Bringin' Back the Good Ole Days!

I have convinced my S.O. that we really and truly need to make the other structure on our property into a library.  I have always wanted a library, as those of you who read my blog regularly may recall.  I have been collecting books my whole life in hope that one day I will have one.  That day is soon coming now. So, it is also about time that we bring back the Bookplate.

Bookplates hit the height of popularity at the end of the Victorian Era, or so my research tells me.  It is a sad thing that they fell from fashion, however, as there are so many lovely designs. What better way to mark ownership?  Certainly, a special inscription inside the cover is nice, but only when is comes in a book delivered as a gift.

It is always a welcome surprise when I pick up an old book from a bygone era, at a yard sale or used book store, and find an old book plate inside the cover.  I fantasize about who that person must have been, building my story upon the type of book chosen as well as the type of bookplate.

So, the questions now posed are these:  What sort of bookplate(s) should I choose?  Do I use a different style for each genre?  Do I design my own, or draw from the tradition?  The one below is a stamp that one can place within their book with just a wee bit of ink.... (though I am partial to the actual paper inserts.)

I best get started.  I have over 1,000 books that are begging for bookplates....

My Morning Routine

     I am not a morning person, never have been. However, being the mother of school age children, I must put on a "morning face" and enter the world hours before I would care to.  The way I am able to do this is by getting up obscenely early.  If I am able to have my breakfast, meditate or read, and watch the sun rise, all before waking my children, I find that I am much easier to be around. 
      Summer has lessened this burden a bit, though, since our time constraints are not as rigid.  Now I get up around 7:30 and eat my breakfast, perhaps do a bit of writing.  Then I go outside and water that plants.  This is one of my favorite times of the day.  Here I can see all the changes that took place as I slept.  It may not seem possible, but new worlds can open over night.  In fact, I recently scattered some loofah seeds, on a whim.  My friend was clearing out some boxes and happened upon a plastic bag of these seeds that someone had given her years ago.  I thought they were likely goners, but decided to scatter a few to see.  This is what I discovered this morn:  

     There are several spots where the loofah seeds are sprouting.  I am pleasantly surprised.
    
      I have also found that my beloved Aloe is doing well after the last rain.

       She had babies!!

And remember yesterday?  I mentioned that I LOVE chocolate?  Well my chocolate mint plant is taking off, and I am absolutely thrilled.  I planted her below my kitchen window so that I can catch a whiff of her sweetness each time I open the window.

Discussion of my Absence....

I am, by nature, an avid writer. I love to create using words.  That is the purpose of this blog.  However, lately I have been feeling far to exhausted to undertake any addition creative endeavors other than the ones that are already expected of me.  Let me give you a breakdown of the my life, as of late.....

I posted about the search for our first home purchase.  In fact, I believe I spoke of my "wish list."  Turns out, we found a house that is just about perfect, and on 4/10 an acre!   All paperwork was signed and recorded on the 4th of this month.  The house is now our home.... though we are still trying to finish the moving part.

Moving is a ridiculously difficult undertaking.  I am quite tired of it, frankly, but now that Christopher has begun working nights, his body has yet to adjust to this dramatic change.  He has been too tired to assist me in the packing.  Which is fine, but it is all beginning to feel a bit overwhelming.

In addition to my many responsibilities, I am nearing the middle of my final semester as an undergraduate.  I am preparing final projects, writing papers, taking tests, applying for jobs, etc.  I have a huge, looming fear that I will graduate and be unable to find suitable work.  Yes, I will have three majors and one minor under my belt, but what is the usefulness and marketability of this degree?  I fret.....

These tasks and responsibilities that lie before me, along with my duties to my three wee ones, have put me in a state of exhausted frenzy, hence the lack of posts.  I don't know how long I will be in absence, but every spare moment, I daydream of the little plot of land, my easel and/or yoga mat, and hot tea.  After all of this is completed, I may revel in these daydreams a bit before posting regularly again....

*** Want to get further into the depths of my mind?  I started a tumblr account as a place to keep my favorite images http://spidergoddess.tumblr.com/ ***