#15 - Couplets and Butterflies

We studied couplets today in creative writing. Big I's assignment was a short poem. The first line was given and he was to finish the poem. Let me just say that twelve year old boys are not thrilled about writing poems. Especially poems about butterflies. Anyway, he persevered and here is the result:

Butterflies fluttering through the air
Land on dogs' noses as if on a dare,
Land gently on flowers without a care,
Folding their wings as if in prayer.

Robert Frost has nothing on this kid!

I am at the half-way mark with the "30 posts, 30 days" challenge and thanks to Big I, I had something worth posting today.

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

Day #14 - I Almost Didn't Make This One

In what time zone does this post count?

Dad finished another week of chemo. He did great this week although he might not agree if you talked with him but as a daughter watching I think he handled it amazingly well. The shot he received on Saturday to raise his white cell count is what really knocks the wind out of him. He will sleep and rest for a few days and then feel better. I watch this 80 year old man and am so proud of him handling this tough disease with such grace. Keep lifting him up to our Heavenly Father as I know that is what gives him peace.

Do you have your Thanksgiving meal planned? I do not, but our family is so traditional that we always prepare the same dishes. If I even talk about preparing something different, mutiny happens! One of these holidays I think I will fix turkey tacos or chili and freak everybody out.

I made reservations for my family and Dad/Mom with the Barter Theatre to attend the stage production of "Miracle on 34th Street" on Friday, November 28th. That will be fun! We saw "A Christmas Carol" last year and it was just amazing.

Big I and me have a busy week of school ahead. We still have a lot to do before the Thanksgiving break. At least twelve math lessons. Also, spelling, language/creative writing and science. I should probably go to bed now.

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

Day #12 - Don't Ask Jeeves, Ask Rosie

In case you do not know, I work part-time at our local small town library. In February 2008, we moved our town library from a tiny building into an enormous empty grocery store building (four times the size). The city employees renovated this store front building into a beautiful new library. Along with the library, the building also hosts an exercise gym and will soon be opening a brand new Senior Citizens Center with an indoor lap pool. Part of our parking lot also hosts the Farmer's Market. It was fun this summer and fall to watch the vendors sell and patrons shop for fresh produce, but it has also made our library very busy. We have nine public access computers that stay full all the time. I do weekly usage reports and today I was calculating public access computer use from November 1st-13th (we are closed on Sunday), in those eleven days we had almost 600 computer users. By the end of the month we will have had around 1,600. We only have two employees working the front desk most of the time. Our duties include, but are not limited to, check in/check out, handing out computer passes, shelving, faxing, copying, searching, greeting, baby sitting, inter library loans, repairing/covering books, new patrons cards, etc. If you live in a large city in this country, those numbers probably seem tiny to you, but where I live, this means we can not even sit down to eat lunch in peace. Most days when I work, I do not sit down for eight hours. My legs and feet ache and I am a sorry excuse for a wife and mother when I get home. It is a good thing I work only one day per week. My family would never eat home cooking, my youngest son would not get educated, my dog would not get cuddled, my house would not get cleaned. (Wait, that doesn't happen anyway.) Do I sound like I am complaining? I am not! Why would I complain when I get first choice of books, no late fees, the privilege to visit with the community, and help little blue-haired ladies sort through all the Gilbert Morris and Jeanette Oke series. Who would answer reference questions such as, "Could you please go on Map Quest for me and see how many miles it is from Asheville, NC to Cooper, SC?" "What do you have on the bubonic plague?" "Do you have Stephanie Meyer's books?" "Can I have more computer time?" "How do you make freezer pickles?" "My child has a science project due tomorrow, what is an easy project and could you do it for me?" "Would you please fill out this job application for me?" "How do you install solar panels?" OH - the list goes on and on and on. The public expects us to know everything and you know what? I am finding out I know a lot of trivial stuff. Completely weird. Go ahead - ask me anything?

Thanks for reading, Rosie

Day #11 - What Was I Thinking?

I am only one-third of the way through this "30 posts, 30 days" challenge! What was I thinking? Maybe it is because I am so tired today and I am feeling the strain. I spent the day with Dad and Mom in doctor's office then had a hair appointment at 7:00 pm. I am just worn out and my house is a mess! I have fourteen piles of unfinished projects laying around and I work all day tomorrow at the library. Boy Howdy, Saturday I am cleaning house and if it is not nailed down - out it goes! Please forgive the brevity of this post - I am going to bed now.

One tired, wilted Rosie.

Day #10 - Warts And All

My topic today is somewhat gross but in case this happens to you, you need to know this information. Three years ago my oldest son got warts on the cuticle area of his fingernails. We could not get rid of them. We made several visits to the dermatologist to no avail. The doctors froze the warts, they poisoned the warts, they caused an allergic reaction to the warts and the warts simply would not go away. In fact, the warts spread until his fingers were covered in warts. It was ugly and embarrassing. I began asking folks for home remedies that might help the problem and someone told us to use clear nail polish. Simply coat the warts everyday with clear nail polish. This puts an airtight seal on them and they cannot breath. Apparently, the wart virus needs oxygen to regenerate and when oxygen is cut off, the virus dies. Within a few days, we could visibly see some shrinkage and within a month, the warts were nearly gone. Amazing! Recently I notice my Dad had a few warts on his elbow and I told him about this miracle cure. My Mom started coating his elbow with clear nail polish every night and sure enough, with in a few weeks they disappeared. Before you take your warts to the dermatologist, spend a small fortune and endure modern-day torture tactics, coat them with clear nail polish. It worked for us! For more helpful “Works For Me Wednesday” ideas, visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer.

Thanks for reading, Rosie!