Merry Christmas

I received some thoughtful gifts this Christmas. The ones in the first four pictures came from my dear friend Liz, who lives across the ocean from me in England. She's the writer of Liz's Deaf Blog as well as a photography blog and a blog narrated by her cat, Miley. I met Liz in person when I went to England in 2010. We keep in regular contact through email.

I had been thinking to myself that I ought to buy a pretty pen for my purse so you can imagine my delight when I opened the box (on the right in picture #2) and found a pen with my name on it. Isn't the bookmark next to the pen lovely? The photo doesn't do it justice. It has a 3D effect and contains lovely facts related to my name on the reverse side. I always associate the color purple and butterflies with Liz.

Photo #3 shows two books she gave me on castles in England, a postcard of a Robin Hood statue, and a Union Jack tea towel. Just the thing to tide me over until season 4 of Downton Abbey begins.

The plaque I am holding in photo #4 says Life's truest happiness is found in the friendships we make along the way. Liz is certainly a true friend of mine who has added to my happiness this year and ever since we got to know each other. Thank you, Liz. I'm fortunate to have you as my close friend.

More thoughtful gifts I received include those from my Aunt Louise. She reads my blog regularly and is a great source of support for all that I do. She took seriously my posts on my desire to do more public speaking and sent me two recommended books on the subject. I can't imagine a nicer gift than having someone take your dreams seriously and help you to achieve them. Thank you so much, my dear Aunt Louise.

This year I am especially thankful to share the holiday with my family. Although they are camera shy and seldom featured on my blog, I wanted to include photos of them in this holiday post.

The first photo is of my husband Rob. He's my rock. The second is of my son Charlie. He's holding an Army cap ornament. He has enlisted and will be serving our country after he graduates from high school. I don't know if he will be spending the next Christmas with us or where he will be posted, so this ornament is poignant.

The third picture is of my Dad. It's hard to see but he's holding a pocket New Testament. It's our family tradition that my Dad reads the Christmas story from Luke and Matthew before we open our gifts. As soon as he got into my house, I asked him, "Dad, did you bring your Bible to read the story?" With a big smile on his face, he said, "Of course I did."

The next photo is of my Mom holding Melody. My mom was really happy to meet her today. Although we had a present for Blondie to unwrap, we all knew that the real present for her and all of us was Melody, the new puppy who has claimed our hearts. She's a little sweetie, just adorable and Blondie's shadow. Happy Holidays from my home to yours.

Holiday Surprise

A kindergarten girl with Deaf parents chose to sign the songs for them rather than using the generic hand motions with the rest of the class at her school's holiday concert. Now that's what I call inclusive communication! I bet her surprised parents were so proud. Whether you know sign language or not, this short video is guaranteed to lift your spirits this season. I could watch it over and over to see how this little girl stole the show. Enjoy and happy holidays!

Happy 4th of July

Protect your hearing this holiday and enjoy this accessible version of Katy Perry's "Firework" done in kinetic typography.

 

A Visual Valentine for You

My valentine to the readers of Speak Up Librarian:



 About the making of this video:

This short movie is another one of my experiments in visual expression. I've seen similar slide shows on the internet set to music. I chose to have no audio track for this one and to use visual effects instead to provide interest when the photos change. As I accept my hearing loss and focus less on the sounds around me, I have found there is a beautiful world of colors, patterns, textures, and contrasts for me to discover and appreciate. I hope you enjoy the photos and have a happy Valentine's Day.

Rusty's Christmas present

Viewing tip for HD videos: To avoid experiencing lag time, click play, then pause to allow the video to download completely. Once the grey bar has reached the end, the download is complete. Now click play again and the video should run without interruptions.

Santa must not have heard what happened to Rusty's old dog bed.

I'm sure it's hard to believe, but he chewed it up. Ha, ha.

Christmas Reading

Public Library Christmas Tree 

To keep my spirits bright, I've been reading library books with a winter or Christmas theme. Here's what I've read so far: Aunt Dimity Snowbound by Nancy Atherton, Wreck the Halls by Sarah Graves, and Christmas Wishes by Debbie Macomber. I'm in the middle of A Crossworder's Gift by Nero Blanc. I still have yet to read Decked With Folly by Kate Kingsbury and Murder for Christ's Mass by Maureen Ash. All of these authors are new to me.

I was lucky to find so many seasonally appropriate books at my local library. It's a nice way to finish out my year of reading. Have you enjoyed following my reading list? Should I do it again for 2012?

