Friday Five: New Favorites

Here is my new favorite...

1. Afternoon Snack- Fiber, Oats & Chocolate Chewy Bars- Market Pantry, a.k.a. Target brand, how I love you! You have created chewy bars that are not only delicious, but also contain 40% of my daily recommended amount of fiber! Brilliant! And because they're full of fiber, they bridge the gap nicely between lunch and dinner. Good thing, because I was getting a little sick of greek yogurt every afternoon.

2. Book- Insurgent by Veronica Roth. It's the second book in the Divergent series. I am hooked in the same way I was for the Twilight series, and The Hunger Games. While the Divergent series is excellent, so far I'm thinking The Hunger Games is better.

3. Place to Go on a Rainy Day with the Kids- A2Z. A2Z is the name of our local mom and pop toy store. They sell quality, hard-to-find toys and every time I go in there I think: "Why do I ever buy toys anywhere else?" Bringing two small children into that (expensive) store used to feel like bringing bulls into a China shop. It wasn't a good idea. This time? They were very respectful as we walked around looking at everything, and they had a blast playing at the demo play tables that were set up. We were there for an hour! Definitely a place I will try to remember for future rainy days! (Side note: Many Barnes & Noble stores also have play areas, including Thomas the Train tables).

4. Recipe- Sloppy Joes. Yet another meal I grew up thinking I didn't like, but it turns out I just didn't enjoy Sloppy Joes from a can! The homemade stuff on the other hand... oh, yes. I highly recommend you try this recipe. To perfect this Sloppy Joe, I recommend toasting the hamburger roll and melting a piece of cheese on top of the Sloppy Joe mixture. Yum!

5. Any Time Beer- Shock Top Belgian Wheat. As someone who didn't really care too much for beer up until about three years ago, I still get excited when I find a new one that I like. The price was what first drew me in ($10.99 for 12 bottles? Huzzah!), and the crisp taste sealed the deal. I'm happy to find another "any time beer"- BBC Steel Rail and Sam Adams Seasonal are my other standbys.

There you have it! What are your new favorite snacks/ books/ recipes/ TV shows/ drinks?

This Spring. Right Now.

Spring is here and I am renewed.

I never want to forget the satisfaction that comes with raking- brushing away the dead leaves from last year, and uncovering the tiny beginnings of this year's growth, like the starts of daffodils and narcissus making their way up through the dark brown soil.

I never want to forget the excitement in finding the first crocus blooming next to the stone wall by our brook. Always, always the first beacon of spring. Next come the unexpected patches of snowdrops, and the first bright beginnings of blue scilla dotting out side yard.

I never want to forget the joy Rosie and Buddy are finding this spring as they claim the front yard, back yard and side yards as their own. They tramp around with buckets, chalk, rocks, bubbles- anything of interest. They follow the same paths I walked when I was their age, and delight in the same streams, hills and valleys that I enjoyed. It makes my heart unbelievably happy.

I never want to forget how this spring, so long awaited, finally rolled out on the first of April, and brought so much joy to everyone I know. No matter how long the winter, and how cold, spring will always come.

Friday Five: What I'm Looking Forward To

One of my favorite quotes is: "One ought to have something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to." With that in mind, I find several things every day, big and small, to look forward to. And, even though I've been a stay at home mom for over three years, I still find myself excited about weekends. Here's what I'm eagerly anticipating today:

1. Wine and cards. At least once a month, a couple we're good friends with come over our place for a Friday night of cards (usually Pitch), games and wine. They're kind enough to come to us because their kids are older. It always sets the right tone for the weekend.

2. All-4-Kids Easthampton. My mom friends talk about this event like it's the best thing ever, so I can't wait to experience it for myself on Saturday! It's pretty much a huge indoor tag sale selling only baby and kid items. Sounds right up our alley, and a good way to score some inexpensive items for summer.

3. Church. We try our best to get to church when we can, but between sickness and Sunday events, it hasn't happened all that much this year. I have let go of that guilt, though, because I know I can worship wherever I am. That being said, if we go this Sunday, it will be two weeks in a row! That would be rather fantastic. It really centers all of us.

4. Beautiful Weather. I'm still reveling in the fact that I can step outside and not be chilled to the bone. The weather this past week or so has had such a huge impact on everyone's morale. I see this family being outside as much as possible the next few days, and stops at the playground and park becoming regular parts of our weekend routine.

5. A "Normal", Laid back Weekend. Sure, big weekend plans are a blast, but there is something to say about "normal" weekends- the ones without any huge plans besides being together, going a few places, and enjoying each other's company. I love these kind of days together.

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

You Are Missing Out

If you are not yet listening to This American Life, you are missing out.

It is basically a story hour for adults produced by NPR. A new episode is aired each week and the topics are endless and utterly interesting. They take a theme and find stories (almost always real-life ones) that relate to the subject. I've been downloading their podcast every week for the past year, but it just occurred to me that I have years of This American Life that I haven't yet listened to.

Now, when I have clothes to fold or dishes to wash? I go to their website and find an episode I haven't listened to yet. I'm working my way through the ones I missed in 2013, and I am delighted to see that their radio archive dates back to 1995. I have a lot of good listening ahead of me!

