Of doggie knits, and a return to fall...

Hello everybody, and happy September! I'm gearing up to get back into a more normal semblance of a fall routine with the kids returning to school and my own return to teaching. I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all this year, as I think everyone is, as a result of being a bit out of practice. I have prayer plans for this, which I'll come back to at the end of this post, stay tuned!

In the meantime. I've been spending lots of time with this guy:

And he's been "helping" me craft. ;-) I've had fall on the brain, I do so love autumn colors and activities. I knit this adorable candy corn mug cozy:

Free pattern is Candy Corn Cup Cozy

And I also cast on a candy corn themed dog sweater for my helper!

Free pattern is Candy Corn Dog Sweater

I also whipped out August's National Parks hat, which is themed after Rainier!

Rainier pattern

I may have also ordered a few National Parks themed kits from a different designer, because apparently I can't stop knitting hats. 😬😇

Nancy Bates Designs

Since these involve colorwork, I'm *really* excited because I absolutely love the anticipation of each round with colorwork! Unless it's socks, which would mean that colorwork in that context would be a near occasion of sin. ;-) But aside from socks, I adore colorwork! I just cast on the Glacier beanie last night, and cannot WAIT to keep working on it! Photos to come in the coming weeks.

OK, SO circling back to prayer time this autumn. I have a lovely edition of Life of a Catholic Librarian for us next Friday: an interview with my sister Shauna'h, who is starting up a new initiative for Catholic women to aid in jump starting their prayer lives this fall! All the fantastic details next week, I am SO EXCITED for this! It'll be like our very own back-to-school course for our faith. *heart*

Of new additions, and fall baby crafting...

Hello all, and happy Friday! I don't know about you, but I'm soaking up every one of these August days like there is no tomorrow. We have been enjoying so much lovely family time at home, and I truly do not want it to come to an end. I know we'll all adjust, but these halcyon days of summer have been such a blessing this year. 

And then we have this guy adding to our blessings!

This is Barney, and we adopted him about a week and a half ago. 😍 He's settling in so nicely, and everybody just adores him, especially the kids. We felt the time was finally right to add a furry friend to our family, and we are so glad that we finally took this step. We're still working out the kinks with getting on a walking schedule for our eager hound, but we're really getting there. 

In other news, I've been crafting away for some fall little ones, and Barney also shares my love of yarn. :-0 I need to keep my yarn project bin covered now! And he also tried to make off with one of my knitted gnomes the other day. 😂 I am in LOVE with this pattern that I used for my cutie pie next door neighbor:

Candy Corn Hat pattern is available for free!

Multiple size options are availaboe for that one, too. I chose the medium for a sweet toddler! I also made a pumpkin set for a baby in my dance troupe who is due in mid-October!

Pattern is Baby Sweater and is available for free! 

I adapted the green edging for the pumpkin theme, and the magnificent pumpkin button is from Black Sheep Studios MA on Etsy! I highly recommend her buttons. I also got a set of moose and plaid evergreen trees for Christmas projects. 😎

And of course, no October baby can go without a pumpkin hat:

Pattern is Berry Baby Hat, and is free!

This is one of my favorite free patterns of all time. I've made blueberry and strawberry versions, and of course this pumpkin version many times, there are so many possibilities. It doesn't fit Barney as well as it will the baby, but no matter. ;-)

OK, Next week is the final week in our Summer Book Club, and I will talk to you then! How is your summer going, working on any fall projects? 

Planning seasonal novenas...

Well, my kids are both at school as I write this. And I'm feeling pretty weepy. 

😭

They're both happy and secure. It's going very well. I was afraid that the adjustment this year would be much more daunting than usual because of the way things so abruptly closed back in March. But this is the best start to the school year we have ever had. Both seem happy to be back to a routine, and like their teachers. One day at a time, but I'll take it. I'm still feeling emotional, but that's just me. :-0

Given all of this, our novena chat (that I mentioned last week) couldn't possibly be better timed. 

   

What I'm going to do this year is pray 1-2 novenas every month this fall and winter. I'm going to start listing them in a separate page on the blog again, so that anyone who would like can see which one I'm planning to pray, and can join in if they like! It will be the tab listed on the far right if you're using a larger computer or laptop, or will be the last item on the drop down menu list via mobile. For September, I am planning to pray the St. Jerome novena. This will begin on Monday September 21st, and finish up on his feast day of September 30th. St. Jerome is the patron saint of librarians, biblical scholars and students! All of the information and prayers will be up on the St. Jerome page.

After we finsh that one, I think I will pray the St. Therese novena, beginning *on* her feast day of October 1st, to break things up a bit. ;-) And I'll post a new page with her information on it as soon as we finish up St. Jerome! Sound like a plan?

Are you joining in the St. Jerome novena? Or have other novena plans this fall? I'd love to hear about them!

Uplifting fall vibes...

St. Jerome rosary, photo credit Rosaries by Allison

Happy Friday, friends, and although the weekend is here, my stress level continues to be high. :-0 There's been a lot going on for my family and I these past 6 weeks or so, and I'm just trying to manage it as best I can.

I've been trying to focus a lot on how much I love this time of year, when the air gets cooler and the leaves turn. I live in a beautiful part of the country to be able to enjoy it all. Often, as has been the case the past 3 years, work is busy and stressful for me right at this exact time (September through October) which has had the effect of me not taking advantage of the gorgeous fall weather and the fun activities that it can entail. This year, I endeavored to enjoy fall despite the stress, and I do think it's, for the most part, working. Even with the dance competition recently, some crazy teaching weeks, and increased concern about both kids at their adjustment to new school life, I've taken some moments to enjoy the beautiful fall we're having here in WNY. The skies are gray a lot, but for me, the fact that the air is crisp, the leaves are beginning to show color, and harvest/Halloween decor is out in abundance makes up for it completely.

