2007 September » Bookworm Broadcast

Sammie and I have been looking at this really neat book called Junk Drawer Jewelry by Rachel Di Salle and Ellen Warwick. We both love making stuff, and she has been into making jewelry a lot lately. This book not only caters to our craftiness, and our love of jewelry – but, also to my ‘hippie-ness’! You make jewelry from things you find around your house, instead of going out and buying a bunch of fancy-schmancy beads and gems and stuff. I just think that is super-cool! (I think that is my new catch phrase – ‘super-cool’ – I’ve been saying it a lot lately. Of course, nothing could replace ‘groovy’! Ha!)

We have just recently brought the computer up from the basement and hooked it up to the internet. The kids have basically done without since we moved out here to Alabama. Having them off of the internet was just one less worry – so now I am back to worrying. Luckily, the other computer is right here in the room with me, and therefore, I can keep tabs on them while they surf. The internet can be a wealth of information and learning for them, but, it can also be a very scary place for them. So except for the fact that Patrick likes to close the Blinds sometimes to block the sun, I am really glad that we put the second computer in the same room with mine. I am going to try to do everything that I can to make the internet a fun and educational place for them, but, make sure they stay safe. They are just going to have to deal with “Nosey Mom” or completely give up internet time.

I think that a career in psychology would be very rewarding, and it would be really cool if one of my children decided to go that route. There is a really nice school from which you can get your psychology degree while you are still working – their college was actually designed for working people! It is the Chicago School Online, and yes, you can do distance learning through them. That is a new part of their program that they have implemented this year. The school was started in 1979 by practicing psychologists who wanted to start a not-for-profit training center for those entering the field. The school has a large focus on diversity and multicultural studies, because, they believe that multicultural awareness is so important in psychological therapy. It sounds to me like a really great school and an even better community – and I would just love it if my kids, or one of them, wound up there!

I absolutely LOVE Halloween! We all have so much fun every year – even my hubby! And now we live right next to a neighborhood that goes absolutely Halloween-CRAZY! It is the coolest Halloween neighborhood I’ve ever seen! Just about the whole town is out and about in this neighborhood on Halloween night – we even ran into the kids teachers! And oops! Hubby was going around scaring people with this creepy mask on – and he accidentally scared our daughter’s teacher – it was embarrassing and hysterical all at the same time!

My family and I just love Halloween, though! We always have a total blast that night! And I, for one, always come home that night feeling more connected to my community – in all of the communities that we have lived. That is a cool thing.

And I love Halloween so much that I’ve made four Squidoo lenses all about Halloween!

Check them out:

Kids Love Halloween

Kids Love Halloween Crafts

Kids Love Halloween Parties

Kids Love Halloween Costumes

I am just so excited! I have a friend back in Texas, who I’m sure is already decorating! You should see her house when she gets done with it – it looks amazing! If you’re in Waxahachie, Texas in the next few weeks, just drive down Main Street – you won’t miss it!

I think I’ll definitely ask my husband to get down the Halloween decorations this weekend!

And I’ll be sure to tell you about the great Halloween books I run across, as well!

Some of you know me well enough to know that I love blogging. It is my new passion – I just completely love it!

Well, just this morning, I’ve discovered that Judy Blume is blogging – she has her very own blog on which she, herself, is talking to us, sharing with us, and interacting with us!

Is that cool, ya’ll, or what? She is one of my favorite authors from elementary school! I am totally so excited about this! I mean, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing was so much a part of my elementary-school life! A friend and I pretended we were the characters in the book and the books that followed it. We did this for years – we even would tease each other in high school about it! I know he ‘was’ Fudge, but, I can’t remember who I ‘was’. And as my friend became a very accomplished and very handsome young man in our high school years, I took great joy in calling him “Fudge”! (Not to mention, it gave me reason to talk to this now-very-good-looking young man!) I guess I must’ve been Sheila, the neighbor, and star of her own book,
Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great. Oh – I just loved that book, too!

And the funny thing is, I was just thinking about my friend, “Fudge”, yesterday! I might have to look him up and see what he is up to!

You can find Mrs. Blume’s blog at: Judy’s Blog And just in case you forget where to find her, I’ll add her to my blogroll here on this site!

And actually, I just noticed that she has comments turned off, so that is kind of disappointing, but, I imagine it would be a full-time, and then some, job, to monitor them. I hope that she will find a way to be able to turn them on, so that we really can interact with her. That would be the coolest!

Now if we could just get Beverly Cleary blogging, my ‘elementary school years’ heart would just be bursting at the seams!