Spring Things

2010 notwithstanding, Lent and the Paschal season just don't seem to lend themselves to blogging for me. Maybe next winter I should write some posts and schedule them so I don't fall off the face of the internet during that very full time of the year. But perhaps you can just expect me to go on hiatus, and know that I'll likely show up again in June, we'll see. :) So what have I been up to? A lot of the same things as last year.

• Once again, I took some weekend trips to see friends and family. The second week in Lent, I headed down to Evansville for a surprise 65th birthday party for one of my aunts. I got my own surprise on my way back from church when my car (the one we bought less than a year ago) was totaled in a hit and run accident. Thankfully, although I was quite shaken up, I came out of it with only a small scratch on one arm and sore muscles. 
• Once again, we found ourselves unexpectedly in the market for a new car. After doing some research and looking at some used ones, we decided to buy a truly new car, not just new to us. My first ever. We realized that since we didn't have a trade-in to consider, a low-mileage compact used car like the one we had was actually pretty comparable in price to a new one, once you figured in the warranty. So we bought a new Hyundai Accent. It's green. It suits me down to the ground.

• Once again, we journeyed through Lent and Holy Week to the Feast of Feasts. And as always, I was slightly sad to see Ascension come along, bringing the end of singing Christ is Risen. And so, I say to you all: Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen! 
• Once again, I celebrated my birthday. 34 on Friday the 13th, but not just any Friday the 13th. It fell on Holy Friday. Somehow that always seems to be the case when my birthday falls on a Friday. With a birthday like that, I just consider it a moveable feast and celebrate during Bright Week. Actually this year I kind of dragged it out. We spent a weekend with my parents a few weeks later and celebrated with two Cincinnati favorites, dinner at the Grand Finale one night and Graeter's ice cream the next. Yummmm...
• Once again, I attended the Evergreen International Conference the last week in April. Last year I very much enjoyed traveling to Georgia for the conference. This year it was a bit closer to home, in Indianapolis. Not quite as much of an adventure, but it led James and me to play tourist in our hometown that week, which was fun. 
• Once again, I have been delighted by fresh vegetables with the start of the summer farmer's market season. 
• Once again, I've found a word game to play on my phone. This spring I've thrown over Word Feud in favor of Scramble with Friends. If you play, my user name is SarahinIndy. If you don't play, and you like Boggle, and need another time suck in your life, you can download the app for Android phones or iPhones. I think you can play it on Facebook as well.  
• Once again, we enjoyed some time with family over Memorial Day weekend. This year we stayed home, working and playing around the house, but my brother stopped in on his way back from a business trip in St. Louis. 
• Once again, we have spent some time working in the yard. Just a lot of clean-up so far, though. I have yet to get anything planted! Although the last month has been sorely lacking in precipitation, which doesn't bode well for the summer. Maybe I'll wait and plant some things in the fall.
• Once again, I squeezed in a few other things here and there...
• And continued to attempt to live a Christian life, again, with mixed success.

Things to which I have been up

Since the last time I wrote here I have:

• Spent a long weekend with our dear friends in Grand Rapids. Young men don't turn 6 every day, you know.
• Celebrated my own birthday. For my 6th birthday, I got a Peaches and Cream bicycle with a banana seat. For my 33rd, I got an enameled dutch oven and Legos.
• Entered with faith and love into Holy Week, and passed through it to celebrate the most glorious Resurrection of our Lord.
• Sung and proclaimed Christ is Risen! throughout the Paschal season. I'm sorry I didn't do so here this year, so I'll say it now: Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen! Because, of course, this is always true.
• Spent Bright Week in Decatur, Georgia for a conference for work, thanks to a grant. It was a really good conference, and I enjoyed Georgia very much. 
• Watched the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Braves in extra innings.

• Removed the wallpaper border in my bedroom, at long last.
• Loved heading straight to the farmer's market after work each Friday since the beginning of May.
• Gotten out of the cooking funk I was in, thanks to the joy of fresh veggies, and tried some tasty new recipes. I think I was really ready for the change of seasons. 
• Failed at finding my kitchen cleaning mojo when I got back in the cooking groove. Consequently it seems like the kitchen has been in a constant state of disaster lately. Ugh. 
• Planted my vegetable garden and my herb and flower pots.
• Weeded.
• Watered
• Weeded
• Watered.  Ad infinitum, it seems; we've had very little rain here since I planted the garden.
• Said good-bye to my beloved green VW Beetle. It needed over $3,000 of repairs. With much anguish, we decided it wasn't worth it to put that into the 10 year old car.

• Purchased a 2007 Honda Fit. It made more sense to put the $3000 toward a new car. I've mourned the Beetle, and am finding the new car to be a very good Fit for me.
• Spent Memorial Day weekend with my parents, and went to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It's huge. And free--if you're anywhere near Dayton, you should check it out. 
• Celebrated the Feast of Ascension, (speaking of things that are up).
• Signed up for Pinterest and have found it to be a lovely way to waste time, as well as a way to organize links that is fascinating to this cataloger's brain.
• Celebrated the Feast of Pentecost with green attire, kneeling, and a fund-raising dinner for a mission that's working to purchase a building.
• Spent some time with my grandmother.
• Been playing Word Feud. 
• Contemplated what I want for this space. I'm trying to decide whether it's valuable for me to establish some kind of discipline for when I post, or to just continue to let the blog be something I do when so inspired.
• Squeezed in a few other things here and there.
• Attempted to live a Christian life, with mixed success. 