It's definitely the little things, and the lack of uncomfortable heat and humidity, is a small, but important, joy for me. I've also been trying to really drink in the time that I get to spend on my hobbies: escaping to Hogwarts with Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, immersing myself in the combinations we're learning in my dance classes, the new flow segment in my lunchtime Piyo class on Mondays. I've never been good at doing this in the past, but something has changed. Does age really bring wisdom? ;-) I'm able to do it more so now, because I know how important it is to be able to recharge before tackling the stressful things again.

As you can see from the photo in this post, I commissioned my dear friend Allison to create a fall themed St. Jerome rosary for me, and I heart it so much I can hardly stand it. 😍 I have it tucked into the pocket on the driver's side door of my little Honda Fit, and I reach for it often to just hold, or pray a single decade. I may not get a whole rosary in, but I don't think that's anything to fret over. It comforts me to see the fall colors, and feel the smooth beads. St. Jerome is the patron saint of librarians, and so he's my buddy when I go off to teach a stressful 5 hour stretch of back-to-back classes. It's definitely the small things.

What are the small things you're grateful for this weekend? *heart* I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Fall teaching begins, and book club news!

Well, well, well, here we are at the start of my teaching for the fall semester, we're nearly done with the week, and I'm still alive, hooray!

🎉

So far, so good. Our lesson on identifying and evaluating source types has gone over exceedingly well (I know it sounds dull, but trust me, we've spruced it up to be fun :0), my students have been angels, and I've felt meaningful poignancy after each class. There is no way that this will last for the entire semester. 😂 But hey. I'll take it!

In other news, the fall CatholicMom.com book club has officially started, and I am SO honored to be a part of it all!

You all know that I am a huge proponent of a good book club. We're not having one here on the blog until Advent, so if you have a hankering for one before then, why not jump in on this one? The author interview is up, and there's definitely still time to download the book and wade in! It's very friendly and accessible reading for a non-fiction selection, so you'll be caught up in no time! If you'd like to participate, take a peek over at the main book club page, where you can find all the posts linked as they go up, and a there's also spot to sign up for email reminders on all book club posts! My post on chapters 1-5 goes up this Saturday.

*halo*

I really think you'll like this book. The author provides personal anecdotes that are incredibly relatable as she addresses 15 lessons she's learned in her relationship with God. For example:

"It's Going to be OK" - On the Power of Prayer, and
"No One Said it Would be Fair" - On Accepting our Crosses

I really enjoyed how she arranged the book. And this is my favorite style of non-fiction, with a personal narrative woven into larger spiritual wisdom. I enjoy taking on and trying out new things with the changing of the seasons, so maybe this will catch your fancy this fall!

Next week, I'll have a dance post for you as I'm headed to Toronto to take a workshop with a very well-known dancer, and perform in the gala show! My nerves are all atwitter!

5 things I'm grateful for today...

Let's do a little exercise together, shall we? ;-) 5 things that we're grateful for right here and now. I'll start!

Fall Activities

Autumn is my favorite season of the entire year. All year I look forward to crunching in fallen leaves, putting mulling spices into warm cider, buying Pumpkin Spice Lattes out the wazoo, and going to things like corn mazes. We took the kids to one this past weekend, and we all reveled in the fall glory. And our foliage in WNY is pretty spectacular right now.

Cute Kids

My kids can sometimes make me dream about Calgon taking me away, but they are both such sweet and goodhearted children. They're also tremendously cute and oftentimes fun to be around. ;-)

Friends and Fellowship

This weekend I also attended a Partylite (candles and home decor) party, as a friend from my dance troupe sells it. I won the adorable pumpkin votive holders you see above, about which I am just tickled. It makes me happy to see them flickering alongside Mary up on our mantle. When I look at them, I think about getting together with friends (whether it be in person or online), and enjoying their company. I have that in abundance in my life, and for that I cannot fully ever express my gratitude. 

Beautiful Things

I take a picture of this same sugar maple tree near my house every single year. This is the third year running. It is currently at peak foliage. I love when it is bright orange on the top, but the bottom still has leaves that are transitioning from green into orange, and individual leaves display both colors. Stunning. 

My Marriage

Today I waxed poetic about fragrance in my Scentsy group on Facebook, asking them what fragrance meant to them, and why they love it. I posed it as a "philosophical question," and my philosopher husband reported in to say that the question we should be asking ourselves is whether the fragrance is a property of the wax itself, or whether it's something we create in our own minds.

*SNORT!*

Is it any wonder that I love him so much? He makes me laugh every single day.

All right dear readers. Have your own list of 5? Go for it! In the comments. :)

Moose sightings, lighthouse visits & cake frosting debacles: Adventures in Maine...

Hello all, and I'm so happy to be back with you! Before I get into trip fodder, I have a few housekeeping announcements. First, today is Day 1 of the St. John Paul II novena! If you'd like to join in, now is the perfect time to get started. :)

Also, this is my week of being featured on Catholic Mom, and my new piece is a favorite of mine, that I updated and reworked. It's in my favored, humorous style of writing, and involves knitting (perfect seasonal topic!) so go check it out if you haven't already! And if you want to leave me a comment over at Catholic Mom, you know, I'd love that. ;-)

OK, so THE TRIP! I had a great time, it went real well. My flights were good, I did a little praying and no panicking, you would have been really proud of me. Of course, the complimentary drink coupons helped with that, I'll be the first to admit it, but you know, whatever works. ;-)

It was quite foggy and rainy when we landed in Portland, but we had a happy reunion with my sister Shauna'h, her husband, and my adorable twin nephews. Pizza and merrymaking abounded.

Saturday dawned an absolutely gorgeous fall day in New England:

The red and orange are my very favorite

Like us, their foliage is behind this year due to the weather, but they still have far more color than we do in WNY right now. I did LOTS of cuddling with both my human nephews, and my dog and cat nephews:

Cat on lap, dog at feet, a common occurrence this past weekend...

