This Musical Message is For Here Comes the Jackpot Question in Advance

The Best You Can Is Good Enough

I chose today's Saturday Scavenger Shots word with an eye toward the upcoming New Year. The word is OPTIMISTIC. I make an effort to keep a positive frame of mind. Even though I fail every now and then, I keep mindful of my attitude and adjust it if at all possible! I always figure, why pre-defeat yourself by assuming the worst? Being OPTIMISTIC can lead to disappointment, but being pessimistic is just miserable. Why not hope for the best? Here are some things that make me feel OPTIMISTIC.

Seeing families participating in library activities together makes me OPTIMISTIC in many ways!

 

DR is a good man and I feel so lucky to have him in my life. I am OPTIMISTIC about our future.

 

Now that four of my kids are adults, three live on their own, and one has a family of his own, I don't have them all together in one place as often as I'd like. But seeing them always makes me so happy. I am OPTIMISTIC about their futures...and therefore mine as well.

Here's hoping you have lots to be OPTIMISTIC about in the coming year. Let's decide that 2013 will be a great year and then work to make it so. Being OPTIMISTIC, coupled with positive effort is the way to go :)

Now...shall I tag back Jasen? You want it? If so, it is yours.

 

 

I'm Just Gonna Keep on Waiting Underneath the Mistletoe

Christmas. We made it though another one! For this Choose and Defend Wednesday I thought I would ask...now what?  How do you handle the aftermath? Or really, only one particular aspect of the aftermath. This question could apply to other holidays too! When it comes to your holiday decorations, do you take them down...

Immediately / Quickly

OR

Relucantly / No Rush

For the purposes of this Choose and Defend. Let us make up to about one week following the holiday the deadline for the first choice...anything after that, second choice. Feel me?

Hope you all had the Christmas you desired. I'd love to hear what you got up to. Also, Choose and Defend! Thank you :)

Happy Christmas!

♥ Love,

laura b. @ What Fresh Hell is This?

This Musical Message is For a Greasy Black Peel

Nobody Said It Was Easy

Take me back to the START. That's right, START is the Saturday Scavenger Shots word, chosen by Jasen over at Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections. And if you haven't already, check out his posts from the last few days about the creation myths of various cultures...very interesting. 

I couldn't decide what kind of START I wanted to post about...so of course I left it until the last minute. Then I decided to take a couple of photos of things that help me START my work day...especially on  a cold Saturday morning.

This is the old fashioned wall heater in my bathroom.  The thought of it helps me to START throwing off the nice warm covers and making my way out of bed.  I grab my clothes and flee to the bathroom and START this baby up. Real heat in a small room, combined with a hot, comforting shower or bath helps me feel that I have a START on my day.

Another START up incentive to my day was this works bagel with cream cheese.  You can also see part of my coffee cup in the picture. What day could START without coffee or tea? Well, mine do sometimes...but not today. I felt like I needed some extra rewards for STARTing today. It was just one of those days.

There you have it. A couple of the creature comforts that helped me START my day with a bit more enthusiasm.  Of course, we are about to START a new year and as always, I am facing it with optimism and hope. 2013 will be a fine, fine year. Let it START!

And Mom and Dad Can Hardly Wait For School to Start Again

Let us have a merry little Choose and Defend Wednesday, shall we? It is the time of the season for Christmas decorations, Christmas songs, Christmas movies. It doesn't really matter if you actually celebrate Christmas yourself, either religiously or culturally, it is everywhere!

So, I thought I'd take this moment to discuss Christmas movies.  Well...not many. Since this is Choose and Defend, we will discuss exactly two Christmas movies :)

Which of these ubiquitous holiday gems to you prefer (Choose) and why (Defend)?

A Christmas Story

OR

It's a Wonderful Life

They each have their good and bad points to be sure. Let's hear what you think. Choose and Defend.  And, as always, feel free to include additonal information about any other holiday movies you may enjoy or not enjoy :)

Analyze This!

I had a dream a few nights ago that was particularly vivid and stuck with me. I've invited you here today to analyze it for me!

Full disclaimer, I tend to feel that dreams are just random images the brain generates. And I know the ones I remember are mostly because I woke up at some particularly odd place in the REM cycle or something....I'm no scientist ;-) But you know...I am still interested in assigning meaning to things! Like...how I analyze someone's dream probably has more to do with what is on my mind than what was on their mind...you see? 

So, having said that, here is my dream: It was a short scenario, but it repeated itself with a couple of variations.  I was walking through some quiet streets. I don't remember other people....or really, the act of walking, but I wasn't in a car.  I'd come to a spot and notice a large, exotic-looking wild cat lying in the road. There was never blood, but the large cat appeared to have been hit by a car and killed. I would look at it and think - 'Oh how awful. That beautiful animal. How did this happen?'  Because it was a wild animal and I was unprotected, I would look at it carefully to see if it was really dead.  I'd peer at it's half opened eyes and conclude that, yes, it was dead. In each scenario, I'd look back once I'd passed to see the big cat getting up. It wasn't dead after all! I'd feel a little frisson of fear...was it going to come after me? But most of the time it just walked away.  I know at least once, it did approach me. When that happened, I laid down and buried my face in some kind of blanket or jacket...basically playing dead.  I could feel the cat's warm breath like a tickle on my face through the cloth and wasn't afraid then. It was no more threatening than a pet cat's exploration. And then, like in the other cases, it just walked away. 