And if you made it through that, we're pretty well caught up.

Icing--Or What to Do When You're Iced In

1. Clean your kitchen:
      a. scrub stovetop,
      b. scrub sink,
      c. clear clutter off your counters and clean them,
      d. clean the backsplash,
      e. wipe down your appliances,
      f. clear clutter off the top of your refrigerator and clean it,
      g. clean out your refrigerator.
      h. Get your husband to do the floor.

  2. Do four loads of laundry: wash, dry, put away.
  3. Count your blessings--in particular, thank God that the power has stayed on.
  4. Change the sheets.
  5. Clean the guest bathroom.
  6. Finish the book you're reading.
  7. Spend plenty of time reading blogs and playing on YouTube.
  8. And writing.
  9. Do a project you've been meaning to do for a long time, like seasoning cast iron.
10. Get a little stir crazy and go out in the back yard to take pictures

 11. Cook
      a. pot pie,
      b. a big pot of soup, and
      c. concoct a way to use up the leftover odds and ends you found when cleaning out the fridge.
12. Bake
      a. rye bread
      b. and cake--so you can do a little icing of your own.

100 Children's Books

Recently I posted my Birthday List, and now I'm going to go ahead and divulge that I love lists. Particularly book lists. Perhaps this is not a shock, considering that I'm a cataloger. I am not actually by nature a particularly organized person, but I love creating small pockets of order in an often disorderly world. I find it very satisfying. For instance, when I clean out a closet, I will repeatedly open it to gaze inside at the newly ordered shelves. Lists give me this same feeling. (So does a well written MARC record. Yep. I'm a cataloger.) 

All this to say that I just read this post over at Book Scout, and I want to join in the fun. This list is from the School Library Journal.

100. The Egypt Game – Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard – Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe – Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane – DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches – Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking – Lindgren (1950
94. Swallows and Amazons – Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn – Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted – Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School – Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall -- Mac Lachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father – Cleary (1977)
88. The High King -- Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday – Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek – Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse – Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief – Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three – Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Lin (2009)
80. The Graveyard Book – Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family – Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain – Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember – DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust – Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog – Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers – Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain – George (1959)
72. My Father’s Dragon – Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning – Snicket (1999)
70. Betsy-Tacy – Lovelace (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Stewart (2007)
68. Walk Two Moons – Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher – Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins – Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes – Stratfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago -- Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake – Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock – Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl – Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart – Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase – Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 – Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars – Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins – Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG – Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows – Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
51. The Saturdays – Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins – O’Dell (1960)
49. Frindle – Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks – Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy – Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows – Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass – Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest – Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie – Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me – Stead (2009)
38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix – Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It’s Me, Margaret – Blume (1970)
35. HP and the Goblet of Fire – Rowling (2000)
34. The Watson’s Go to Birmingham – Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach – Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH – O’Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic – Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh – Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising – Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess – Burnett (1905)
27. Alice I and II – Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet – Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women – Alcott (1868/9)
24. HP and the Deathly Hallows – Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods – Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux – DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief – Riordan (2005)
20. Tuck Everlasting – Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda – Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee – Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy – Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie – DiCamillo (2000)
14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia – Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit – Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game – Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth – Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables – Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden – Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)
6. Holes – Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone – Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time – L’Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte’s Web – White (1952)

So. The one's I've read are in bold. There are a few others that I may have read, but I can't remember for sure, so those are not bolded. You can tell that I haven't really been keeping up with children's books lately, so it will be fun to read the current ones. Plus there are a couple I've never read that are classics, so I'll be able to count those toward my goal for my other list! Now here's my plan: Each week I'm going to write a post about one of the books on this list. I'm going to do the whole list, both bold and unbolded. Any votes as to whether I start with number one or make it a countdown and start with number 100?

33 things to do before I turn 33

 1. Make spanikopita
 2. Make tamales
 3. Make 3 different kinds of homemade ice cream
 4. Bake bread once a month
 5. Make cheese
 6. Can something
 7. Eat something grown in our backyard
 8. Plant more bulbs
 9. Hang a fern in our front entry
10. Put up (and use) a clothesline in our yard
11. Organize our non-fiction books
12. Do a kitchen organization and spruce up
13. Make cushions for rocking chair
14. Do some decoupage
15. Finish Christmas project for our Godchildren
16. Make Christmas stockings
17. Finish the socks I have in progress
18. Knit some more dish cloths
19. Finally make that t-shirt quilt
20. Organize a photo scavenger hunt
21. Go to 3 garage, yard or rummage sales
22. Go on a walk at least once a month and take pictures to mark the seasonal changes
23. Get a conveniently portable, reusable set of dishes to use before next Lent
24. Get some glass dishes for taking my lunch
25. Visit a state I've never visited before
26. Get my hair cut
27. Visit the IMA 6 times
28. Play croquet at least 3 times
29. Start using a lectionary for daily Bible readings
30. Memorize 1 Psalm per month
31. Read 3 classic works of literature I've never read before
32. Continue posting at least once a week on average
33. Track my progress with this list