I get along well with Molson, the cat pictured here, and I like cats, I do. I have to say though that I do prefer dogs, and here is why:

So much love...

Dogs love you unconditionally. They are not cagey about it, or in any way withholding of their affections. Cats may be affectionate with you one moment, but the next stalk away as if you have offended them in some way, and likely, you have. Dogs? Here was the scene Saturday morning as I woke up:

*Tiffany puts away her bedding*

*nails click up the staircase*

*black and tan head peeks around the corner*

Tiffany: "Oh, hi Roscoe! How are you, muffin?"

Roscoe's thought bubble: "Oh! You're here! I was SO HOPING that you were awake! Can I, I mean, CAN I COME OVER?! If you want me to, I WILL TOTALLY COME OVER!!"

Tiffany: "Do you want to..."

*big black body gallops over*

So precious. I miss having a dog.

Later that day, we all made a pilgrimage to Portland Head Light, which I've been wanting to do for years, and finally got my opportunity:

I absolutely love lighthouses, and was so excited to see one up close. I went through the whole museum, and lurked long enough in the gift shop to pick up a lighthouse magnet (I've developed a tradition of bringing home a Maine-themed magnet each year) and a book on the history of all Maine lighthouses, complete with photographs and author signature. The librarian was in heaven.

We lunched at a brewery, and then retired home for some rest. After the twins went to bed, we leapt into party prep mode. And see? Anytime there is baking, and *I* am involved, the results turn out rather unseemly. Shauna'h and I took on the task of baking the cakes, and I took the liberty of live tweeting:

I'll give you a spoiler: the cake actually turned out well. But the frosting? Well, we ran low on powdered sugar, and it was already late, and we were drinking wine, and so...let's just say that the chocolate fudge frosting turned into ACTUAL FUDGE. Rather...gritty, actual fudge. It went from liquidy, non-frosting consistency, to a full stop SOLID. An interesting chemistry experiment, but frosting it was *not*. My brother-in-law had to make an emergency frosting run to the grocery store in the morning, but the cakes did turn out well:

Twin cakes with a camping theme...

...and they coordinated perfectly with the outdoorsy theme of the party. We were at a wildlife park:

Henry and I posing at the entrance

...and a great time was had by all, especially the kids.

Henry suddenly becomes alarmed by the duck flying overhead...

We took the twins around to see some of the animals, all native to Maine, including my first ever moose sighting!

He was very large

And wait for it, wait for it! This is the daddy moose, and his significant other was also present, although being shyer in the back. Thus, yes, THERE WAS A BABY MOOSE!! Or, at least a child-like moose, likely born last season. He or she was tucked away in a corner, so no good photo opportunity, but rest assured that much squealing occurred.

After that we ate and opened presents, and brought two very exhausted 3-year olds home for a nap. The rest of us drank beer and watched football. :) Later in the evening, we made it to Sunday Mass, and a beautiful day was complete.

I packed up yesterday, a forlorn Henry and Roscoe by my side. Roscoe saw our bags and looked like someone had just shot his best friend, poor pumpkin. We sadly said goodbye to everyone and headed out for our flight. Anne and Mike were there to greet us when we landed, and Anne was SO HAPPY to see me:

"Mommy, I carried a picture of you and Henry with me for when I missed you. And I missed you. A LOT."

No guilt imposed there, yes? ;-) And so, although sad, I'm happy to be home. Work is a little overwhelming right now, but I'm trying not to dwell on that too much. I'm just making to-do lists for each day and working my way through them. That's all one can really do, right?

And so, how was YOUR weekend, dear reader? How has your autumn been so far? Have you participated in any fun fall activities? Do write in to tell me all about it. :)

Trips to the movies and preparation for another kind of trip, a busy autumn weekend...

Hi all! Here with you on a dreary Monday afternoon, amidst a valiant attempt to keep my spirits high. That's no easy feat on Mondays this semester, but we're persevering and doing just fine.

#offeringitup

*halo* ;-)

And so today, I have my usual menagerie of teaching, reference shifts, dueling swim lessons for the kids, and finagling a dinner for them after we get home. Actually, that doesn't look that bad, what am I complaining about? It's not that bad, it's just a little tiring. And Monday is Mike's long teaching day too, so it's a family-wide tiring day. :)

But the weekend? The weekend was lovely. Gorgeous fall weather here. Getting cooler, leaves starting to change. The warm September that we had seems to be impacting the foliage in a negative manner, which is unfortunate, but I still have hope for a glorious second half of October. Saturday morning, Mike and Henry took on grocery store duty, and Anne and I headed to Carter's to get her some warm winter pj's since she had outgrown all of hers. Can I say that I just adore warm winter pajama shopping for young children? ADORABLE.

Those footed sleepers? *swoons* Gingerbread men and women abounded, along with cupcakes, princesses, foxes and owls. I got her a slew of jammies, along with some long sleeved tops, and because Mommy is a soft touch and Anne knows this, she also managed to procure a new stuffed animal. Here she is modeling one of the new sleepers, and showing off her new friend:

What do you think he is? An owl, right? A snowy owl? But with a pink beak and feet? That's what I think he is. Anne insists that he is "a chickie!" But I'm not convinced. ;-)

At any rate, after our little clothing adventure, I took both kids to the movie theater, my mom in tow, to see Hotel Transylvania 2. I have to say, I love this series. VERY cute and funny, for both kids and adults. I loved the first movie, and so was excited to take the kids to see the sequel. And the verdict is... I would recommend, once again. Just as cute and funny as the first one. All four of us had a great time.

My mom wanted to take the kids to see the 3D version as a treat, and although I usually don't see movies in 3D (it's a waste of money for me, since I have a vision impairment that impacts my ability to see 3D images on a screen. I know, lame, right?!) I agreed that it would be fun for the kids, so why not?

