Month: March 2023

Middle of the Night Weirdness

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Do you ever get woken up suddenly in the middle of the night? Around 2:30 this morning I shot upright in bed and I swear I heard someone playing guitar very quietly. 

Drew was fast asleep in bed and when I looked down the hall, Noah (the only other possibility) was almost certainly asleep too. (When I asked later he looked at me like I was crazy — he’s not a middle-of-the-night kid.)

The best explanation I could think of was that somehow my brain interpreted the sound of the humidifier with the sounds of noisy sleeping cats as music. It’s bizarre though because it’s not the first time I’ve been awakened by phantom “music.” It’s a little creepy – not going to lie. Have you ever experienced anything like this?

What I’m Reading

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Well, if you went by the information in my sidebar it would seem that I haven’t read anything since last month! I’m happy to say that is not true. I’m reading just not updating it for some reason. I thought today I would share what I’m working my way through now.

First is the book I’m reading for the Global Literature Book Club at work, The Anomaly  by Hervé Le Tellier.

In June 2021, a senseless event upends the lives of hundreds of men and women, all passengers on a flight from Paris to New York. Among them: Blake, a respectable family man, though he works as a contract killer; Slimboy, a Nigerian pop star tired of living a lie; Joanna, a formidable lawyer whose flaws have caught up with her; and Victor Miesel, a critically acclaimed yet commercially unsuccessful writer who suddenly becomes a cult hit. All of them believed they had double lives. None imagined just how true that was.

The selections for Global Lit are hit or miss for me. (I think a lot of it depends on who is recommending the book.) I’m listening to this one one audio and it is really captivating so far. The premise is interesting, the characters have me curious to know more about them, and I can’t wait to see where it goes!

I’m also readding Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. 

In this exhilarating novel by the best-selling author of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry two friends–often in love, but never lovers–come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

I have not had a chance to delve into this one yet (my hold was just filled on Libby), but I am so excited that it is finally my turn! Drew finished the audio this weekend and absolutely loved it. This book is a contender for another book club at the library (one that someone else manages), and I have not heard one bad thing about it yet.

Are you reading anything great at the moment?

On the Menu

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  • Monday: Turkey meatballs with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce 
  • Tuesday: grilled chicken, rosemary roasted red potatoes, asparagus 
  • Wednesday: Date night! Restaurant week at Terrapin
  • Thursday: Crock Pot pulled pork, coke slaw, macaroni and cheese
  • Friday: Kale and chickpea stew, naan
  • Saturday: Grilled steak, salad

Curtain Call

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Today was the final performance of Noah’s last high school Drama Club musical! He played Prince Dauntless in “Once Upon a Mattress” and did a fantastic job! I will miss seeing him on stage here at the high school, but I’m confident other opportunities await!

Productive Saturday

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Today I…

  • slept in until 8
  • ate a delicious croissant breakfast sandwich made by my husband 
  • folded & put away 3 baskets of laundry 
  • washed and folded the tablecloths for the library 
  • watched the first episode of the new Waco docu-series 
  • crafted with my Silhouette 
  • went to Mass
  • grabbed groceries at Walmart and Sam’s
  • picked up Applebees for dinner 
  • watched John Wick: Chapter 3 with my husband 

Well, almost all of it. Our son’s post-musical plans seem to have fallen through and we got a “please pick me up” text, so the last half hour will have to wait.

Hope your Saturday was a good one!

Friday Routine

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I am definitely a create of habit. I enjoy planning and routines. (It might be the control freak in me, LOL!) Anyway, today was the last day of my current Friday Routine. During what I call “annual appeal season” every Friday I need to check the P.O. Box for work, just in case any donation checks were sent there instead of our physical address. I have been waiting on one check so we could close out this year’s appeal and it was there today so I can resume my monthly visits instead of weekly. (We rarely get anything delivered there.) This is our tiny little post office!

Because it’s in a part of town that I rarely need to visit, I always feel like I deserve a treat for going out of my way, so I usually hit up our local Stewart’s for coffee and a muffin. Their chocolate cream cheese muffins are my favorite, but I didn’t see any today so I got a cinnamon crunch muffin along with my usual dark roast. Honestly, it is probably best that I slow my Stewart’s stops down because the muffins really aren’t helping me with my weight loss goals!

Our town is very small — barely over 4,000 people. It does not have its own school district, so kids who live here attend school in one of four other districts. Also, aside from the Agway and Stewart’s, there aren’t any chains here. If you enjoy small town, country life, Clinton is definitely the place for you! We have a couple small café/delis, a sit-down restaurant, a wine shop, a gift shop, lots of farm markets, and two vineyards. You will not be seeing a fast food restaurant, supermarket, or major drug store here anywhere soon, which I like for the most part, but sometimes I wish I didn’t have to travel 15 minutes for these types of things. Of course, it is a small price to pay for all of the open space and nature we enjoy. When the weather is nicer and flowers are blooming I want to do an “around town” post to show off some of these picturesque spots.

At any rate, with the check in my bag and coffee in my hand it was time to head to work for the day. I’m not sure if I have ever shared a photo of the outside of the library on my blog, so here it is:

I also took this photo as a “before” image because we are finally (finally!) moving forward with an ADA ramp project that started in 2018. (Lots of small town government drama that we don’t need to get into.) But at the Town Board meeting last week, the bid was accepted and hopefully by summer we will have a new accessible entrance.

So that was the start to my day. I am trying to get a bunch of items checked off my to-do list and I will be super happy when 4 PM finally rolls around! TGIF!

Spring Wreath

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One of my goals for the year was to spend more time on my hobbies. I have always loved crafting. When I was really little and had a subscription to “Highlights” magazine, I remember the arts & crafts section was my favorite! In high school I handmade lots of cards and used to love making those fabric covered photo albums (oh, my goodness, who else remembers those?) Over the years I have enjoyed creating all kinds of things and since taking my current job a few years ago, and balancing it with the kids and everything else that still needs to be done at home, it has been challenging to find a balance, but I think I am finally there!

I wanted to make a new wreath for the front door and I was inspired by another crafter in a Dollar Tree Facebook group I belong to. I fell in love with the design and was so happy to find all the supplies at my local store! This afternoon I spent some quality time with my trusty glue gun and within a half-hour or so had this Easter/Spring wreath to hang up. 

With my Spring decorating underway, I now just need the warmer weather to go along with it!