Back to School Book Lists

In the fall, I always want to make a fall book lists. Books that remind me of school, recommended reading on school lists or books I read and loved in high school and college. I never had a recommended reading list and I've always being jealous of those who did.

 

These are some of my favorites:

 

Prep

Curtis Sittnefield

 

 

Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

 

East of Eden

John Steinbeck

 

Commencement

J. Courtney Sullivan

 

 

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

Alright, get reading and be happy you won't be reading for grades but pleasure!!

Where one door closes, another opens...

In life, we often have to make difficult decisions. I made one of those decisions this week when I accepted the library director position at North Versailles Public Library and submitted my resignation from my current position of director of marketing and development and teen librarian at the Western Allegheny Community Library.

 

The decision has prompted a range of emotion. Excitement at the opportunities present at this new position. Sadness at the thought of leaving my coworkers who after three years together have become family. Anxiety at the realization that I'm switching jobs and getting married in the same month. But mostly I'm just happy. Happy to be moving on.

 

When I graduated from Kent State University, I told myself that I wanted to be a library director within three years. I missed the mark on my graduation date but I'm still within a year. I'm proud of the hark work I've completed and the contacts I've made since then and that at the age of 30 (gasp) I will be a library director!

 

So as my final days wind down to a week and I prepare for my replacement (two people!), I'm met with bittersweet feelings. The excitement continues to mount (it probably doesn't help that our wedding is less than a month away!!) but also sadness to say goodbye. As my dear friend Alex says, "It's not goodbye, it's see you later."

 

So, here's to new beginnings (a little closer to home!)!!!

 



Map Art

When we went through my grandparents books before selling their house, I found an old atlas from the 1970's. I kept it because it was vintage and I thought maybe one day I could use it for something. These were the days before Pinterest.

Jump ahead 10 plus years and I rediscovered the atlas as I was organizing our office. The atlas has become my new project. We have the ugliest white walls in our apartment and it is my goal to add something to them. With a wedding very soon, we have no money for real art either.

Solution - frame a few of the maps and hang them in the hallway. Simple and affordable. Dennis and I each chose two countries. He chose England and Germany, two countries his family is from. I chose Scotland and Japan since my grandpa's family is from Scotland and I love Japan (one day I will go there).

So, here is my slightly crooked map art in our hallway...

After I did this, I pinned some great ways to use old maps. I love the idea of using maps as wrapping paper or decoupaging it onto furniture. So many possibilities for my old atlas! 

Tuesday Link Love

Again, I've been slacking on the link love. I was so excited about this post idea and than I didn't follow through with regular Tuesday link love. Well, I'm back and I'm trying.

 

Can we believe its fall already? Last Wednesday it was 90 degrees and of course I was loving every minute of it. This week its chilly and I have a sweater on and I'm not loving every minute of it.

 

 

Welcome fall then! Chilly nights, cozy sweaters and lots of hot chocolate! Don't you just love the quote above though. Who doesn't love Anne?

 

Some link love for you my friends...

 

Books

 

I know I've definitely over promoted these books but I highly recommend the Summer I Turned Pretty Series. You can read the review for the first one here. I'm reading the new series now, which is called Burn for Burn. I'm all excited because the author, Jenny Han, is coming to the Carnegie to talk and I'm going to see her at the beginning of October. So excited! Here is the information about the author visit if anyone is interested.

 

Fun Stuff

 

My cousins had posted this story on Facebook about Princess Kate and Prince William. Its about a very special gift that the two accepted from a woman with Downs syndrome. Read it. It's incredbly touching and refreshing to see these royals break down barriers for those with Downs syndrome in Great Britain. It will bring a smile to your face.

 

Cooking

Write this down. As hard as some of you may find this to believe, I have been cooking. Pinterest makes it so much easier plus I no longer have a kitchen that is lacking in most cooking and baking supplies. I'm also trying harder to use the crock pot more. This is a delicious recipe for an apple cake and this is a really good chicken crock pot dinner. Both were really easy and the apple cake was so good, I want some right now!!

My link love is short this week. More next week. I'm too busy to think of other items. Have a great Tuesday! Almost halfway to the weekend!

Fall Bucket List

I'm definitely a summer girl but there is always a point in September where I look forward to fall. The weather has turned and as much as I was sad for the 90 degree weather to leave, I'm ready for the cool evenings around the fire, crisp leaves underfoot and cozy wool sweaters. At the start of every season, I always have high hopes and make a bucket list of items that I want to do during the next few months. Most of the time I accomplish some but fall is just a little crazy with a major fundraiser at the library and the wedding!

My Fall Bucket List (not a cool infographic like on Pinterest because I don't have time for that)

Go on a hayride.

I can already check this off the list because this is our transportation for the wedding. The wedding party gets to take a hayride around the camp for pictures and then arrive back at the dining hall via a genuine camp hayride.

Make s'mores on a bonfire.

I haven't had one s'more all summer. How disappointing! It was either rainy or too hot to have a fire most nights this summer but fall is perfect for using the fire pit and making a delicious s'more. I'm too cheap for these sometimes though but I will splurge soon.