Well, Henry enjoyed the 3D. He popped his glasses on, and sat back happily munching popcorn for the entirety of the movie. My mom enjoyed the 3D. As for me, 3D means that the screen looks fuzzy, I pop the glasses on, and then it looks super clear, but nothing else. A little anti-climactic, to be sure. ;-) Anne?

"Mommy, I do not like these MOVIE THEATER SUNGLASSES!"

Of course, it makes the experience less than enjoyable when you muck around with the glasses while you're eating your buttery popcorn, and quickly, your glasses become coated with layers of gunk. Multiple times. And then Mommy has to put down her beloved popcorn and Diet Coke to *clean plastic glasses 3 times*. But overall, Anne did not want to be bothered with the perching of glasses on her tiny nose in order to watch the movie, so I don't think she'd vote for 3D a second time.

On Sunday, we went to our favorite 10 am Mass *blissful sigh* followed by the monthly parish coffee/donuts social. We kibitzed. Then we went home and drank beer and watched football. Or, at least that's what Mike and I did. ;-)

In other exciting news, in preparation for a trip I'm taking this weekend (more details about that below) I upgraded my e-reader to a Kindle Paperwhite, da da DA!

An autumn scene, because I would have it be autumn year round ;-)

Isn't he handsome with all of his customized collections?

I had a Kindle Basic (that I coined "Patrick") which I loved, but which I was starting to have a difficult time seeing the screen in certain light conditions. I gave Patrick to Henry (who happily received him) and ordered this new Kindle Paperwhite, whose name, if you were wondering, is Francis. :0 And oh my goodness - SO MUCH BETTER! It's not just in dimly lit situations that I can see the screen more clearly now. I love it.

The reason this was on my mind is because I'm traveling on Friday, and when I travel, I read a lot on my Kindle. Traveling? Doesn't Tiffany not like hurtling through the sky on an airplane? Yes, yes, you would be correct, my friend. :) I don't really like doing that. BUT there are people that I love who do not live near me, and so I sometimes suck it up and force myself onto one of those tubes so that I can visit them. This time, I'm going to Maine (with Henry in tow) to visit my younger sister, brother-in-law, and twin nephews. I'm very excited, but you know, FLYING. And I'm going to miss Mike and Anne, who will be home enjoying a Daddy/Daughter weekend. *sad* But four airline tickets just wasn't in our budget right now.

I'll talk more about my trip likely in my video post for this week. In the meantime, how was your weekend? Did you go to a movie? Do tell. Have a Kindle Paperwhite? How do you like? :) Write all about it in the comments!

Of fall socks & non-existent dance choreographies, it's a fun filled Wednesday!

Hi all! Very happy to be meeting with you at mid-week. We're getting there! And I'm in good spirits. I hope you are as well. Mike and I attended the open house at Anne's school yesterday evening. There was a big tree collage out in the hallway with all of the kids' photos on the leaves, and can I just stop for a moment and say that my kid is the cutest SO DARN CUTE?! :0 It's like when you have a baby, and when you look into the nursery, while admitting that ALL of the babies are adorable, you think to yourself, "Gosh, it's true what they say. I really DO think that my baby is the cutest one that ever was!!" She is CUTE, that kid. Henry's is next week, and I always love going to his school.

At any rate, I've been knitting, knitting away! Crafters, I'm right, right?! Fall is the BEST time for crafting. When the weather is cooler, and you're indoors more, having wool on your lap as you work is just super cozy. I'm in a fall sock knit-along, isn't that just a scream? Mike thinks it's hysterical that knit-alongs are a "thing." They even have their own adorable acronym, KAL.

"You mean, a bunch of people get together and decide to knit the exact same thing, on a deadline, and then gossip about it while they do it?"

"Yep, precisely. Doesn't it sound fun?!"

I suppose non-knitters would find this behavior odd, but it really IS fun. ;-) Our deadline is Halloween, and we're knitting patterned rib socks. I just finished sock #1!

Pattern is Petty Harbor, and is a free download!

Fantastic, yes? Of course, they're orange, how could they be any other color for a fall KAL?! Now I have to knit another one. Ugh. Do I really *need* two?

In other news, I have a bunch of dance stuff coming up, the first event of which is the outdoor artisan's market again with my troupe this Saturday afternoon. I think it's supposed to be mild, so we won't have to worry about being too cold, which is good. Shivering doesn't actually help with the shimmies like one would think. ;-) So, we're doing a bunch of group numbers, and Claire's keeping the solos in there, and want to know something funny? I have a solo in there and I haven't touched my music since the art festival in late July.

#uhoh

This, from the girl who, when she first started dancing, would choreograph BREATHING into my routines, lest I forget. In a sense, it's a good sign that I feel so comfortable within Middle Eastern dance that I can rely on my movement vocabulary for improvisation. But in another sense...TERRIFYING!

*bites nails*

I'm planning to run through the music a few times beforehand, but I won't know what the weather will be doing exactly until that day, and that will impact whether or not I can use my veil. SOOOOOO, it'll be a bit of a last minute decision as to whether or not I use a prop. If it's not too windy, I'll do a veil entrance. If it's windy, I'll dance prop-less. And...hopefully it'll go well! :0

#hopespringseternal

We've got some other events coming up too, and, well... Let's just say it's going to be interesting. ;-) I tell myself that at the very least, it'll be good blog fodder, right? I'm just praying for the least amount of public humiliation possible. I don't even want to go into any detail ahead of time, that's how nervous I am. Which isn't exactly encouraging, but PRESS ON WE MUST! I will provide humorous details as they become available.

What's happening with YOU this fine Wednesday, dear reader?

Reversion stories are always a good time on a Monday morning, right? ;-)

Happy Monday, all!!! Notice the enthusiasm? I'm not actually enthusiastic, although I'm in a good mood. ;-) I'm just trying to pep up all of our Mondays into The Happy Place, otherwise I will fall right asleep at my desk and may topple onto the floor. And the floor is *really* gross in here. :0 (note to self: place work order for a deep tile clean, pronto...)

