The second week, I struggled.  I thought about my posts during most of my waking hours, and I was always deciding what would or would not work for the blog.  Writing was hard.  This would be my usual quitting moment - when things get hard and uncomfortable - but I had set a goal of 100 articles across 100 days.

The third week, things started flowing more naturally, and I could knock out my posts fairly quickly.

Five weeks into the project, I'm not only impressed with myself, but with my writing.  I'm finding my voice again and formulating plot lines and articles constantly in my head.  When I was writing all the time (15 years ago), I always wrote in my head: analyzing situations, determining how I would phrase something... It was like I could hear my writer's voice speaking in my head and my heart, adding power to a plot with my words.  Over the last 15 years, she piped up periodically, but she never fully made herself present.  Eventually, she became silent, and I worried that she was dead.  

Now, she provides commentary in my head so frequently that I have to turn off my audiobook or music when I drive.  I type out notes in my phone as I walk into work because the ideas are starting to flow again.  I hear her.  I hear my inner writer's voice.

I've said before that I don't know what format this blog will take.  If I focus on technology or librarianship, or if I settle into lifestyle writing.  I do know that I love the experimentation of it all and tying lifestyle topics into professional life.  

I'm proud of this space. I'm proud that I've made it to article 25.  I'm proud that my voice has returned.

I can't wait for the next 75 days! I think it'll fly by!

Let's continue the adventure!

With love, love, love!

Laurie

24. Tech Tool Tuesday 💻 Tools for Sanity

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Today's Tech Tool Tuesday has to do with self-care.  I want to introduce you to small ways you can use technology to create a calmer space. My philosophy with technology is to use things you already know and love in different ways.  There are hundreds of apps you can download and programs you can follow, but sometimes the most effective things are the simplest!  Here are my favorites:

Notes App:

I use the iPhone Notes app for so many things.  But most importantly, I use it to keep two different lists to reference when I'm anxious & when I'm depressed. The suggestions go in order from easiest to hardest, and they're slightly different for each topic.  Use my lists as an example and create your own "when you're..." list!  Write one for when you're overwhelmed, tired, anxious, or depressed.

Journal App

I also use the iPhone Journal app. I'm not consistent with writing in it (which hurts my perfectionist brain), but I use it to document beautiful things I see. If I go for a walk, I'll take a picture of a beautiful flower and add it with a small caption: pretty, purple flower on my walk.  Or I'll pop in to write about good things: a book I loved, a song lyric that speaks to me, or something kind that a friend shares. 

I'll also use it for the bad times.  When I need to vent about something, but I don't have the option to talk about it, I'll write it out in my Journal app.  If I want to respond to an email with a feisty remark, I'll type it out in my journal app.  The act of writing it down gives my brain a break from thinking about it.

Coloring Apps

Obviously, I love coloring. But a coloring app fills in the gaps when I can't have my colored pencils.  I love a color-by-number because I don't have to think about what I'm coloring.  I never pay for coloring apps, but it gives me a perfect moment of quiet for my brain. For color by number, I love "Sandbox" and for basic coloring, I love "Adult Coloring Book - Pigment".  Just search for "coloring" and you'll find something!

Game Apps

I play Merge Dragons daily.  I've played many different games, but this is the only one that challenges me and doesn't stress me out.  When I'm overwhelmed or need a minute, I'll open up my game and merge a few dragons! (Literally, that's what you do...) I'll sneak off to the bathroom or take a walk and sit on a bench - merging dragons.  Find yourself a game that gives you a Zen moment - whether it's playing solitaire, Yahtzee, or an RPG. 

Find what gives you peace. I hope you can find some way to bring a little sanity to your world!

With love, love, love!

Laurie

23. Mental Health is Physical Health

Monday, May 12, 2025

May is Mental Health Awareness Month!  Mental health is near and dear to my heart because I deal with mental disorders daily. Today, we're talking about vulnerability to build awareness. I'll share some of my story with you, and I hope that you can find answers to your own story or an acceptance of those around you. 

Mental Disorders cannot be helped.  They cannot be fixed. They cannot be removed. They cannot be excised.  Prayer does not fix them. They live on a spectrum, and no two people with a mental disorder will react in the same way. You can have two individuals dealing with depression encounter the same issue, and they will react differently.

Mental Disorders come from an imbalance in the brain.  It is as much a disease as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. It can be treated with diet, exercise, medication, or a combination of the three!