Go to a pumpkin patch.

The pumpkin patch is the epitome of a perfect fall afternoon. I don't even know the last time I went to a pumpkin patch. I'm not a big Halloween person. However, I want to this year. I think more the opportunities to take awesome photos of pumpkins.

Decorate or carve a pumpkin.

I can check this off because I'm making puking pumpkins with the tweens at the library. I could make a normal one too though if I'm going to the pumpkin patch. We made really fun ones two years ago at the library with candy. I also spray painted one.

Go on a fall picnic.

I love picnics and I didn't get to go on one this summer, so it will have to happen in fall. We live so close to Highland Park that it would easy to just go there and enjoy the fall foliage, walk the trails and enjoy fall.

Hike and take lots of picture of the scenery.

This one I will be able to check off as well since we are going to Hocking Hills after the wedding. It is the best hiking around there and the best pictures. Now I have a camera to use too but I'll have to be careful since its challenging hiking.

Celebrate Friends-giving!

Dennis and I decided that we wanted to have a Friends-giving this year at the apartment. We probably won't get to celebrate Thanksgiving together, so this will be one way to do that as well. Plus we want to cook for all our friends.

Rake leaves.

I don't have a rake or a yard for that matter, so this probably won't be happening. There aren't any trees at my parents house either. I will just have to make myself available to my friends who have yards. Call me.

Go to a Mount Union game.

On Mount to victory! It's been way too long since I was at a Mount game. It's probably not in the cards this fall but nothing beats a Saturday afternoon cheering on the Raiders to another victory.

Go to Bob's for Halloween.

Halloween at Bob's is fabulous and it is so much fun to dress up and watch all the cougar Playboy bunnies strut their stuff and sing karaoke. Moscow Mules here I come!

That's my fall list. Not sure what will actually happen. Happy Fall! 

Pinterest Wedding Planning

How did people seriously plan a wedding before Pinterest?

 

It's crazy to think of everything we have done the last nine months and how much of that some how related to Pinterest - engagement photos, favors, signs, flowers, etc. Even before we were engaged! Admit it! How many of you have a wedding blog and you aren't engaged or even dating someone for that matter? I will freely admit that I had a wedding board before Dennis and I were engaged. Once engaged though, I really only used a few things from that board because reality set in with budgets and location. Now, I keep most of my wedding pins in a private board so that there are still some surprises for my guests!!!

 

 

Some words of advice though for you Pinterest lover brides...

...that dress that you pinned most likely won't look as good on you as it does on that model with a completely different body shape. Deal with it. There will be another one that is perfect.

 

...those infographics about who is guest listed don't work if you have a massive family. Figure it out to just invite them all. You will be happy later on that they were a part of your wedding day.

 

...but most importantly, and this is what I keep reminding myself, it's not Pinterest's wedding. It's mine and Dennis' wedding. We can take ideas from Pinterest but ultimately it will be a wonderful day not because of the hundreds of pins. It will be because of the people that are there, the memories that are made and the union that was created. Enough said.

 

I can't deny that I do love Pinterest though. Here's a few of my favorite wedding helpful hints.

 

Use Pinterest for inspiration. I designed both our save-the-date and wedding invitation from examples I had pinned.

 

 

Find more DIY ideas, so that you do not have to pay some one any more of your hard saved wedding fund. Case in point - a monogram can be created very simply in Microsoft Word for FREE.

 

 

Get organization help. I printed timelines, checklists and other worksheets from Pinterest. I also found this great idea for the seating chart. Mine, however, does not look this great.

 

 

Remember. It's your wedding. Pinning is so much fun though, so pin away even if its to your wedding board for your imagainary wedding!!!

 

 



Thursday Book Review: Letters from Skye

I've read so much this summer, which is hard to believe with how busy I've been but I've been busy enough not to keep my reviews updated. Here is a short one for the last book I read, Letters from Skye.

 

 

Letters from Skye was a fabulous, quick read that was written much similar to the Guernsey Potato Peel Society since it was all in letters. I wasn't sure if I would like this style but I loved it in both books. Its different and there are so few books written that way. Plus I love letters!

 

I found Letters from Skye in Book Page I believe. The article, however, does not really give the book justice. When I finished the book, it was definitely not what I had expected or that was portrayed in the review. I will explain this a bit further on though.

 

The book is all letters between either David and Elspeth (Sue) or Elspeth and Margaret. There are a few others intermixed as well. David is a fan of Elspeth, who writes poetry before and during WWI. Elspeth lives on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Margaret is her daughter.

 

The book goes back and worth between the letters of David and Elsepth during WWI and the letters of Margaret and Elspeth during WWII. The first set of letters start as fan letters and progress to love letters. Both wars bring an unexpected turn of events for all characters.

 

This is when I start to understand why the review is vague while I'm writing my own. It is impossible to tell more of the story without giving anything away. So, stop by the library and check it out. Letters from Skye will keep you turning the pages just to find out what happens next.