Closeup of Ornament on Library ChristmasTree

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A Christmas Treat for Dog Lovers

Nothing says holiday like a good old fashioned reindog parade. A what? You ask. A reindog parade, you know, that holiday tradition where you dress up your dog and parade him in front of the townspeople. Okay, I'll admit it. This was new to me too this year. But it was a lot of fun,especially when the dogs shook off their costumes. I made a video of the event to share with you. Enjoy!

Holiday Gift Giving Idea

I saw this display at a public library. I thought it was such a lovely idea that I took a photo with my cellphone so I could share it with all of you. This library has taken books in like new condition, tied them together with a festive bow, and placed them for sale.

It would be a simple idea to copy. Most libraries have donated books for sale. You could bundle together books by one author or even group books in the same genre, like romance or mystery. Stop by a craft store for a ribbon bow and you are good to go with a thoughtful gift that will also benefit your local library.

A Laid Back Guide to Hosting a Holiday Meal

I've done a traditional Thanksgiving meal before and I have the photos to prove it. But this year I took a different approach. Possibly a saner approach, definitely more laid back.

Since the end of October I've been recovering from a virus and haven't had the stamina or energy to do much more than work, drive my teenager around, and sleep. (You may have noticed my blogging dropped off for a while.) So I asked my husband if we could do things differently this Thanksgiving. He was all for it and the success of our holiday this year is due to him. Thanks Rob, for all your help getting the house cleaned up and entertaining our guests!

Here are our tips for a hassle free holiday meal:

1. Have your guests come to you. Not having to travel definitely makes the holiday easier from the beginning.


2. Have your guests bring most of the meal with them. Our guests brought dinner rolls, salad, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and a pumpkin pie. We contributed the meat, beverages, and additional desserts, which were all store bought.





Rotisserie chicken



3. Substitute rotisserie chicken for turkey. Simply pick up at the store shortly before your guests arrive. This was Rob's idea as he knows I don't like turkey much. He bought three of these chickens.


4. Use decorative paper products instead of dishes to make your clean up easier. As we don't own a dish washer and have to do it all by hand, we estimate we saved at least two hours of dish washing time.





Kids table






Adults table



5. Schedule your meal for supper rather than lunch, so you can spend the morning in your pajamas watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

I enjoyed this holiday much more than the fancier, labor-intensive feasts I'd hosted previously. This year I sat among my guests instead of at the end of the table and heard more of the conversation. I still didn't get it all but Rob filled me in later on the parts I missed. When our guests were leaving and Rusty got up on the table to snag some pie crusts, I didn't even get upset. Just laughed it off as "oh that dog". Then instead of commencing a massive cleanup effort, Rob and I relaxed on the couch and watched movies.

I know this style of entertaining isn't for everyone and I don't know if we'll do it again this way or not, but it sure was a great change of pace. Hope your holiday was a safe, happy, and delicious one.

I'm Thankful for You, Deafies!

I'm using deafies as a term of endearment and as inclusively as possible. Some of the people listed below are hard of hearing, some are deaf, and others hear just fine. But all touched my life in some way this year and deserve a Thanksgiving shout out.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to

ABC Family for airing Switched at Birth.
Andy and Ben, the CODA brothers, for making me laugh.
Ann for joining ALDA and being a wonderful friend.
Bill L. for never giving up on me.
Carol P. for your willingness to drive any distance necessary.
Cleo for your encouraging emails.
DJ for seeing me through a scary time.
Gary for knowing how to get there.
Gene for loving me. I hope you continue to dance.
Gordon for reminding us that silence is golden.
Guy for showing us how to speak up effectively.
Jedediah for starting me on a reading marathon.
Jennifer G. for fitting me.
Jim the Librarian for your entertaining book reviews.
Joe L. for looking out for me.
John N. for Quiet Signs of Love.
Jonathan for stopping on your way home.
Kim for making ALDAcon in Indy happen. You rock, girl!
Linda for hunting elks with me.
Liz for a friendship that gets better and better.
Louise for your generosity and marvelous e-cards.
Marsha K. for believing in me when I had doubts.
Oticon for LA and my Agil Pros.
Rebecca for being the person I would like to be someday.
Sally S. for teaching me about resiliency.
Sixth grade class of Fernando Centeno Güell for giving me a sign name.
Teri S. for being the best project partner ever!
Tess for helping me improve my signing.
When writing a post like this, it's inevitable that someone deserving is unintentionally omitted. So I want to thank ALL of my blog readers for your support of Speak Up Librarian and all the places my blog has taken me this year.
In conclusion, I want to single out three very special people: Jennifer Alberstadt, Dylan Dunlap, and Don Sims - my fellow Oticon Focus on People Awards winners. They inspired me with their stories and I've been looking forward to sharing them with you. I hope you enjoy the following captioned video produced by Oticon.