My Diagnosis:

I see a psychiatrist every 6 weeks to manage my medication, and a licensed counselor/therapist every two weeks to work through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (that's the clinical term for: I talk about stuff in my life or past, and we talk it over.) 

I am diagnosed with:

• Mild to Moderate Depression

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

• Mood Disorder (although my psychiatrist is still nailing this one down)

My Medications:

Medication is not for everyone, and there is no one-size-fits-all fix for mental health.  For me, the medication helps calm my anxiety and depression enough that I can function in the world.  It doesn't erase those things, but it brings them to a baseline where I can more easily manage spikes in anxiety or the lows of depression. It took a long time to find the right "cocktail" that works for me, and I've taken some meds that made me feel terrible.  I also know that this particular mixture of pills will not always work for me, so I regularly check in with a medical professional who gauges when and what needs to change!  

I currently take 6 different meds to manage my mental health disorders, totaling 12 pills each day. It's a lot, and I recognize that. But it's prescribed by a highly trained professional whom I trust (and... it works for my brain).

My Day to Day:

When my anxiety and depression are controlled, I live a perfectly normal existence, and most can't tell I have mental disorders until I share with them.  It can be a silent disease, and I mask it extremely well.  I've worked hard to bring more vegetables & fruits into my diet, as well as whole grains. I try not to eat a ton of processed foods and sugar (being lactose intolerant is the easiest way to cut sugar, I swear!).  I exercise 4 times a week, alternating between strength workouts with weights and high-intensity stationary bike rides. I take my pills. I keep my appointments with therapists & doctors. I spend 30 minutes in front of a Light Lamp every morning, and I get as much sun as possible. I have low days, I have anxious days, but I have more good, amazing, and wonderful days than either of those combined!

You've heard that "mental health is just as important as physical health," but I believe with every fiber of my being that "mental health is physical health." One does not exist without the other, and both must be worked at tirelessly.  Typically, mental health is related to only things going on in your brain; disorders like OCD, bipolar, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, etc., and physical health consists of moving your body, strengthening your muscles, and eating healthy foods. However, mental health relies on physical health and vice versa.  Without health in both areas, you cannot be healthy overall.

I'll be sharing more about my mental health adventure in the coming weeks. Stick around for the adventure!

With love, love, love!

Laurie

22. Friday 5 🖐️

Friday, May 9, 2025

Happy Friday! Here is your Friday Five! A collection of 5 things going on in my world/my brain.

2. Teaching Recently. This week, I had the opportunity to help with two field trips visiting our 3D Printing Lab.  Two groups from a local elementary: 3rd graders & 1st graders.  It. Was. AWESOME!  I love kids so much, and I easily slipped into "teacher mode" without hesitation.  I was able to explain to them how the 3D printers work and how data is transferred to the printers. I loved it so much. I left that day thinking: "I could go back.  I could go back and teach." Because I'm really good at it (one of the few things I'll admit I'm good at). I love teaching, I love lesson planning, I love creating activities that light up a kid's face, and I would love to be in a school library again.  But I also realize that it's not my path.  I'm a sensitive, anxious, and empathic person, and the classroom took everything from me: physically, emotionally, and mentally.  So, I'll continue on this path where I get to teach adults and college students!

21. Yarn Love 🧶

Thursday, May 8, 2025

My hobby for the last 17 years has been crochet.  Ask my family, and this astounds them! Rightly so because I have an extreme habit of picking up something new and dropping it within 3 days or 3 months. But crochet has stuck with me through the years.  It's extremely meditative, and it gives me something to do with my hands while I'm watching TV or traveling.  

Crochet feels like magic.  I take a string of yarn, twist it into stitches, and create a beautiful tapestry of color.  I still look at my work and think, "I can't believe I made that!"

Every crochet artist has a specialty - something they love to create and the yarn they love to use.  My specialty is blankets.  I love making a baby blanket, and I've made dozens at this point!  There's something about knowing that your stitches will wrap around a child that is poetic and powerful.  As I stitch, I send positive energy and prayer through my hands and into the stitches.  I believe in making things with intention and blessing them with love.  A blanket from me is not just handmade. It's been blessed with happiness, love, and positive energy.

I have two great-grandmothers who crocheted: Lucy and Gladys.  Both passed before they were able to teach me, so I learned my craft from YouTube.  If you know me very well, you know that I abhor YouTube, but it served me well this time!  I spent hours making ugly chains and stitches, and I began to work on my first blanket.  That blanket still covers me today. I use it in the colder months to cover the bed, and I use it on the couch to cover myself while I make other blankets!  This blanket has the wonkiest corners and is wider on one side than the other. But she's mine. I made her with a lot of strings of yarn and my own two hands.

