Thankful

I started out this post writing about my mixed feelings about the holidays.  About how I hate the mess of the tree and all the wrapping paper.  About how much work it is.  About how much I want to put everything back to "normal".  Then I started to write about Connecticut and how sad I am for these children and their families, for the survivors and the witnesses. 

The grief that these people have gone through make my little grumbles and day to day things seem so petty and whiney.

Today I am thankful for my little life in New Ulm, MN. With my crazy Geek day job and Crazy Book Night/Weekend job. With my beautiful family and friends.  Please God keep them all safe.  

Heartstrings

Maybe it's the season.  All the sappy Christmas songs I've been listening to.  The pictures from Christmas Past that I dug out when I decorated.  Maybe it's hormonal but I'm a sappy mess these days.  My heart is sitting softly on my sleeve.  I'm just a little bit more sensitive than I like these days.

I can't believe Christmas is two short weeks away.  We finally got snow this weekend.  I have to say I'm ok with snow.  A brown Christmas is no fun.  The kids have enjoyed it so much.  They were in and out of the house most of the weekend dragging wet snow pants and mittens in with them.  Times like this make me wish my dryer was on the main floor!!  They had such a good time. 

Here are some pictures from our house.  I didn't brave the outside yesterday until I was forced to. :)  Amanda had her dress rehearsal for Just for Kix Dance.  Her recital is next Sunday.

Out my front door.  There is Broadway.

 

Out my kitchen window overlooking the back yard.

I participated in a Craft Show in Gibbon, Minnesota, on December 1st.  It was a lovely day.  Beautiful outside, amazing food in the concession stand and a wonderful Santa.  It was a wonderful time.  Lots of Christmas shopping going on and great books went home with lots of Moms and Grandmas!!

 

Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop Elementary School

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Are there any good little girls and boys here?

Look there are some elves over on the left side!

I'm a Jolly ole soul!

And what would you like little boy?!

A little boy so excited to see Santa

Little girl playing with Wind-up Train!!!

Even Santa loves Usborne Books & More!!

Merry Christmas!!

Getting them excited!!

This Crazy Book Lady has been very busy the last week.  I haven't had a chance to update you all on my progress so I hope to have a few posts over the next couple days!  So many great pictures to share with you.

Last week Thursday I participated in a cook exchange so I had my Crazy Cookie Maker hat on and it was quite the production.  Everybody helped out.  There were 14 women involved in the event so we made 13 dozen of my famous cookies.  I will be sure to share the recipe soon!  It's a good one!  We all brought an appetizer and had a great time eating and visiting.  Then we loaded up all our cookies and headed home.  What a fun night with great conversation!

My Cookies!!

 On Friday I made a quick trip to Madelia on my lunch hour.  I am doing a book fair there next week and I made up packets for the Elementary Teachers.  Letter telling the teachers about the book fair and how it would work.  A catalog and a wishlist for them to fill out.  For the 5th and 6th grade teachers I included a copy of Conspiracy 365 January!  I know the kids are going to LOVE IT!!  I can't wait to see which books the teachers selected!!

Teacher Packets!  look at them all! Even printed a Google map so I knew exactly where to go!  How's that for organization!!

Driving over the Cottonwood River headed south!!

Madelia, Minnesota!! Population 2,308 nestled on the scenic Watonwan River.

Madelia Elementary School!!!

It's going to be a busy week next week.  Thankfully I have an amazing BHH!! (Book Hauling Husband)  Tuesday night we set up the bookfair.  Wednesday John will run the book fair for a short time while the kids make wishlists.  Thursday Sara and I will run the book fair before and after the band concerts.  Friday the book fair runs from 1-3 and then BHH will be packing it up and hauling it home for me.

Working a full time job (45 hours a week) and being the Crazy Book Lady is definitely a challenge.  I am blessed to have an amazing support system at home. 

Watch Out Madelia!!! Here I come!

Just a quick note this afternoon.  I'm on the run and Amanda has dance in 34 minutes.

Watch out Madelia Elementary!! I just scheduled a book fair there and I can't wait to make it fantastic!!!  Tonight I am getting packets ready for teachers.  They're going to find out how Usborne Book fairs are done!!!  CRAZY BOOK LADY STYLE!!!  so excited!!  Wednesday, December 12-Friday, December, 14th!!!

Madelia Elementary school!!!

Geek Stuff

I haven't told you much about me (other than my love of my family and books).  I am a computer geek.  I spend my day fixing problems and helping to maintain the computers at a trucking company.  Things are so time sensitive.  Sometimes things fall apart.  Completely apart.  Some days are really hectic.  Some days you just try to maintain a sense of calm. 

