Weekend party

We didn't really have any big plans for this past weekend...but we did get invited to a little birthday get together Saturday. Our friend Tom celebrated his birthday recently...so his wife along with a friend of theirs... Michelle...and her daughter who also had birthdays last week got together and decided to throw a little party.
Michelle and her family rented an efficiency room at this little motel down the road from our neighborhood (where all of the above conveniently live :) ) (In the background you can see the closed Blue Seas motel (a wreck) and the palce I still call the Quality Suites...because even though it changed hands several years ago...I can never remember what it's called...so for anyone who has lived around here...it's still the old Quality Suites...:). Most of us walked down about 5 blocks... It was a perfect spot right on the ocean. The moved all the furniture to one side, set up some tables for all the food and Voila!...it was party time. It was a perfect set-up.
Hurricane Irene was safely past..leaving behind some perfect 4-6 foot waves...and an afternoon storm cooled things off a bit.
The girls hired a band (including an old friend of ours...Mark Baker) and they played some nice music...nothing too wild..but perfect for the afternoon and the crowd...haha (40 & up...) Mark used to play at some local hotels and clubs...we have danced to his band's music many times...it was fun to hear them again.
Michelle and her husband Tim's kids loved hanging out down at the beach... and we all enjoyed hanging out behind the motel on a beautiful afternoon/evening. John and I didn't stay too long...but we heard that the police stopped by (cranky motel guests??? or neighboring condo people??? must've called). The police actually said something to the effect of "Hey this is a great set-up"...and told them to keep the noise level down. (it really wasn't that loud...the band wasn't blasting out the sound or anything...there was even a Dean Martin song or two playing when the band was taking a break) I guess the police came back around 10:00-10:30pm and told them they'd have to shut it down...Tom told us one guy commented "Hey not bad...we're getting shut down by the police at an over 50 party!.."haha "Looks like we've still got it!" haha
If the motel wasn't so old I might consider doing the same thing...but I doubt the owners want to be kown as the local party place....
Maybe....we could rent out the whole complex...haha
And then...on an unrelated note...here's the sunset from tonight. Late August evening after the rain...to nice to pass up!

Back to School stories

Now that school has started, I knew the dynamics of my story time group were going to change. Many of the boys and girls who have been coming were now going to be moving on to Pre K or Kindergarten. I really did not know what to expect...but I was pleasantly surprised with a nice group of 11 today. Most of them were new to my group...they've been in Lap Time and then Toddler Time with Ms. Dianne for the last 2 or more years. I was happy to see them come up to the 3 and up group. In the past...Dianne has had many moms who just stayed in Toddler Time (until the kids went to school!) because they liked the days and times that her programs were offered. Plus many of them start when their children are 6 months old...so it it like a playgroup for all of them...kids and moms, and I understand that. But I must admit it was frustrating to see them all going to the 2 year old program when they were 4 & 5 years old!
I picked some books about school buses and reading. I have a much younger group now...most of the boys and girls have just turned 3...so it will probably take me a couple of weeks to see what books will work best with them. Today went well. I figured it would be hard to go wrong with Maisy! This was a cute little book about different things that you do at preschool. (Most of the boys and girls now attend a program on Monday, Wednesday and Friday..or at least two days a week....so they could relate)
I had planned to read this book about manners in the library...I ran out of time, but I'll use it next week. I usually start the year off with this one...more for the moms...haha...they get pretty comfortable at our library...and it can get very noisy over in the Children's area! Today...one new boy had a major meltdown...he was really wailing...and mom is used to it...not thinking "Gee I'm in the library...maybe I should take him out or into another room"...so I gently suggested they might want to go back in the meeting room until J calmed down. I don't want to hurt the mom's feelings...but if they can't figure it out...sometimes I have to let them know...they are creating a disturbance for everyone else.
Carlo Likes Reading is a cute little book. It talks about all the things Carlo likes to read and on each page everything is labeled. You could use this book with a child learning to read...or with a student trying to learn English. The illustrations are cute...I don't know that I will use this again for my story time...but it worked.
The Bus For Us is a cute story about a Gus and his sister Tess waiting for the bus on Tess's first day of school. It starts off with the two of them at the Bus Stop...a vehicle approaches..."Is this the bus for us?" and then you turn the page and see a variety of vehicles. The kids like to guess what is coming next...some are predictable...like the fire engine...but they like to see if they have guessed correctly. As each vehicle goes by, the group of children waiting grows...so you can have fun counting the children and guessing.
we all agreed the ice cream truck would be a great way to get to school!
The Little School Bus is another counting book. Each stop along the route finds another "friend" waiting to get on..including a sleepy sheep, a squirmy worm, a hairy bear, a quick chick, a fox with socks, a pig in a wig and a goat in a coat. If you like rhymes...like anyone who knows me...knows I do...this book is a perfect choice!
After our stories, a song and a little matching game, we made little schoolhouses the the one above. It is always fun to see how different the finished crafts are even though everyone starts out with the same supplies! I love the moms who let the kids make the craft the way they want it...even if it may be a little abstract! haha
I always tell the parents...the stories, the crafts, the songs...it's for them to enjoy. If they just want to listen to the songs..not do the movements...that's OK . If they don't want to make the craft...that's OK...and if they don't want to sit still and listen...maybe they can try again another time.
I'm looking forward to more programs with the new group!