So what's the what today, you ask? Well, a couple of fun things. First, my latest piece at Catholic Mom is up, and it's my reversion story.

*angels sing*

I don't know about you, but I love faith stories. Everyone has one, even if you've been Catholic your whole life. This is mine, for what it's worth. ;-) This is a totally new piece, not a reworked one. It was an interesting emotional experience for me to write it. I had forgotten a few of the details until the writing process brought them back to me, and it was this whole nostalgic moment. If you have the time and inclination, I would *love* for you to read it and leave me a comment over at Catholic Mom with a brief synopsis of your own faith story, and/or who your own patron saint is!

That's a happy topic for a Monday morning, yes? Aside from that, I'm just exhausted. I had a great weekend, to be sure. Chilly days, LOTS of tea drinking and knitting.

*swoons!*

I even wore cozy handknit socks! It was the perfect knitting weather. In fact, expect a crafty post tomorrow or Wednesday, it made me THAT happy. Mike and I tackled a painting project in our living room that neither child managed to sabotage, so that's always a good thing.

Today, I dropped Anne at school, looking very cute in a new dress we procured for her during a Target run, and then made it to work with my coffee. About ten steps from my car I realized that I had left my mug inside, and BACK I WENT! Thank *goodness* I recognized my folly before I got closer to the library, it would not have been pretty otherwise. ;-)

Then I prepared for my class, and taught at 11 am. It went well. I had a nearly full classroom, with just a few students missing. This is a team teaching setup, so they only see me on Mondays. Since last Monday was Labor Day and we were off, I haven't seen them all in a few weeks, and quite a few new students had added the class since then. So, there was lots of administrative housekeeping to attend to, and I could tell that a few students find paying attention to be a real challenge. ;-) I try to keep things interesting with humorous anecdotes where applicable. Overall, the vibe in the classroom is very positive and attentive. Two classes down, ten more to go. :)

Now, I just need to make it to tonight, when I can relax over a drink with my Mike. I'm on a very challenging chat reference shift as I type (read "challenging" as "ANNOYING" :0) and then I have a few quick things to finish before I jet off to get both kids ready for their swim lessons. After those are done, I need to drag them home and fix *something* for dinner (anybody got any ideas?!) for the three of us, as Mike teaches on Monday evenings. Then get both kids settled down and in bed. THEN have aforementioned drink, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Is it 8 pm yet?

What is up with you this fine Monday, dear reader? :)

Tea Time with Tiffany #15 - Are you doing any differently in your spiritual routine this fall?

Routine has been a theme here this week, yes? Despite the fact that I recorded this week's video a few days ago, it fits in nicely with the theme.

*fortuitous!*

I just watched it so that I could gather the show notes together, and MAN, my hair is crazy in this one. :0 But my week has improved, and so I'm feeling perky today as I write this. It helps that (background discussion is in the video) this morning, despite the fact that I had to start the day with a DENTIST APPOINTMENT (is there a worse way to start one's day? I ASK YOU), when I arrived on campus at the worst *possible* time of the morning, much later than I usually arrive, as I was innocently patrolling the staff parking lot, Hark! Someone was pulling out!

GOD.STILL.LOVES.ME

But I digress. Today's topic is fall and renewed spiritual routines. You got any that you want to write in about? :)

The fall always brings a feeling of new beginning into my life, and I begin to think about Advent. In preparation for that, I generally get all excited and try out new things. What's on my mind in that regard this particular September? View on, gentle viewer!


Items mentioned in this episode (there are lots today!):

• My new Contigo travel coffee mug. #bliss
• Catholic Book Club reading list has been updated through January 2016! Read along with us! The next book we'll be discussing is Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim's Tale, by Ian Morgan Cron, on Sept. 30th.
• My new 2016 Mary and the Saints Wall Calendar is in stock and on it's way to me now. *heart*
• Sacred Reading: The 2016 Guide to Daily Prayer, published by Ave Maria Press. I'm going to be trying this out, starting in Advent, for lectio divina! I mentioned in the video that I wasn't sure if it covered just the daily Gospel or all of the daily Mass readings. I checked the sample pages, and it looks like it's meditations on the Gospel alone.
• Magnificat Advent Companion, a favorite of mine every single year. My pre-order is already in. #nerd
• My brand new wood Advent calendar! I grabbed it when it went on sale for about $50, so keep an eye on it, the price fluctuates quite a bit. I can't wait to share this with the kids! They just better not lose any pieces. *glares*
• Saint dolls from St. Luke's Brush. This year Henry will be receiving St. Nicholas, and Anne a rosary case with a painted rose adornment.
• Adoration. No substitute for it. I'm going to try bringing my kids. Have any of you tried this with your kids? How did it go?

Gentle reader, how I do appreciate being able to share time with you like this. It really buoys my spirits, especially during this busy season. What are you incorporating into your spiritual life this fall? And if you've taken children to Adoration with you, please do write in with your tips!

Morning routine, why do I hate you so much right now?

Hi all. If bad mornings are rated on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being "eh. Not terrible, I'll live," and 10 being "well that really SUCKED," then today's morning would get a solid 7, I'm thinking.

That does make two stressful mornings in a row, doesn't it? I know I'm not alone in this. Fall means adjusting to new routines for many people, and it simply takes time to get it all worked out. I know  that rushed morning routines are small potatoes in the global scale of things, it just helps to laugh at ourselves sometimes, right? Otherwise I'll go watch the news and cry again.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday are the culprits. Mike has an 8 am class, and so he drops Henry off at school around 7:30, as Henry's school begins at 7:45. This works out, but it's a close squeeze for him, time-wise. Meanwhile,  Anne and I are back at home, and I feel like I've got ants in my pants, because I like to be on my way to work by 8 am. I have frequent 9 am reference shifts and meetings, and so I like to be settled in my office around the 8:30 mark, booting up, brewing tea, checking email. Well, that's not possible right now, because I have to drop Anne at pre-K, and the doors don't open there until 8:15. And her school is in the opposite direction of the university that I work at.