Happy Thanksgiving, deafies.

An Irish Blessing

From my house to yours, Happy St. Patrick's Day!
[I posted this early for my friends in the UK.]

Happy Thanksgiving!

Flowers for Friday: Mothers Day edition

My husband bought me this
New Guinea Impatiens
for Mother's Day.

My family spent the day at my parents' home.
Here are some photos from their yard.

Snowball bush

Lily of the valley

Hosta

Hosta

Hosta

My mom had these darling pansies
for me to take home.

For dessert she served sherbet
molded in the shape of flowers.

Happy Mother's Day!

The stork "delivers" me. Ha, ha.

A Soggy Doggy Easter Egg Hunt

Rusty meets the Easter Bunny
but is distracted by all the other dogs.

The field before the egg hunt has begun.

The rain doesn't dampen the dogs' enthusiasm,
but it's tricky for the owners managing a leash, an
umbrella, and an Easter basket. My friend held onto
Rusty so I could snap this photo of Rusty getting
into position for the start of the egg hunt.

That's one soggy doggy!

I managed to retrieve 5 eggs for Rusty. He was
alot more interested in sniffing other dogs, the wet
grass, and trees than the plastic eggs. Back in the car
we opened the eggs and found dog treats inside.

This event was a fundraiser and was attended
by about 100 diehard dog owners. Naturally,
the rain stopped as soon as the hunt was over.

I want to especially thank my neighbor who came
with me even without her dog and made the day
much more enjoyable with her company.

St. Patrick's Day Dessert

St. Patrick's Day Themed Trifle

Angel food cake
1 small package lime Jello
2 large cans mandarin oranges
2 small boxes pistachio Jello instant pudding
1 container Cool Whip thawed

Cut angel food cake into 1" cubes and line bottom of glass serving bowl with them. Put a layer of mandarin oranges on top. Make lime Jello using 1 cup hot water but only 1/2 cup cold water. Pour the Jello over the oranges and cake. Place in the refrigerator to set for 2 hours or in the freezer to set for 45 minutes.



Prepare pistachio pudding. After the Jello is set, spoon half of the pistachio pudding on top, followed by half of the Cool Whip, then add remaining oranges (keeping out a few for decorating the top), then remaining pudding, then remaining Cool Whip. Decorate the top by making a circle with oranges. [I used a small cookie cutter to shape my pistachio pudding shamrock in the middle.] Place in refrigerator for 30 more minutes.

Photo Fun for Friday: Thanksgiving Feast

Roast Turkey

Cranberry Jello Mold

Apple Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Kids table place setting

Pumpkin Bread

This is one of my favorite recipes my mother taught me. It's moist and delicious.

Pumpkin Bread
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups oil
2 cups pumpkin (I use Libby's in the can)
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg or ginger
4 eggs
Mix together all ingredients and bake for 1 hour at 350. Makes 2 loaves.

This year, I'm hosting a Thanksgiving gathering for 10 at my house. I'm looking forward to it very much so that's where I'll be putting my effort this week, cleaning and cooking. See you around the blogosphere after the holiday.

My Mother's Garden

My mom didn't want me to
miss seeing her hostas when
I visited her house today.

Here's another hosta variety
from her garden. I love
this green and white kind
and want some for my yard!

This pink rose has tiny blooms,
perhaps an inch in diameter. I used
a macro camera setting to take this closeup.

Astilbe
My mother told me she
loves this bloom's lacy quality.

CoreopsisMy mother said this flower
reminds her of a star.

This fuchia hanging basket
hangs just outside my mom's
kitchen window. While we were
sitting at the table admiring it,
she mentioned that last year a
hummingbird visited it regularly.
Just then, two hummingbirds
appeared, the first she'd seen this season!

As I'm still experimenting with
my new cell phone camera, I
wanted to try taking a sky watch
photo framed by these teeny red
berries that the birds love.
But by the time I snapped it, the
lovely shaped clouds had moved
almost completely out of the photo.


This is my first attempt at taking
a shadow photo. I really like the
shape of the shadows cast by these
potted geraniums and the curlicue
shadows from the corner post of my
mom's front porch.

Happy Birthday, Mom!
Thanks for the tour of
your beautiful garden.