Two of my all-time favorite episodes that come to mind are:

1. "No Coincidence, No Story" - What can I say? I'm a sucker for coincidence stories, and this episode is full of good ones.

2. "Use Only as Directed" - This episode, about Tylenol, was really an eye-opener. I think twice now before taking any sort of pain medication.

If you're a little sick of the music on your iPod, or want a way to break up your commute, I highly recommend This American Life. It is one of the most popular podcasts in the U.S. Who would have thought a radio show could have such an impact in 2014?

A Second Job

This past Saturday, I was sworn into my new position as Assistant Town Clerk of Goshen.

I'm psyched.

The Town Clerk herself called me about a month ago and asked if I would be interested. I was floored. Would I be interesting in learning a position that would complement being a stay at home mom, and then later, a job that would allow me to stay in town so I could get my kids on and off the bus easily?

Why yes, I would!

Not to mention that the Town Clerk position runs in my family. My great, great grandfather who lived in this house occupied the position for 30 years. My great grandfather, great grandma and great uncle also held the title of Town Clerk. I am proud to carry on the family tradition.

Among several other things, I will be learning how to handle birth certificates, marriage licenses and death certificates. There's a lot of bookkeeping, and it's detail oriented. Did I ever mention that's just the kind of job that interests me? I like to organize, and being someone who keeps a blog and a daily diary, I very much enjoy the act of documenting.

I'll be documenting this town that means so much to me. I look forward to getting to know my neighbors better.

When I first became a stay at home mom, I found the needs of my baby girl plus sleep deprivation so daunting, that I never could have imagined this day now, in which I hold two part-time jobs, am on the school committee and am secretary of the Historical Society. I am a lucky woman. I have a husband who has always fully supported any and all ventures I take on, and between being a mom to two amazing kids and serving my town in four capacities, I have never felt more fulfilled. This is who I am; this is who I'm meant to be. It's a very powerful realization.

Celebrating One Year with a Target Giveaway!

My third baby turned one yesterday. This blog!

Lines from Lithia... have I even taken the time this entire year to explain the meaning behind the title?

It's very simple. Lithia is a section of Goshen in which we reside. If you didn't know there were sections of this 1,000 person town, you are not alone. When I write my blog entries, I'm writing lines- therefore, Lines from Lithia.

An entire year: my 147th post. When I started this, I didn't know how long I could write for. I still don't know. What I do know is that the itch to write, which had been there when I was younger, lay dormant for a number of years then reemerged, probably at the time I felt most ready and inspired.

I still have so many things I want to write about. So many thoughts swirling in this brain of mine. I compose half written blog posts in my head all day long.

Thank you, readers, for your encouragement and your kind words. It really means a lot that you read my blog, which can be quite random at times. Thanks for encouraging me to be the open book that I am.

Now I'm looking to you for ideas, and there's something in it for you, too. In honor of Lines from Lithia's one year anniversary, I am giving away a $20 Target Gift Card in a random drawing. Who doesn't love Target?

Here's what you have to do: Leave a comment either here on the blog or on my Facebook page telling me: A. What post or posts you have enjoyed most so far, and B. What you'd be interested in seeing me write about in the future. One entry per person, please. Contest closes at 12pm (Eastern Time), Sunday, April 6th, 2014, at which point I will either do an old-fashioned draw from a hat, or maybe even use one of those newfangled websites that draws the name for me. I will announce the winner Sunday evening.

Thanks again for your support and good luck!

Once a Year

Once a year, we book a one-night stay at a hotel room with a private two person jacuzzi.

It's hands-down one of the best traditions we ever started.

A few weeks ago we had our 3rd annual "hooray, Spring is here- hooray, we've been together now x number of years" getaway. It was just as good as the first and second time, if not better.

We had stayed in this exact room before, so we knew to bring a laptop so we could have something to watch while we soaked in the tub. We brought "Catching Fire" because we're such romantics like that. We each picked out a special snack (chips and salsa for him, M&M's for me) and we began our relaxation.

We sat in that tub. For hours. One of us would have to get out occasionally to grab a few more brews. We finally tried Yuengling, since people had been hyping it up so much. Personally, I wasn't too excited about it, but it was a pleasant, light beer to enjoy in the bubbling jacuzzi.

The movie lost our attention and we just talked. And talked. All of a sudden it was time to think about heading to dinner.

One improvement over last time was that a new pub had opened up- right next door! We got dressed and moseyed on over. Hello, fried scallops and french fries!

I could tell you that we stayed up late, but we didn't. Instead, we got the most consecutive sleep we've gotten in weeks. I personally slept 9.5 hours. It was truly delightful.

I could tell you that I missed the kids. But I didn't. It was only 24 hours away from them, and it felt so good just to focus on Steve and I.

Marriages need time and attention. On a day to day basis, we're bogged down with work, schedules, visits, appointments and everything else life throws at us, like illness and cars breaking down. Time to do things for yourself or for your spouse can get lost in the shuffle. When you set aside a weekend or just one night, you're saying: "This is important to me. We need this to refresh ourselves and our marriage."

Our Spring jacuzzi room stay does just that. What's your ideal getaway with your significant other?