#ugh

The past two mornings (Mike can usually take her Tuesdays, but I went along yesterday because it was her first day) have been misery. It's nice lounging with Anne for a half hour after Mike and Henry leave, but after that (let's examine this particular morning, shall we?), it's a cannon ball run:

"All right, Team Umizoomi is over! (God help me). Quick! Let's brush your teeth and get your shoes on! No, Anne, you can't take your (fill in the blank random toy) to school. Shoes! Where's your backpack?!"

We hustle to the car and get underway. Inevitable near occasions of sin involving other cars and garbage trucks ensue. We arrive. Anne drops her illicitly smuggled (fill in the blank random toy) and it scurries underneath my car as she disembarks. I have to climb down on my hands and knees to get it, gathering dirt and grass as I do so. Toy gets tucked back into the car. We hurry to the door, where we...wait until 8:15 for the doors to open.

*groans*

8:15 comes, I hustle her to the door for a goodbye kiss, and then I jet back to my car down the street. By 8:20 I am underway to campus. I arrive around 8:42, and guess what? Yep, staff parking lot FULL. AGAIN, I might add. I drive to a further-away student lot, park, and walk. I arrive on my floor of the library, a bit sweaty and disheveled, at 8:55. I quickly unpack my lunch, boot up my computer, and race down to the reference desk, pre-packed coffee mug in hand. The day I forget that mug, dear reader...well, you're really not going to want to read the post I write THAT day.

I get down to the reference desk, and find out that the entire ground floor of the library has no power. Delightful. People are scurrying all about, creating signs to put up announcing this unfortunate state of powerless affairs. One of my colleagues, the sweetest man ever, but a *talker*, kwim?! comes to the  reference desk to create a sign. And begins talking to me. About very random things. I have a class to plan for, plus I was rather hoping to work on this post during quiet moments. No quiet moments for Tiffany this morning, no sir. SO MUCH CHATTING. And there's no polite way to make the "I couldn't *possibly* care less, can't you see this legal pad I keep stealing looks at?!" face. So I had to chat about current films and other events until he wandered off. These are the moments whereby I am *dying* for a student to come up to the reference desk demanding that I try and help them procure an imaginary, free library copy of their textbooks.

After he left, I put up the "Librarian will be right back!" sign, grabbed my legal pad, and headed into the reference stacks to grab a few encyclopedias for my class. When I returned, two officious men wearing i.d. badges were circling the reference desk in an ominous manner:

"We're here doing an inspection relating to the power outage. We see a violation relating to your power strip. You will have to power down your machine."

In all my years, I tell you, this is a first. There goes my budding lesson plan. Of course, the reference desk machine picks THAT MOMENT to install a *#@!load of updates before it will power down. I think it was giving the inspection guys the virtual finger.

What feels like many minutes later, I boot back up the reference computer and open my fledgling lesson plan. I reject my initial flock of encyclopedias and go back for others. I finally piece something coherent together.

By the end of my shift, I was feeling scattered and edgy. I could also feel my hair curling and expanding due to the humidity in the air. It wasn't the greatest of mornings, I suppose. But here I am, finishing lunch, and I'm still in one piece, so how bad could it be?

How was *your* morning, dear reader? Here's raising my cute orange water bottle to coming up with ways to improve our morning routines! :)

It's the first day of class - I'm comforting myself by frantically knitting :0

"Happy" Monday, everybody! ;-) Actually, it really isn't a bad day. But it's pretty jam packed, and it's the first day of classes here at the university, so things are all crazy-like. I had my first day of teaching already, I'll talk about that in Tea Time this week. Mike started teaching for the fall semester today as well, and he has six classes to wrangle. So we're easing into the fall before the kids start school next week:

"But I *don't want* to go to school, Mommy!"

Should be fun, yes? :0 I have lots of clothes to buy this week for growing bodies, and school supplies to assemble into either plain blue or Frozen-inspired Elsa and Anna backpacks. We'll get there.

Mike has an 8 am class to teach three days a week, and he can get Henry to school each day, but I'll be delivering Anne to her pre-K. It's all going to be a much more intense morning routine for all of us. And you know, change. Change is hard.

But we'll get used to it. In the meantime, I've been knitting to wile away at my anxiety. I'm on a Christmas Gift List Quest, and am determined to have a good dent in things prior to Halloween. We don't panic around here until after we get past Thanksgiving, but that's a story for another day. ;-) I finished a gift shawl over the weekend:

Pattern is: Color Affection

The colors were chosen by my sister, and I have to say, I really like them together! We'll call it "grellow." :) I also started a pair of mittens for myself, and they're somewhat untraditional:

Pattern is: Fold Down Fingerless Mitts, and it's free!

OK, so there's the colors, right? The yarn is hand dyed by a friend of mine, and I'm afraid of running out, so I used a coordinating gray for the thumb. They match a hat I already knitted up:

Pattern is: Amanda Hat, and is also free!

But do you notice anything else about the mittens? Anything...unusual?

"Are those mittens supposed to not close at the top?"

Mike, ever observant, ever adorable. ;-)

Yep, they're designed to not close at the top. I don't know about you, but I rarely wear mittens (despite the fact that I live in a snowy, very wintry climate, and mittens are warmer) because I exhaust myself taking them on and off, on and off. When I have to drive. When I have to pick something up. When I have to switch podcasts on my phone. When I have to do anything. But with these guys, ta DA!

They *fold down* so that you can access your fingers real easily. They're much longer than fingerless mitts usually are, so they fully cover your fingers when you just want warmth. But I love how easily they fold down when you need to drive or answer a text message. Sublime!

As you can see, I finished mitt #1, and so am hard at work on #2. I'm hoping to finish tonight. I've been a super busy, crafty bee, and have been loving the distraction.