If you want to learn, I teach lessons! I'd love to teach you to make you magic! Email or text me, and we'll make a plan!

20. TCEA Librarian Conference 

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

I have exciting news today! I'll be presenting at this summer's TCEA Librarian Conference!  My session is "Finding Glimmers: Self-Care for Overwhelmed Librarians".  Librarianship is overwhelming, and as professionals who want to "serve" our students, teachers, and other patrons, we get burned out quickly. I wanted to share some of the methods that I've learned over the years to take care of myself and keep the overwhelm at bay.  Of course, none of us is perfect, and I am far from figuring it out. But, I've learned a lot over the years: I've lived the overwhelm, I've watched the overwhelm absorb others, and I've come out the other side.

As I plan the session, I'll share more details here on the blog. Small ways you can incorporate Glimmers into your own life (even when it feels like there isn't time to do it.)

Conference details can be found below! The conference costs $149 (I know... it's steep for educators), but it's a great conference if you are able to go.  It's entirely virtual, all sessions are recorded, and you have access for 30 days.

TCEA Librarian Conference

June 24-26

Virtual Learning on Library Topics

FYI, presenters always get a discount on conference registrations, so if you're interested in attending the BIG TCEA conference next year, you can apply here! I love talking about training opportunities, so reach out if you want to talk about your ideas!

With love, love, love!

Laurie

19. Technology is Difficult

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

It's Tuesday, but I'm skipping the Tech Tool today because... I'm tired.  Tech Tool Tuesday requires me to do research, experimentation, and some type of video or step-by-step process.  Today, I'm recognizing that I don't have the brain power to do that.

This can be more of a Tech Tip than a tool: Using technology in your classroom (or in your life) can be a lot of work.  Sometimes it's easier to pull out the paper calendar, write a note on a post-it, or give your students a paper copy.  I feel that deep in my bones.  Remember that technology isn't supposed to make things easier (like lesson planning) because you still have to put in the work.  But the first time you do it will be harder than the 19th time you do it.

For example, my first blog post took me hours to write. I had to set it up just right, figure out the font, and identify what I wanted to say, but this post - my 19th! - took me 10 minutes. It gets easier, and you will get faster.  

So, if you feel like technology is too much, I'm right there with you. If you need a break from social media's sameness, I'm also right there with you. If you need a moment to stop experimenting with technology, that's okay too.

Be kind to yourself. It's May, and it's been a long 5 months.

With love, love, love!

Laurie

18. 🎉Teacher. Appreciation. Week. 🎉

Monday, May 5, 2025

It's Teacher Appreciation Week! Which means educators across the state are being showered with affection from their PTAs, administration, and students.

To celebrate, I give you TWO gifts today:

1. A link to sign up to become a member with TCEA: FREE Membership

   • This is the premier association for using technology in your classroom!  They always offer free membership during Teacher Appreciation Week. As a member, you can watch weekly 30-minute webinars and join their chat boards.  They have an amazing daily newsletter where I get all of my tech tips and ideas! (TechNotes Blog, scroll down and you'll see "Subscribe" on the right). 

2. Words to support you this week.

A Reminder for Teachers:

You work hard every. single. day. You deserve all of the love, the chocolate, the tacos, and the donuts.  Every. Single. Day.  I never understood why we don't celebrate teachers at any other time of the year, but the powers that be chose May.  May is hard.  It's okay to feel overwhelmed AND celebrated.  It's okay to feel exhausted AND proud of your students.

My entire teaching career was with students who did not have extra money to spend on gifts, crafts, and food.  Parents were unable to participate in parties and events because they were working.  You might not receive extravagant gifts this week, your PTA might only be able to bring donuts one morning, or your administration might only offer you a soda and a candy bar.  You'll see other teachers posting something delightful every single day this week, raving about their snacks, whole meals, and gifts.  It can be hard to see that, especially when you have worked so incredibly hard all year long.  Your worth does not lie in how many gifts or snacks you receive.  Your worth is not tied to your students.  You are worthy of celebration simply because you exist.  I'm SO glad you exist! You are appreciated.

