Friday, May 29, 2015

7 Quick Takes {Take 81} Summer critters, crafting, and packing?! edition...


Summer is a time of new life, yes? Lots of cute baby animals and new flowers, plant life, etc. Well, theoretically. Last night I offered to water the garden, since Henry wanted Mike to toss the Frisbee with him, and I got a concerned look for my efforts:

"What's wrong?"

"Well...don't give them too much water."

"I won't! I'll be careful."

*skeptical pause ensues*

"I mean it!"

"Try not to kill them."

"I won't!"

I don't exactly have a green thumb, so I'm not taking this personally. :0 But speaking of new life...

-1- "Mommy, look at that birdie! HI BIRDIE!!"

 I step to the kitchen window to look at the birds with Anne, and espy a Robin, a European Starling and a mysterious brown bird. I inspect it for a moment, then I realize:

"Oh! That bird is a fledgling, a baby. See how he keeps tweeting and going over to the black bird for food? That's his mommy."

"A baby bird?!"

Anne is transfixed.

"HI BABY BIRDIE!! He's so cute Mommy!"

"Yeah, he's pretty big though, just about as big as his mother." :0

Life is tough when you're a bird, you need to grow fast.

"What is he doing Mommy?"

"Well, his mother is trying to gather food, but he's being awfully loud and interrupting her a lot. I can tell he's really distracting her, but see how she just popped something into his mouth? There she goes to try and find more, and gosh, he's right there isn't he, being all shrill and demanding and following her every move. Come to think, that poor beleaguered mommy bird."

Apparently, certain characteristics amongst young carry over between species. ;-)

Speaking of cute critters...

-2- The lamb now has ears...

*drum roll*

I'm sure he's grateful. :0 I will grant, he still needs a body, but we're getting there!

-3- Video series is going great!

I am loving recording a video each week. I have a bit of a big mouth apparently, so before I know it, I glance at the timer and see that I've been yapping on for over 8 minutes, and I'm going to work on that. :0 I also need to work on my equipment set up, which right now consists of a dictionary, a thesaurus, and my copy of Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light stacked up to act as a stand, and a tape dispenser and stapler to prop the phone up. But besides those things, it's going great. ;-) I loved talking to you yesterday about why I became a librarian and how my responsibilities are about to shift to include a ton more teaching over the next year. Do tune in with a cup of tea or coffee to sip if such things interest you, and also don't forget to leave me your suggestions for chaplets that I can make audio recordings of!

-4- What's that you ask? Packing for my trip? *look of innocence*

So. I'm leaving for my trip to Atlanta for the CNMC in one week. Someone asked me if I had started packing yet, to which I snorted in response. That would be a NO. I'm definitely a last minute type of a packer. I DO have a gigantic to-do list of small headachey things, like little diddies I need at the store to update my travel toiletry bag, acquiring a new piece of luggage because we badly need it, and checking the TSA website for whether various Important Items (like my hair straightener :0) can be tucked into my carry-on bag. We're getting there. I'm very nervously excited. But speaking of things to pack...

-5- Thinking of upgrading my Kindle...

I have the newest Kindle Basic, and I adore it. Henry has a much older version, and it's really on the fritz. I'm thinking of giving him this Kindle and upgrading to the Kindle Paperwhite so that I'll have the built-in light. What do you all think? If you have a Paperwhite, how often do you use the light? I didn't originally get the Paperwhite because I have a bedside lamp that I use to read at night, but I'm now thinking that there could be other occasions on which the built-in light would come in handy, especially while on a trip. Thoughts? :)

-6- My current read...

Yes, it's a very secular romance, judge away. ;-) But I love romantic suspense, and every once in awhile I indulge in a title from the Harlequin Intrigue line. This one is KCPD Protector, by Julie Miller:


I'm just about a quarter of the way through, but so far the mystery has grabbed my interest, although I can tell that this is a part of a larger series that I have not dipped into previously. It's set during a Kansas City summer heatwave, so seasonally it feels like the perfect time to read it. I love it when that happens. :)

-7- June book club!

In June, I'm going to be reading Cardinal Timothy Dolan's Praying in Rome: Reflections on the Conclave and Electing Pope Francis:


This is a quick read, and only $1.99 for Kindle, so scoop it up if you'd like to join in!

All right, I have to jet! I hope that you all have a beautiful last weekend in May, and I'll talk to you next week. Head over to This Aint' the Lyceum for more 7 Quick Takes!

3 comments:

  1. Ah! I love that sheep! I am still on the fence about Kindles (I just like to have a book to hug and underline things in) but these cheap e-books are making me think it might be worth it...

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  2. I love the sheep as well! Darling. As for the Kindle Paperwhite, I absolutely love mine. I was one of those that said I would never get one (various reasons) but I got mine at
    Christmas and now I don't know how I ever lived without it! Perfect for when I have
    insomnia at 3 a.m.. I now have a hard time
    reading any book that's not on my kindle!

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  3. The sheep is now done! His legs are pretty spindly, they were supposed to hold him via quarters sewn into the feet, but he's fairly precarious. ;-) However, he's pretty cute!

    I agree with both of you about the Kindles. I didn't think I'd like reading ebooks as well, but now I rarely read books NOT on Kindle. And yes, ebooks are so much less expensive (generally) it makes it so tempting!

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