I've also been busy reading the book club book, Near Occasions, so look for a Catholic Book Club post on Wednesday!

How was your weekend, dear reader? Working on any crafts or other fall projects? Do write in and tell me all about it. :)

In fall planning mode, and new saint dolls!

Hello all, and happy Friday! It seems like I talk about saint dolls a lot on here, doesn't it? One would think that I have a bit of an obsession with them or something. ;-) I do love saint dolls, both for myself and my kids. I always order them early, well before Christmas and the feast of St. Nicholas, since they are handmade and take time to paint and ship. This year's round one features the following...

*drum roll*

Aren't they precious?! On the left is a rose rosary box for Anne, so not a saint doll, but it's beautiful, yes? It's what she asked for. In the center is St. Kateri, and yes, she is for me. :) She is currently residing beside Our Lady Star of the Sea on my desk, and both of them seem very happy to have company, and to have made the others' acquaintance:

She is just perfect for me, I think. And of course, on the right is St. Nicholas, and he will be gifted to Henry. I'd like to get Anne the wood nativity set from this shop, but it's $$$ :) and I'm waiting to see if there will be a fall coupon code coming up. Well worth the money, for sure, but any little savings helps. Especially since there are roofing guys currently at our house. :-\ I'm grateful we were able to get this done before the weather turns, and the house really needs it, but holy budget blaster, right there.

All right, so happy saint doll order is in. I was off yesterday with Mike and the kids at a local amusement park, and during the inevitable line waiting I was doing some thinking about fall planning for work and this blog. Before I get into the nitty gritty, I thought I'd point out that I, you know, bravely went to an amusement park. ;-) I used to love amusement park rides back in my youth. I was fearless about riding roller coasters. Now? I am a total WET BLANKET at amusement parks. :0 Rides either terrify me or make me feel pukey, but I soldier on, because my kids love them, and it's not fair for me to pass off my fear to them. They should be able to go and enjoy, and they do. I do still love a few rides, like the Scrambler, Tilt a Whirl, and Sleighride, which I know doesn't make a lot of sense, because many people get nauseous on those rides and cannot go on them. Every time we're there, someone throws up on the Tilt a Whirl and it has to be closed for maintenance.  :0 But it's never me, because I LOVE that ride. Swirling within spinning is just a total thrill for me; I love the sensation and I don't feel fearful or nauseous at all. Go figure, right? So I went on those with the kids, plus the little hot air balloons with Anne, and otherwise sat around letting them go on what they wanted. Mike rode the roller coasters with Henry, as he still enjoys those, and thank God for that so that I didn't have to sacrifice myself. ;-)

So anyway, back to the original topic. Fall plans. The semester starts up here at the university on Monday, though my kids don't start school until the day after Labor Day. What's in store?

Well, I did (aside from a concluding paragraph) complete the short article on Catholic fiction that I was fixing to write. I need to send the abstract in to the editor, and then edit and ready the manuscript, because (hopefully!) she's going to want to see it. So that summer work goal was met, thankfully.

I start teaching and all that jazz on Monday. I'll probably have a video post dedicated to that topic coming up in a few weeks. I'll be busier, for sure. Which got me to thinking about blog plans for the fall...

And so, yes, I have plans! :) I think what I'd like to do is have a 3 post per week plan. Monday or Tuesday, a longer, amusing, family/life post. Wednesday or Thursday will be a Tea Time video post. Fridays will be for lifey posts too, perhaps a bit shorter than the Monday post. I could also write about Catholic topics on Fridays, maybe some Catholic Nook posts when inspiration strikes, or Advent-related goodness as we approach that liturgical season. I'll still do 7 Quick Takes sometimes, but not every week. I do like those posts, but not all the time. We're free floating spontaneity and inspiration over here at Life of a Catholic Librarian. ;-) I'll obviously pop Catholic Book Club posts up on Wednesdays when those dates come around. And stay tuned for podcast news, because I'm hopeful that something will be ready this fall!

What do you all think? What are your favorite type of posts that I write? How would you like to see me structure a posting schedule? All very loosey goosey, mind you, nothing has to be etched in stone around here. But it's nice to have a general expectation, I think, for both you and me, of what will come each week. I'd really love for you to chime in on this, have at it in the comments!

A busy bee with seasonal crafting, as it appears that I adore themes...

As I sit at the reference desk on a cold and rainy morning here in WNY, with a cup of tepid coffee by my side, I'm thinking longingly of my knitting projects nestled in their basket next to my spot on the couch. By the way, I wanted the coffee to be hotter and flavored with peppermint, but *that* didn't happen for a myriad of reasons. #ugh

At any rate, fall and winter are my very favorite times of the year to knit. And in particular, to knit (and/or crochet) warm sweaters, blankets, shawls and winter accessories like scarves, hats and mittens. So cozy! And this year is no exception. For you knitters out there, ready for some pattern ideas? I've been working on a few things lately that I really love.

This fall I knit a shawl in a pattern called "Leftie," designed to help you use up your fingering weight yarn leftovers from socks. In my usual seasonal obsessive style, I chose to knit it in a fall colorway with brown, orange, green yellow and red. It turned out very Thanksgiving-esque and indeed I finished it right before the holiday. :)

It ended up being very cute. It's all garter stitch, so fabulous travel or tv knitting. Very warm and squishy and I love the colors.

And speaking of garter stitch, my new obsession is a shawl pattern called "Color Affection." You start with an increasing panel of garter stitch in one color, then switch to striping it with a second color. Subsequently, you work short rows to create a bit of a swirling situation and stripe colors one and two with a third color, finishing with a solid border of color three. The color combinations are endless and I am absolutely in love.