Sunset

We are finally getting our "Normal" afternoon rains around here after several dry months. when we get the rain...we get skies like this when it stops.
I am loving the sunsets!
It gets a little cooler too...so that's a plus.
The neighbors probably think I'm kooky...out there with my camera every night...trying to catch the moment!
But I don't care....
it's too nice to go inside and miss it!


Well, things have been pretty quiet around here since our busy month of July. All of our trips are over and now it's back to reality...haha. Too bad...I kind of liked all the activity! Work is kind of hectic. We recently "lost" two workers...one left due to health issues/personal issues. I miss Nancy a lot...we had fun working together and she was at the library from the early days. She wasn't there when we first opened...but it wasn't too long after that she came on board. But...I think leaving was the best thing for her... she'll have much less stress and time to take it easy and get better. she and I both felt the same way about certain policies and procedures...I'll leave it at that Another co-worker left last month (fortunately my vacation was already approved)to take a job closer to home. 30 minutes less travel time each way and a few more hours too. She was a hard worker. I know my bosses miss her and a lot of patrons miss her too. I am happy she found something that works better for her...she deserved a little break...she is a nice girl and this might make her life a little easier. (always a good thing!) Now we are losing another person. B is retiring at the end of this month. She is in Reference 15-20 hrs a week and Circ the other 5-8. she also works very hard. I've always gotten along with her...although she is definitely a "by the book" person...and I follow rules...but also bend them sometimes if the situation calls for it. B will too...it just takes a lot more convincing! Sometimes things are more complicated than need be as far as I'm concerned. So...we are busy but not at our busiest....but now H is going back to school and will be available on a limited basis. Soooooooooooooooo that leaves Susan and I at the desk...with Kathy and Mona filling in. I am afraid my now only 2 hrs in Children's might get taken away...if it does...I will have to re think this whole job. No one has said anything yet...so for now I am trying to impress my new moms and kids with my spectacular programs! haha. Seriously...school's started, so some of my little friends have moved onto preschool and Kindergarten...and some new kids are moving up. I am enjoying every week I get to do my programs....and we'll see what happens. Tomorrow...books about, manners in the library, reading and school buses. And then we're making little school houses.
It's going to be fun!

Saturday Night Awards

Our last day/night in North Carolina was a full one. John and Bill golfed their last 9 hole match. The team ahead of them had a lead that was statistically impossible to overcome...but they figured they'd go out and give it their best shot. Like most tournaments...there are the prizes and then there are the side bets. In fish tournaments it's the Calcutta's....I don't know what they called it here...but as I understand it...bets were placed at the beginning of the tournament. You could bet on which Flight would win the tournament, which team would win the flight, which team would go all the way...which Flight would have the winning team, etc. Welll. as luck would have it...the team that had the lead on John and Bill...did not bet on themselves to win the Flight...so John and Bill won the $.(by default??? or whatever) They(1st place team) also did not win their final match...otherwise the $$$$ would have been even more than it was. It all sounds very complicated...but the bottom line is...Bill and John both won credit in the clubhouse and some $$$. John ended up with two new golf clubs...one was part of the gift package all the golfers got and the other he got with his credit in the shop. Not bad for a weekend of golf!
You know those t-shirts you see where it say My ___________ went to __________ and all got was this t-shirt. Well...I got a t-shirt out of the deal...hahaha Not to mention the money I spent on the shopping/lunch expeditions. I think I did just fine. haha
When were were trying to figure out what to bring for the weekend...we knew we needed something nice for the awards dinner. The men are requested to wear jackets...so I wanted something nice. I found a dress a few months ago at Ross, then shoes on sale later at Dillards...so I had my outfit planned. John has a couple of nice outfits on hand for special occasions...after a trip to Michael's Men's Store last year. Before last year's trip...John went and updated his wardrobe...new coat, a couple pairs of pants, shirts and ties...to mix and match. As John was setting out his things to pack...I was thinking he was setting out the same things he wore last year....so I decided to check the pictures from last year to double check. Sure enough...he had the set out the same shirt and tie...so we switched things up a bit. Not that anyone else would even remember...but hey. Funny thing is...when I looked at the pictures...I realized I had planned the same dress for the first night cocktail party...haha we would have both showed up wearing the exact same outfits from last year. We got a good laugh from that. sounds like we don't get out much! hahaI am happy to report that we packed our clothes...with no duplicates from the previous year...and we looked just fine. And...we had a great time.
If there had been an award for Mr. Congeniality...John would have won hands down! He talked to everyone...and thoroughly enjoyed himself. We had a lively conversation with the other people at our table...they were two guys John and Bill had played with the first day. Neil and Lou from Hilton Head, SC. They were a lot of fun. When the conversation turned political.... Bill started it...not me. hah I was thrilled to find myself at a table full of Democrats!(very unlikely in a community like that in NC) I won't go into detail...but lets just say it was a bit of serendipity, Poor Kathie kind of got caught up in the middle of a (semi) heated discussion...I did my best to keep my mouth shut...but told Neil & Bernie, Lou & Karen that it could not have turned out better if I planned it! haha At the end of the night we all agreed to disagree (with Bill) and talked about how much we had enjoyed the company...and we did....they said "Hope to see you next year"...I told them I hoped so...if our conversation/discussion hadn't landed me on the list of people NOT to invite back! haha

