Ash Wednesday

I have never given up anything during the Lenten season. But this year, I am.
Well, I'm trying.
This year I am giving up meats and sweets.
For forty days.
I hope.
You see, it's 6:30 p.m. on Day One of my Forty Day Lenten Fast, and already I find myself bargaining to get to the next meal.
"Here you go ... some almonds until lunch time."
"Here you go ... some fruit to tide you over til supper time."
When of course all I really want is the Double Stuff Oreos that are on sale at Ingles.
I am hopeful that some local seasonal fruits or veggies will be available before Easter, but probably not.
So if you have vegetarian recipes you want to share, please do ... I am not giving up dairy, so feel free to share those recipes, too.

In other news ...

• School is going well for all at our house.
• Our 8-year old is on track for the 3rd 9-weeks Principal's Honor Roll (all A's) and our 4-year old loves preschool more than chocolate (which is a tremendous accomplishment for preschools everywhere).
• I am doing well and can hardly believe May 1st is just 9 1/2 weeks away - Wow! I really need to buckle down on my application for Grad School, as it's due 3/15 (yikes!). 
• We need to re-home two pets. We are re-locating and have 4 pets (two dogs, two cats). Since we are going to be renting for a while we have run into an issue with that number of pets. So, we are looking for a new home for: 
•  Jedi (20-month old male orange tabby cat who has been fixed and is in excellent health). Jedi is a rescue kitty who is the opposite of every stereotype about cats - he is incredibly affectionate and loves to play and snuggle. 
• And for Lucky, a rescue dog who has been with us since Thanksgiving of 2005. We think that he is about 7 years old. He weighs about 45 pounds and prefers women to men. He is also in great health. If you or someone you know might be interested, please comment with your e-mail and I will happily tell you more. We will be asking for veterinary references for any home that either of our pets go to - they are very loved, but we have to be reasonable about where we can live. 

Ummm ... that's all, for now.

Happy Ash Wednesday!

Valentine's What?

Just sitting here, the day before Valentine's Day, watching my recently-turned-four-year-old address and sign her own Disney Princess Valentine cards, that's all.
Wow.
A week ago, she could only write her name ... this week, she wrote her brother's name, her cousin's name, her grandparent's names and "Daddy" ... Um, I dunno about you, but where I come from, that's almost as awesome as say ... a Grammy.
And speaking of Grammy's ...

Did you watch? 

I did. 

I watched because I wanted to see the performances but also because I actually know two artists who were nominated. Um, yeah - I'm awesome like that.
Peter Cooper was nominated for Best Children's Album for his album I Love: Tom T. Hall's Songs of Fox Hollow. Peter didn't win, but that's o.k.  - he's got lots more music to make and I'm excited for him. I am also looking forward to taking my children to hear and see him perform live in our hometown this March.
Laura Story was nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Song for her song, Blessings. I met Laura for the first time when I was in high school and she was a student at the University of South Carolina and part of the band Siler's Bald. Although we grew up in the same town, we don't really know each other, but we've met at several functions and I was excited to see a hometown girl win.

“It was wonderful to see a fellow Spartan, Laura Story, win a Grammy,” Peter Cooper told the Spartanburg Herald-Journal's Dan Armonaitis after the afternoon ceremony. “My award came when (Grammy-winning Country Music Hall of Fame member) Emmylou Harris told me she voted for me.”

Highlights of televised portion of the Grammy's (at least for me) were:

• Hearing Alicia Keys & Bonnie Raitt pay tribute to Etta James, singing her Sunday Kind of Love; 
• the Glen Campbell Tribute (so, so amazing to see how gracefully he is handling an Alzheimer's diagnosis) - The Band Perry, Blake Shelton and the Rhinestone Cowboy himself took part and it was beautiful; 
• Taylor Swift's performance of her awesome song, Mean (click on the link and scroll down to watch) ... Just have to say that I love this song and if you're wondering, the entire album is just as strong musically and lyrically; 
• Foo Fighters winning Best Rock Album. 'Cause seriously, they were the only rock band nominated and they recorded the album in their garage!; 
• A new band ... the Civil Wars. Oh. My.
• And of course, Adele. I'm not really sure that there are words to describe her amazing voice and if it's that amazing from the television, I can't imagine seeing and hearing her live!

Alrighty then. That's all for now, y'all. Go listen to some amazing music and Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Just Sayin'

My last day of undergraduate classes: April 24 (a day full of exams).
That's 11 weeks.
Or 22 days, since I only have classes on Tuesdays & Thursdays.
264 HOURS of class time.
Um. Wow.
Last week my Grad School folder came. No, not the one that says "accepted" (although that one will be so much more awesome!)  - the one that gives all the details for what I must do for admittance:

• GRE Score
• 2 Professional Letters of Reference
• 3.0 GPA

I am a little anxious about applying (Deadline is March 15), but it's still what I want to do.
Master's of Library & Information Sciences.
I'm already dreaming of literacy programs & books clubs; of ordering new books & putting them out for my students to read; for helping with research & pointing kids toward books they'll love & bringing in authors & holding writing seminars.
I'm actually getting giddy just typing this.
So ... 22 days of this preparation for the next thing.
And there will be a next thing.