Ode to our Library

As you know, if you are reading here regularly, we LOVE our local library. The fireplace! The chess set! The on-going puzzles! The books! The DVDs! We just love it.

So, when we can give back, we do. Last weekend, the library had their semi-annual Children's Attic Sale of clothes and toys. The sale benefits the library, and in addition the library hands out a ton of free passes to the schools for the neediest families to just come and get stuff.

The Shell-vers volunteered to help out, run a raffle, and face paint. A good time was had by all, and I think Ella is getting to be a pretty great face painter! Those pictures above are on her own hand, practicing. By the way, that bracelet is pretty cool and something we made on Earth Day at the library. It is all white until exposed to UV light, then it turns colors to remind you that you are being exposed! Another benefit of our groovy library and all it has to offer.

Library Lovin'

Oh, I love our library. There was an awesome display here about the perils of high fructose corn syrup. After it came down, the Shellvers made an Ode to Jon Scieszka. It was so cute, because all these "cool" middle schoolers and high schoolers were like, "Jon who?!" but then when we started pulling the books off the shelves they got so enthusiastic about the books that they remembered from when they were small (oh so long ago *grin*).

Of course, the rise in enthusiasm may have stemmed from the chocolate and marshmallows and frosting that I was feeding them.

I am not above a little bribery.

Shellvers Make ATCs

We made ATCs at the library with our Junior Volunteers. They choose the name Shell-ver last year. Get it? Shelving books, shells since we are near the ocean. Hee hee.

We definitely introduced a couple of the girls to a new passion. There are a couple of boy volunteers, as well, but they were on the computer during this activity.

The volunteers have worked really hard this year so far. They did face painting, balloon selling and clean up at the Attic Sale, and they were great elves during the Centerville Stroll. We celebrated the accomplishments of the last year and got ready to keep on going with an ATC making pizza party.

We got a fabulous donation of pizza from Not Your Average Joe's, and although I wasn't sure that the kids would like the bread they gave us with olive oil and garlic and Parmesan cheese dipping sauce, but they ate it all up!

Even Declan got his creative juices flowing with some ATCs on Batman!

Banned Books Week

We love banned books. In fact, reading a banned books list is like reading a list of my favorite books and authors. Maybe that is because of my liking for fantasy and horror and my fond childhood memories of Judy Blume. Maybe because I love Mark Twain and JD Salinger.

Maybe just because I am passionate about exercising my rights.