*swoons*

My chosen colorway reflects our current winter season, because the seasons seem to always provide inspiration for me. I watched "Frozen" with Anne the other day, and all of a sudden the colors from that movie are just speaking to me. I'm ordering "Frozen" books left and right and telling myself that they're for Anne, but they're kinda for me. :0 I just can't get the winter imagery of that movie out of my mind. And so I dug through my stash to find color colors to knit the Color Affection shawl:

Yes? I love them. SO MUCH. The silver and the cream are a fingering weight cashmere/merino wool blend that is absolutely to die for. The blue is a merino wool/nylon sock yarn left over from being edging on a gift shawl I knit last year for my Secret Santa recipient. It's a little darker than I want, but the lighter blue colorway of that yarn (called "Frozen" I WANT IT SO BAD) is out of stock until the end of February so I can't order it. *sob!* So, I'll either use this or another heathered light blue color that I ordered during the Knit Picks sale in a different yarn base. When it arrives I'll make the decision, but so far I haven't had to add the blue in yet, so I have time. Here is the what I have done so far:

I still have seven more cream stripes to go. I love patterns like this, that have you doing something different in each segment, changing colors as you move along. I never get bored with patterns such as these, and I can't wait to knit the next row to see how it's going to look. I have been very much enjoying working on this in the evenings.

*happy*

Never one to work on only one project at a time (I'm a knitting philanderer *scandalous!*) I swatched last night for a new sweater that I've been wanting to make for myself for quite some time, called the "Abbey Pullover." The cloister lace used in the yoke, and the obviously church-y connotations just could not be resisted. :) I really wanted to make it in a lovely purple shade close to what is pictured in the pattern sample, so I chose this shade of Berrocco Ultra Alpaca:

Very Advent-like, yes? :) And yep, that is my vodka/tonic there in the background. Anne gave us a hard time going down for bed, I really needed it, no judging. :0 I was indeed drinking and knitting, living dangerously, that I was. I'm very excited to get started on this.

I felt I deserved to cast on for two fresh new projects given that I have been slaving away at brown socks for Mike and dishcloths for Christmas gifts for the past month. The socks are finished:

...and have already adorned my cute hubby's feet over Thanksgiving weekend. (Pattern is from Anne's Budd's Getting Started Knitting Socks, one of the best knitting books I have ever purchased). And the dishcloths will be finished by tomorrow. I just realized that I will have an extra aunt attending our Christmas Eve get-together now, which theoretically means that I should crochet two more dishcloths, but... during the Fusion Beads Cyber Monday sale, I ordered supplies to make her a snowflake Christmas tree ornament instead. :0 Because if I have to crochet yet another dishcloth right now I.will.die. I now know that I'd better behave myself or else I risk an afterlife of crocheting dishcloths in plain white cotton for ALL ETERNITY.

All right everyone, I hope that you are feeling seasonally craftily inspired now, as I am. :) Is anyone else crafting something for the holidays? Do detail in the comments. :)

Fall is in the air, in a number of fun & crafty ways...

Happy Wednesday everyone! I had a few ideas marinating this morning for what I wanted to write about today, and decided how to sort them out while on the reference desk. I like to use my morning routine and commute for this, when I listen to podcasts and read my Magnificat, both of which often provide fodder. As I was driving in this morning and listening to Catholic Vitamins, I was thinking about how things have very subtly changed this month. My crafting projects are all geared toward the weather cooling off and holiday gift giving, people are beginning to talk about events coming up in September and October, and as I pulled onto campus it was very evident that fall is already here at this university. Early move-in is happening now, and a giant tent is erected in the middle of campus to welcome new students and pass out needed materials. So, how is the life of your Catholic Librarian reflecting our transition over to (in my opinion) the most beautiful season of the year?

For one, shoes. :0 Well, shopping generally, I suppose, because I also need some new cold weather additions to my wardrobe generally. I'm not really what you would call a "shoe person," shoes are purely functional to me, and I own very few pairs. However, vanity does provide the impetus for me to seek out shoes that flatter my somewhat large feet. I do like *cute shoes*, I just pick some and then hope that they last several years so that I don't have to buy new ones again for awhile. I'd rather spend extra money on things like yarn and rosaries. ;-)

But my fall work pumps from last season, which I *love*, are showing clear signs of wear. They certainly got a lot of use, so I knew I should procure a new pair for when the weather turns. I found a pair I liked, and headed to the store after work yesterday, armed with a coupon:

Cute, right? But even more devastating was their sister, also available in my size:

I mean, did you ever?! The gray checked pattern?! LOVE. Despite the somewhat warm conditions in my un-air conditioned car yesterday, fall was certainly in the air as I motored home with my new shoes. Because yes, I bought both pairs. :0

Fall is also certainly present in my current knitting projects, both those in-progress as well as those that have recently come off the needles. I cast on for a fall cardigan for Anne, I make her one every year:

I'm going to repeat those same 4 colors throughout, and border it in a slightly darker green. It's coming out really cute, and Anne keeps absconding with and cuddling the yarn, which I'm taking as a very good sign. :)

My twin nephews' birthdays are coming up in October, and I'm going to be knitting them winter hats with ear flaps and ties:

Yep, haven't cast on yet :) but soon this yarn will be transformed into adorable blue hats. Recently off my needles (and a year in the making) is an autumn tweed sweater for myself:

It's blocking currently, which of course will enhance it's shape since it's wool, but it's designed to be a boyfriend sweater, a roomy pullover. When I soaked it, it lengthened quite a bit, which is very pleasing, and I was able to shape the neckline as well. I will photograph again when it is dry and I can try it on. Excited!

So, the above, along with Henry's confetti socks, which are coming along nicely:

We have a heel and part of a foot!

...are what I've been working on of late during my lunch and evenings. Lovely things to keep us warm when the nights turn cool, which they likely will start doing even before the end of August.

I've also been plotting some rosaries that I want to make as gifts, which led me to think about praying the rosary generally. I almost wrote about that today. So how about tomorrow? Prepare to discuss how you work a rosary into your prayer life please! I'd love to hear from you. :) Talk to you tomorrow!