So. What do you think? Analyze!!! Please. And thank you.

This Musical Message is For Rode on the Steel Breeze

When Your Broken Heart Yearns to Be Free

This week's Saturday Scavenger Shots word is FESTIVITY. I must thank Tara @ Eclectic Spaghetti for choosing this great celebratory word!  It is certainly the right time of year, with many parties and gatherings...any kind of FESTIVITY you can imagine!

I've got a couple of things to put up.

Here is a picture taken at our city's holiday party. You will recognize me, looking characteristically awkward. The theme of the night was "A Sweet Holiday Party".  In addition to a wonderful meal, we had a coffee / hot chocolate bar and a candy buffet. I have barely made a dent in the huge bag of candy I took home.  Also, it is the year of my 10 year anniversary, so I received a few extra bucks as a gift. Now that is my kind of FESTIVITY!

Here is the little tree at our little pad.  It makes me feel like every day is an occasion for FESTIVITY! I love having a tree...for a couple of weeks. Then, I can't wait to take it down :)

 

And there you have it. My small attempts are bringing some FESTIVITY to this ordinary day. Or maybe it isn't an ordinary day after all! May your day be extraordinary in all the right ways.



How 'bout the Power to Move You?

This is a magical time of year. Or so I'm told. So how about a little magic for today's Choose and Defend Wednesday? Well...not so much magic as what is known as paranormal phenomenon.  I will come right out and say I'm not a believer in such things. But that's just me! And anyway, Choose and Defend is rarely, if ever, based on anything remotely real :)

Which paranormal power would you prefer to possess?

Telekinesis

OR

Telepathy

Hey, they both have their appeal. And both are kind of creepy. So please enjoy choosing one and then defending your choice to the rest of us, all of you Wonderboys and Wondergirls. Thanks!

This Musical Message is For Unexplainable Sightings in the Sky

Fun, Natural Fun

Today's Saturday Scavenger Shots word, brought to you by this very blogger, is GENIUS. I just picked it randomly. It's a nice word...more than one syllable...could go in a few directions I think.

Here is what I have for you today.

Here is the GENIUS who lives on my desk at work. On your left is Albert Einstein, a fine example of a GENIUS. He is posed next to a photo of himself as a younger man that I am especially fond of. His friends are Casanova, librarian Nancy Pearl, and a male nurse, whom I call Ted. Can't say for certain whether or not any of them fall in to the GENIUS category. Guess I'll have to devise a little action figure IQ test and find out. But, if they don't want to take it, I won't hold it against them. Being a GENUIS isn't everything. In Einstein's case, however, it is pretty cool :)

Okay! Thank you for stopping in to look at my small, personal GENIUS. I hope you are appreciative of your own GENIUS. Seems like there is a bit in all of us...some more than others, that's all.

And...to mix things up, I guess I will tag back Tara for next week's word.
Mix-y!

Crop Circles in the Carpet

This Choose and Defend Wednesday is for the fun loving game player in each of you! Or is it? The question is very simple! Or...is it? haha! I'm just messing about. Giddy from the sight of sunshine outside and the bitter cold inside. So...anyway, here is your Choose and Defend.

Would you rather...

Hide

OR

Seek

They both have their advantages. Both have elements that give you the upper hand...both may contain some level of excitement. But you must Choose. And please, Defend! You have your reasons...let's hear them.

Choose and Defend!

This Musical Message is For Practice Isn't Perfect

This Stage, This Mic, This Crowd, This Show

It is a wet, drippy Saturday around here. But I am still willing to get out here in the wilds of the bloggerhood and post my Saturday Scavenger Shots! So brave. haha! 

This week's word was chosen by Tara from over yonder at Eclectic Spaghetti.  The word is...CRAFT.  Lucky for me, I do a weekly CRAFT for my storytimes and as needed for other programs. There is nothing kids love more than doing a CRAFT! I am always amazed at the time and effort most children will put into their CRAFT.

Here are my photos -

This is the Creative Center that is attached to our office in Children's Services. In here is just about anything you could possibly need to create a wonderful CRAFT. So many CRAFT supplies, so little time!

 

Most regularly, I have to create CRAFTs that very small children can do, as my weekly storytimes are especially for kids 19 months through 3 years.  So we mostly CRAFT with crayons, die-cut shapes, and glue sticks. But we still get quite creative.

 

For example, this week we had a Silly Storytime. For our CRAFT we put together two different animals to make one crazy new animal! We sure know how to CRAFT and have a good time up in here!

 

I hope you have enjoyed getting CRAFTy with me! I certainly enjoyed, as always, posting some Saturday Scavenger Shots. I wonder who Tara will tag to pick next week's word? We shall see!