Friday activities

So after the luncheon and house tour, Kathie, Sandy and I decided we had time to go check out Priscilla's to see if we could make use of our 20% off coupons. haha We arrived to find a free-for-all of sorts going on in the shoe area. Seems everyone else was interested in the same cute shoes we wanted to check out. It was kind of funny.The shoes came in all colors...red patent leather, lavender, yellow, black, gray, green...and several colors in suede. The fit was better on the patent leather shoes...so we all ended up with them. Sandy got green and gray, Kathie got gray and I got these black patent leather ones. We were all in search of comfortable shoes...I stand all day at work...Sandy teaches, so she's on her feet most of the day...and who doesn't want cute comfortable shoes?
Friday night we had planned to attend the BBQ. It was down by the club house...under a great big tent. It's at the top of the hill...so the view is great.They also had the "leader" board set up...with the next day's schedule available for the golfers. John and Bill were looking good after the first day of match play. John spent a lot of time looking at the board...Bill finally said "You know that board isn't going to change no matter how long you look at it" haha

More pretty flowers.....on the tables and on the grounds.




After dinner we hopped back on the golf cart and decided to go up to the top of the mountain to watch the sunset. Fortunately the cart made it up the steep parts in spite of the load! hah We went up to hole 13 ???I think. There was a beautiful house up there, they had a party going on...they were out on the porch enjoying the same view that we were. It must be nice to see that every night!
the last bit of color in the sky
The sun set and we took our wild ride back to the house. It was a great day.

views from the tour house
Okay...let me say right of the bat that I am tired and not thinking clearly...haha...so this post actually starts at the end and works back to the beginning. Truth is...I don't feel like starting over...and really...I have 5 readers...do they care????? So here goes. The first night we were in NC they had a cocktail party. The golfers had the opportunity to see which "flight" they were in and who they would be playing with the first day of the tournament. It was a nice evening and the Landings was a perfect spot for the party. The food was delicious and we sat out on the porch and enjoyed the evening.
This is one view of the lake...but it is from a house we visited on the home tour. While the golf match is going on...they have a luncheon at the club house for the ladies and their guests. After lunch they usually have a home tour. It's kind of fun to see the different homes. They are always impressive...and it's nice to see the things people have chosen and done in their homes. Sometimes you see a house and think..."Please adopt me!" haha others...are lovely...but not my style....not that I would turn down the chance to own one!
This year's house was interesting...not one of my favorites...but it had a beautiful view. The Master bedroom...had a window overlooking the lake...and I imagine you could sit there for hours looking out. The decor was very eclectic...which I kind of liked...but in some places it didn't quite seem finished. Lots of pretty flowers out front...the owners know how to garden...the bees and butterflies were loving the plants.

Before the tour...we had lunch at the club house. The theme this year was Southwestern. Joanne...the lady in charge of the event always does a great job. The taco salads were delicious!

Sandy at the table. Everyone received a gift bag...with a pen, some cheese straws (a southern staple) and a coupon for 20% off at the store that provided fashions for the luncheon fashion show.
Table design...very simple, colorful and just right. The food was great and we enjoyed the fashion show they put on. The fashions were all very wearable...although most of the models were teeny tiny. There were a couple of outfits that involved leggings and a little jacket....oh yeah...that would look great on the average sized (or above...:) person!) But there were some beautiful sweaters, hats,accessories and shoes. One pair of shoes in particular caught every ones attention...they were cute on everyone and were available in multiple colors. They had all price ranges...the cute shoes were only $40.00!...on the other hand the belt I admired...was a bit more....$210.00! no thanks!
Now...back to Thursday night...down at the landings...by the river. Pretty wildflower arrangements on the tables...I was taking lots of pictures of the flowers...people probably thought I was drunk maybe a little.. 3 glasses (small glasses) of wine.haha
Sandy took our picture as we were getting ready to leave. I had a new dress I ordered .from Boden..I admired it all season...but didn't buy it...finally at the end of the season clearance sale...I decided to go for it. It was super comfortable...and it will be perfect when things cool down a little and I need something besides my usual sundress!