravy for the Mr.

:)