A Reminder for Parents:

I have received flowers, mugs, candy, baked goods, signs, and a ton of other gifts.  The things that I have kept (and will keep forever) are the gifts that were made for me.  A tile that a student painted in art class is a gift I will cherish forever. The canvas with a painted silhouette of Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice will hang in my home forever.  I have a folder with every single note, drawing, post-it, coloring sheet, or letter that a student has gifted me in the past 12 years.  I love those pieces of paper because they really represent the time I spent with my kids. I still open that file and look at the wondrous items that showcase my journey in teaching.

So, parents.  You don't have to do anything fancy.  Don't spend money that you don't have (or don't need to spend) to buy a mug or a gift card.  Instead, give your kids a piece of paper, some crayons, a coloring sheet, or a notecard.  Have them write a note in their own handwriting. Have them sign it with their own signature.  Have them draw a picture or color a princess from their coloring book.  When they arrive at school the next morning, tell them to give it directly to their teacher.  That's what they need.

Happy Teacher Appreciation week to all my educator friends.  I see you. I support you. I fight for you.  I love you.

With love, love, love!

Laurie

P.S. If you are an educator, but not really celebrated this week (aka, Central Office staff), know that you are important and you deserve to be celebrated.  I celebrate the work you do every day to keep your school running! The invisible work that goes unnoticed, but keeps the learning happening! You are essential (but not in a Covid flashback kind of way).🎉🎉🎉🎉

17. Friday 5 🖐️

Friday, May 2, 2025

Happy Friday! Here is your Friday Five! A collection of 5 things going on in my world/my brain.

1. 7 Books.  When my sister told me she was pregnant, I immediately had visions of FaceTiming once a week to read books to my nephew.  He's now 2 and a half, and my expectations have been pulled back a bit.  When we talk (twice a week), he would rather see all of the dinosaur and car LEGO in our house (there are A LOT).  This week, however, my wildest dreams came true!  As he ate his dinner, he kept saying "ook", "ook"! So we chose a book, and I read it over FaceTime.  After, he repeated it! "more ook!" So we read another.  Rinse and repeat!

Y'all. We read SEVEN books together! My heart is as happy as it can possibly be!

3. Rest before the Brick Wall.  I saw a post this week (and I should have saved it...) about taking breaks before your body makes you.  I've always been a firm believer in this concept, but I'm not great at implementing it.  My entire life, I have run at 130%-150%. In my personal life, my job, school, and my relationships.  I give everything all the time, and I don't take time for myself.  I ignore all warning signs that my body gives me, and eventually, she forces me to stop.  Usually, it's a panic attack, a breakdown, or I get sick.  

After stay-at-home orders in 2020, I realized that I needed to spend more time taking care of myself before I hit that brick wall.  I highly recommend making time for rest before you hit your brick wall. Specifically, in education, we are extremely bad about this.  Take care of yourself and your body, so she can take care of you! 

4. Golfer's Elbow.  I crochet so much that I have given myself golfer's elbow.  It's the most embarrassing injury I've ever had - imagine visiting a physical therapist and explaining that you hurt yourself by crocheting too much... If I crochet for too long in one sitting or too much in one day, it flares up. I've been working on my ginormous nephew's ginormous graduation blanket, and I've been going a little too hard... So I'm currently looking up exercises to help alleviate the throbbing pain that comes with my crochet injury. 

16. Canva Quick Tips - Printable!

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Happy May!!! 🌷🌼🌹

One of my favorite tools for static instruction is a Quick Guide.  I have created hundreds of "click sheets" or how-to, step-by-step guides for navigating different tech tools.  Today, I'm giving you a printable and editable Canva Quick Guide showcasing some of my favorite tips within Canva.  If you've been following along on the blog, you know I've mentioned these in previous posts.

The beauty of a Quick Guide is its simplicity. It's never more than 2 pages, and it gives basic instructions for completing a task.  This is something that you can edit for your students, share with your fellow teachers, or print out and post next to your computer.  

Canva gives me multiple options to share, so I'm posting different links below.  This product is licensed under CC BY 4.0, which means you can share, remix, and edit to your heart's content, simply give me credit as the original creator!

15. Finding Flowers

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

I have always been jealous of the wildflowers of central Texas.  They grow along the roads, in fields, and dot every speck of grass throughout the spring.  My favorite flower is the bluebonnet, and thousands of them are spotted across central Texas.  In West Texas, the only flowers we have are those that you buy to plant in your garden.  Transplants from warmer climates that require gallons of water to keep alive (I know because I do it every year!).  So traveling to Dallas, Austin, or San Antonio in the spring was always a treat as I searched the highway ditches for dots of color. I loved the story of Lady Bird Johnson spreading wildflower seeds along the highways of central Texas to create a more beautiful and natural landscape.