I really do love helping people.  Especially when it's something I can fix quickly and the "users" can get back to work without much problem.  I have been a computer geek of sorts since I was little.  I learned DOS at a very young age.  When you live in the country and you want to play computer games on an old computer you learn how.  Dad talk me what I needed to know to get around the folder structure and away I went.  Trial and error.  It's how I learn best. 

Here are some pictures of my insanity.  Or hoarding as my neighbor, Michelle, at work calls it.  I have Christmas music playing today so imagine that mixed in with cords and computers and yellow sheets of post-it notes.  (I know a crazy amount about Post-it but that is a lifetime ago and a story for another day.)

Extra cables and phones

Did I mention I handle a Centrex Phone system also?  It's a crazy punch board of red/white wires and numbered slots.  Somehow it all makes sense in my head. It is quite old technology and we hope to upgrade some day soon.

Old computers to be cleaned up, wiped of data, OS re-installed and sold.

My work area. A sea of cables.  Power, monitors, keyboard, mouse and network.

My desk.

New computers, still in the box.  Need to be unpacked, an image pushed to them, configurations made and installed at the users desks.  Windows 7.  I love these new machines.

Off to finish a set up on a new computer.  The user has been having lots of problems and hopefully this will solve all of them.... just like batman. :)  or the Crazy Book Lady!

Busy Sunday and Birthday Boy

It was my Husband's Birthday on Sunday.  We had a very busy day that started out at 8AM.  Jacob and Amanda sang in church at St. Paul's Lutheran.  They sing every month during the school year.  Jacob isn't fond of getting up in front of people but it is getting much easier the older he gets.  Amanda loves being in the big kid choir.  She's been watching her brother go up for a few years now and has always been so jealous.  Now that she's a kindergartener, she is included.

We had a Swimming Party for 4-H in the afternoon and a good time was had by all.  I am the leader of Klossner/Swan Lake 4-H in Nicollet County.  I was in 4-H as a child and love being involved as an adult.  It is such a great opportunity for the kids. 

We hosted the swimming party as an opportunity for people in the community to come and take a look at 4-H.  After swimming we had a short meeting, snack and a craft.  Jacob and Amanda did a Project Talk about their rabbits and how they will be showing them in the Nicollet County Fair.  I wish I had taken pictures but it was so busy I didn't even get a chance to pull out my camera.

For supper we joined his coworkers and our friends Ross, Jenn and Beth and all their kids for supper at Jake's Pizza.  It's John's favorite pizza!  It's so fun to get together with good friends and good food.  The kids ate, played games and ran like lunatics.  Beth and I got to play with baby Kya.  

Nick, Jacob, John and Amanda

John and his Birthday Peanut butter cup pie

Kya the Cutie Pie!!

The Sky's the limits... no, literally!

Have I mentioned that Jacob's Cub Scouts meetings fall at the almost exact same time as Amanda's dance class.  Usually John and I tag team and he goes in one direction with Jacob and I head in another with Amanda. This last week John was at work so I was on my own.  I was a little stressed but after dropping Jacob off with his cub scouts group (with a stern warning to behave himself) I headed across town to drop Amanda off at Dance class.  Then with my Super Mom cap on I headed back to cub scouts. 

The cub scouts met at the New Ulm Municipal Airport.  It was small but very nice.  I was very impressed.  While I was gone running Amanda to dance they toured the small airplanes and the office but I was able to catch up with them when they were in the shop by the larger planes.  Such a great learning experience!

Jet Setter Jacob!  He was so excited to show me the little toilet onboard!

Beautiful Sunset I almost missed.  Jacob pointed it out to me.  Sometimes I'm so busy that I miss this stuff.  Good thing I have him to point them out to me.

Jacob with the SkyHawk II

Pilot Jacob!  Thinking he is pretty cool!!

Hands on learning.  Can't get any better than that!

Be sure to put your email address in to Subscribe to the blog by email.  Don't miss out on our adventures!!  This week we have a lot of craziness in our lives.  I have two home shows and two large booths.  Sunday we are also helping out with our 4H Swimming Party from 1-5 at the Vogel Arena.  Are you in the New Ulm/Lafayette area and interested in 4H.  Give me a shout for details!! 

By Monday I'm going to need some rest. :)  I decided to start watching Grey's Anatomy from the beginning.  I just finished the 2nd Season.  Watching that while Knitting has been my guilty pleasure lately.  I can't share any pictures of finished projects just yet though.  A lot of these have been Christmas Presents.  I love each one and will have a hard time letting them go! Maybe I'll have to make one for myself too!!