At Home Librarian

I created a new site.

NOOOOO...I'm not ditching this one completely.

I'm attempting to learn the value of freedom through discipline.

Ahhh...Disciprin...if you get that reference, we should be friends.

Anywho...

Here's the link to the new site:

athomelibrarian.me

So why the new site?

It's really an effort to reach out to the community as a librarian while I don't technically have a librarian position.  The blog will focus on book reviews, library trends and news, happy news around the world, and information literacy tutorials.  I'd love for you to drop by and visit in your free time.

I'll also be using the site to offer the following services:

• book recommendations
• reference services
• research assistance

Hope you drop by!

Mail Sorter Recover

We had a serious problem with mail. It was so bad that I refuse to post a picture to show you.  A few times, things got misplaced because we didn't have a clearly designated mail area, or we just didn't have any organization to the grand scheme.

I made an executive decision and informed the hubby that I would be purchasing a mail organizer.

I scoured the internets for days.  The traditional ones through amazon.com, or Office Depot, etc. were just much more than I wanted to shell out for something to hold our mail.  It's not like we are running some kind of executive office out of our home!

Pinterest provided several DIY projects but none of them spoke to me.

That's when I hit up the thrift stores and stumbled upon this gorgeous gal:

Beautiful in all her paisley pink glory.

As much as I like the lady-like pink paisley appeal, it didn't really go with our kitchen, which is light gray and white with a splash or two of black and blue (don't worry...it works).  Enter some extra fabric I have laying around:

No, this isn't taken in grayscale.

I just so happen to have these from when I covered our cork board to make it prettified (that's a word...sort of).  So here's what I did in pictures:

I used a glue stick.  I have about ten on hand at all times.

More glue stick.  Say hi to my compy!

Glue glue glue...pull, stretch, flatten fabric.

YAY!  Outside done!

Cover the first inset...

ALL DONE!

I realize some of you may have been expecting a walk through tutorial on this.  No can do.

Why?

Because to be honest, it was just a lot of glue stick, carefully stretching and flattening the fabric against the surface.  I have no genius way for how I covered corners or magically fit things over the insets.  I just snipped a little corner here, a little more there, and prayed.  If that didn't work, I'd recut.  Thankfully, I had enough scraps of these fabrics to cover.

Now that we've had her up for a few weeks, what do we think?  Love her!  She is the perfect size, is durable, and she has definitely cleaned up our mail area tremendously.  She even has her own little shelf in our kitchen.

Oh...what was the cost?

OK I could say the fabric was $0 but I did buy it at some point.  The fabric all together cost me about $3 because I bought the fat quarters on sale at Joann's (LOVE ME SOME JOANN'S).

The mail sorter?  $3 at a thrift store because she was 50% off.

Six bucks for a pretty and efficient mail sorter?  Sounds good to me!

Resolutions revamped.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I'm hoping that you guys are all looking forward to 2013. A new year always brings much excitement. I'm reminded of something that Zig Ziglar said. This is paraphrasing but essentially he said, why wait until the new year to make a change? Today is a new day! Make the change now.

But that's not really what I'm writing about tonight.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about what my resolutions for 2013 should be. Every year, I make a list of resolutions, typically between 5 and 10. Apparently, I like to overwhelm myself. As I'm sure you can guess, this approach hasn't worked out. I forget about them by March and don't think twice about them by December. And suddenly, I'm greeted with a new year. New resolutions! That never come to fruition.

So this year, I decided that rather than a list of resolutions I'm creating a bucket list. I don't view bucket lists as "have to" do. Rather, I see them as goals to hopefully achieve. I wish that didn't sound as flaky as it is coming across but at the moment, eloquence and clarity seem to escape me.

Moving on...

What is on this list? I'm not going to share the whole thing because I'm already up to 15. But here are a few:
-read 52 books that are not textbooks
-complete couch to 5k
-reach 600 books in my collection.
-open my etsy shop

What is on your bucket/resolution list for 2013?

Wag of the Spoon: Girl Panties

Warning: this post might piss someone off.  You've been warned.

I decided this year to participate in the Christmas donation project that was taking place at Stephen's Mommy's Day Out program.  I offered to buy a pack of girl's underwear.  No age was indicated.  Just "Kid Size".  

(This story starts out innocent enough right?)

Off I went to the store with Kathryn (Note: I'm intentionally not naming the store).  When we arrived at the girl's section, there was a shelf unit set up specifically for displaying packs of girl's underwear.  Yay!  So easy right?  

Wrong.

Much to my dismay (yes...DISMAY), there was quite the selection for the style of underwear.  What do I mean style?  I mean, that the size 4 (that's for a FOUR YEAR OLD) underwear pack did not just come in your traditional briefs style.  No no.  You could also select "hipster" (...what?) or "bikini" (....jaw drop...EXCUSE ME?).  

Look, I am not saying that I don't have a collection from Victoria's Secret that has the most ridiculous amount of style choices.  Because I do and I'm proud of it.  But I'm also an adult woman.  

WHAT FOUR YEAR OLD NEEDS TO BE WEARING BIKINI UNDERWEAR?!  And look, when I say bikini, I'm talking underwear that has the two bands on the sides attaching the front and back parts of the underwear.  

Some people are really upset (and rightfully so) of the increase of teen pregnancy.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not about to point at these underwear packets and say "THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM!"  But I think it speaks volumes about how quickly our children are being exposed to a more sexualized nature if four year olds have the option of bikini underwear.  

So this Wag of the Spoon is going out to the panty brigade.  Let our little girls be LITTLE!

It's also going out to those who buy these.  Why?  Because if there wasn't a market for it, they wouldn't be made.  Supply and demand.  That's what keeps those wheels turning.

Connecticut shooting

I weep today for the victims of the shooting in Connecticut.

I weep for the family and friends of the victims and the shooter.

I pray for comfort and peace for all involved and touched by this tragedy.

I pray for peace and mental clarity for all those who may be silently suffering in their own depth of darkness.  

Today, I pray for a blanket of love on all of us.