AccuRadio Holidays

Sometimes I get tired of the country music that plays in the central part of the offices where I work. My office is right off this central room and close to the source of the music. Sometimes I also don't like hearing the phone conversations of my co-workers.

So I provide my own soundtrack for working. Usually this consists of NPR - Morning Edition or All Things Considered. I like news and human interest stories. But sometimes my soundtrack is AccuRadio. Oh, the choices. The free choices. Broadway, obscure new rock, oldies, standards. This makes me happy.

But I was overjoyed when I discovered AccuHolidays. You may know my deep-seated love of Christmas decor, traditions and music (inherited from my parents - thanks guys!). This totally feeds my Christmas music needs. Look at the variety (seriously, go look now). It's so weird! You can choose the "Blue and white" and only listen to versions of "Blue Christmas" and "White Christmas." Or the "Let it Snow" and "Silent Night" channels. Do you really like "The Christmas Song?" Try the "Chestnuts Roasting" channel. I've been listening to the "Wide Playlist" channel so I can get my hymns, classical, comical, and pop all in one place. Plus, they let you block artist you don't want to hear. (Does anyone really want to hear a Hanson Christmas album? I thought not.)

I'm waiting for "Run, Run Rudolph!"

oh, I've been reading too...

Back in the working world after a bit of time off for trips to Florida and central Georgia (at least much more central than where I live) to visit both sets of the parental units. My nephew is cute, Sea World was fun, I got spoiled with lots of nice birthday gifts and we got a dining room table set for a steal at the Rooms to Go Outlet.

I finished Catch a Tiger by the Toe by Ellen Levine weeks ago. Quick yet deep read about a middle schooler whose parents are communists in the McCarthy era. Now I'm reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire before we go see the movie. Matt really wants to see it in the theater, but I want to finish the book first, so I have to get going.

It feels like things are crazy busy around here. We've both got special stuff going on at work and family coming in December. I realize now why adults always seemed harried (is that the right word?) around the holidays when I was a kid. There's lots to do! And, I've already done most of the Christmas shopping. I'll feel better when the Christmas tree is up, I think.

Snow!

It's snowing outside my office window right now! I love seasons!

Goodbye, little green car

I feel so stupid crying over a car. But here I am, doing it none the less. We're trading her in for one of these. The a/c went out over a year ago and the right speaker years before that. She's almost 10 years old. She's got 108,000 miles on her too.

In many ways, I won't miss her, but in many ways I will. She kept me safe during a serious rear-end collision. She listened to me sing badly to my favorite songs and kept my secrets when I cried over something or talked back to bad drivers or prayed out loud during those 4 hour trips from college to home and back again.

She's been a constant companion for nearly 8 years, taking me to high school, my first road trip, college, the GRE (with the fuel light on and a nearly empty tank), grad school, my first apartment, my first apartment with Matt, job interviews, jobs, from Florida to Georgia, and my first home. Matt still remembers the first time he drove her - when I got sick on a date and had to be taken back to school to throw up (I'm pretty sure it was a bad milkshake). She's held my books and my clothes, my music and my makeup, my groceries and my furniture.

More importantly, she's held people and experiences I love. I don't think I could name all the family, friends and acquaintances that have spent some time in her little gray seats. The serious conversations. The jokes. The many missed exits and turns and that one time I went the wrong way on the one way street.

She's never let me down, because I don't blame her for the four flat tires or the dead battery.

Now I guess I look forward to what will happen and who will sit in the new car. It'll take me to homes and jobs too. It will hold family, friends, and acquaintances. I hope someday it will hold babies. (The little green car wouldn't. Too hard to maneuver a little person and a car seat without four doors.)

So, family and friends, next time you see me I'll be happy to take you for a ride and make a new memory.

We're in the leaves...

We're in the leaves!

Wanna know what I did all day? Good. I'll show you.

This picture was taken this morning, from our front porch, about 9:00am.
There's supposed to be green, but you can't see it, can you? That's several inches of leaves, my friend.

And here's the same shot, this afternoon, about 4:00pm.
A little better, no? The leaf blower is my friend.

Rainey likes the leaves too.The weather has been nice (warm) enough to leave the windows open while I putz about the house. Rainey was very alert to any falling leaf or acorn out the back door.

Promised pictures, Part 2

There's construction going on this week at my library, so it's closed and everyone has the week off. Now that's a good surprise!

Monday I did housework and recovered from a weekend chaperoning some of Matt's students at a conference, yesterday I did some cooking and sleeping because I had an unpleasant headache and today I'm doing more housework and knitting. Fun, huh?

This gives me PLENTY of time to finally post some interesting things. Namely, promised pictures. A couple of weeks ago Matt put up light fixtures in the kitchen and dining areas.

Kitchen:


Dining (it's a new chandelier):


Also, notice that we painted that wall. It used to have the hideous butterfly/flower wallpaper. See here. We have ambitious plans to paint the kitchen cabinets this weekend.

More posts soon!

Promised Pictures, Part 1

As mentioned previously, I had a great reunion with the Olive Tree Circle college roomies last weekend. We're all so grown up now - two babies were in tow, but none of the husbands, and we talked about things like cleaning, cooking, jobs, and owning homes. Here's the entire group:

And, we decided to do something Halloween-y on Thursday, so we carved little pumpkins.

Matt's mom gave us a book of pumpkin carving patterns a few years ago and we finally put them to use. They came out great! I made a "fraidy cat" and Matt carved the bat trio.

Today we finally painted the wall in the dining area that used to have the hideous wallpaper. That will be featured in "Promised Pictures, Part 2." Goodnight!

Coooooold!

I'm doing an autumn storytime this week but it feels like maybe I should have just jumped right into snow! Today is quite grey and misty. According to the weather channel, it's 48 outside my window now, but tonight it should get down to about 34!

In other news, watch soon for pictures of house updates and my wonderful weekend reunion with my sweet college roommates.

And now it is October...

I'm sure it's October because it's chilly enough that people were wearing jackets when I just went to Ingles and I made soup (not from a can, I made it with fresh veggies and chicken in the crockpot) for dinner and the orange candle is out on our side table in the living room.

I've been busy with not much worth mentioning. Today three loads of laundry and bathroom scrubbing. I already finished a book I forgot to post - Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson, which I was not crazy about. Now I'm reading The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, which I do like so far. Why should anyone bother with books written for adults when children's books are so great?

I realized today that I have like 5 knitting projects going, and that I really should finish something up soon. Look for the updates in my Currently Knitting list.

Rainey says hello.

"To love what you do and feel that it matters - - how could anything be more fun?" -- Katherine Graham