Garden Spells and Gifts of Love

I received and gave several gifts this week to friends that has filled my heart and warmed my soul. WARNING: Stop reading this post now if you're looking for my usual snarky comments & tech tips - though I don't blog about books as often as most librarians - I will always be a book lover!
This post is a heartfelt thanks, celebrating my relationships, and mentally positioning myself with a air of grattitude for the upcoming school year that starts....for me...on Tuesday.

I met with dear librarian friends and Maryland PLN peeps Brenda Anderson, Kyra Kreinbrook, and Andrea Christman at the Ram's Head Tavern this past week for happy hour ales & laughs. We stayed well beyond the hour of happy talking, bonding, scheming, and planning for the next coming school year. Brenda surprised me with a gift of a hand-made bracelet which I love & touched me! I want to share it with you! Awwww! Damn. So lucky.

During our conversation, Andrea mentioned a book - Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen that I immediately downloaded to my Kindle, read and LOVED. Great prose...lyrical and touching. Yes, some say this book is remincient to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman - and if that means an old house, magic family, two sisters and love...Oh..ok, yeah got it...but can you have too much of a good thing? I even added Practical Magic to my Netflix queue for tonight! This book made me blink back hot happy tears almost every 5 pages - from either the events of the book or the way the author, Sarah Addison Allen wove the beautiful prose together to create a warm soft blanket of Southern charm and happiness embracing friends and family...and ourselves. Acceptance. Forgiveness. Giving. Generosity. These are the things I need to focus on this coming year. 
For:

I wish this had been our summer Book Club choice! Instead it was Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout which I have read "was a bit disappointing. I felt very depressed and disheartened after reading the short stories in this collection." So I didn't read it.

So there! I want only positive and happy in my life - I'm not going to over stretch myself with commitments and I'm going to avoid toxic people and situations. I love right now but I'm not in-love. That might change this year - if I find time. But I am surrounded by amazing family and friends who love me and who I adore.

I gave my friend Debbie this week a sterling, pearl free form flower ring that I saw at Ross Simons that just called her name...and gave it to her early for her Sept. B-day because I know how Septembers are for me...and for all teachers! CRAZY! It made her so happy which, of course filled me with happiness. (see quote above!)

So inspired, I went back to Amazon and downloaded the other two Sarah Addison Allen books - set in small Southern towns that I love so much with new quirky characters: The Sugar Queen and The Girl Who Chased the Moon: A Novel. I'm hoping these touching books will give me something happy to read on the plane and in any quickly grabbed quiet time this coming month. I need to make time for that - reading. That would also be a gift to myself.
You can also pre-order Ms. Allen's next title: The Peach Keeper: a Novel to be released Spring 2011 - I'm so there!

Thank you family, friends, and dear readers for all that you give me - outright with your words of encouragement, gifts of your time, out loud love, & even in your unspoken support. Your comments & feedback are a gift to me and I thank each and all who take a quick min to leave one. Thank you.

I wish all educators a good school year and much love and happiness in your life. Keeping in mind:

"We tend to seek happiness when happiness is actually a choice."

a print I plan to buy from Ballard Designs and a sentiment I 100% believe in.


Going back outside for a few....funny how I've been off all summer but have been so busy - ISTE, being daring, friends and family obligations, & I've only read 3 books! I used to read 3 books a week in the summer....[shakes fist in mock anger] Damn you interwebs!