Growing up, all the native plants in my area were considered weeds.  As the daughter of a farmer, my sister and I were instrumental in removing weeds from my dad's fields via an open-air "spray rig" where we hovered above the crops and sprayed chemicals on weeds..  All weeds - including those that flowered - became the enemy and must be removed!  For the first 3 decades of my life, I viewed all plants that were not intentionally placed as weeds.

14. Tech Tool Tuesday: Canva Presentations

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Continuing with our Tech Tool Tuesday tradition (see what I did there?), I'm focusing on another piece of Canva today.  If you know Canve, you probably started with presentations. It's the gateway drug to the Canva obsession!  But presentations are more than an alternative to PowerPoint or Google Slides. It can be a tool that encourages student learning.  Check it out!

On Thursday, check back to grab a Quick Guide that includes all of my favorite Canva tips & tricks!

With love, love, love!

Laurie

13. Where it started... How it's going...

Monday, April 28, 2025

Happy Monday, readers!  I'm jumping on the trend of posting "Where it started" & "How it's going"... book style! Today, we're taking a deep dive into my reading habits!  You'll get a peek into Little Laurie, Middle Grade Laurie, and Library Lady, herself!  

I'm a firm believer in tracking what I read, and I've used Goodreads for over a decade.  I switched to The StoryGraph two years ago because I love their platform.  I imported my Goodreads data, and it created all of these gorgeous charts to track my reading data!  I love data, especially if I can use some type of spreadsheet or app to do the math (I'm pretty hopeless otherwise).  But The StoryGraph gives me the best data, and it makes me challenge myself! Plus, it's a black, woman-owned, small business! Check, check, and check!

With love, love, love!

Laurie

12. Friday 5 🖐️

Friday, April 25, 2025

Happy Friday! Today's article is another Friday Five, influenced by Sarah Dessen.  

4. Leadership.  My university hosts a Leadership Foundations course for budding leaders.  It's 6 weeks of online modules and Zoom discussions.  I've always felt drawn to leadership, and I have spent hours teaching myself through blogs, books, and discussions with others to become a better leader.  It's nice to have a structured course that actually teaches me the skills to lead someone.  This week, we discussed whether or not leaders are born or made: I'm firmly on the "made" side of the argument.  I've seen too many kids that others have discounted (whether it be their parents, friends, or other teachers), who have risen above their challenges with a little encouragement.  I always hated hearing, "that kid is awful..." from other teachers.  Nine times out of 10, that kid was my favorite, and a little nurturing could bring out the skills it took to be a leader.  Don't discount people because they are bad, shy, quiet, loud, or otherwise display non-leadership qualities.  They'll surprise you!

5. Finding My Footing.  We are on Day 12 of 100, and this blog has been the best sort of challenge in my life!  I have all of this information flopping around in my head, and it's delightful getting it out into the world.  Whether I have zero people read my blog or a dozen, I'm happy to be writing again.  I feel like by Day 100, I'm going to have a plan for my future work.  Will I shift to more lifestyle writing? Will I deep dive into instructional technology? Will I continue this mish-mash of things that fill my brain?  Time will tell! Thanks for joining me on the adventure!

Most Ardently,

Laurie

Classroom:

End of Year Collaboration:

My 8th grade students completed an "Ideal School" project in the last weeks of the school year.  They researched different work and school environments, collaborated to share ideas and discuss, wrote a proposal for changes they would make to their school, and designed a blueprint for their proposed changes.  Here's a template you can use to create your own collaboration!

Libraries: 

Display a Question: 

Do you have a TV or instructional board sitting around? Add a Canva whiteboard to it with a question for students.  Let them draw, add images, or type out their answer! 

Read-Aloud: 

Does your school have 1-to-1 devices? Ask your students to bring laptops or iPads to their library time. After doing your read-aloud, have your students visit your whiteboard and practice answering a question. This allows all students to participate, not only the ones that raise their hands.

• Make a prediction: What do you think will happen next?

• How would you feel if you were this character?

• If you were writing a book like this one, where would it take place?

With love, love, love!

Laurie

10. Moments of Peace for the Classroom & Library ☮️

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

We all deserve a small moment of peace.  Whether you are a teacher, a librarian, or an office worker, try to build moments of peace and calm into your day.  In my classroom, my library, and my office, I always have options of calm activities.  Themed coloring pages, puzzles, and word searches have been a constant in my space.  (I always have a table, wall chart, or something that has printed activities! I even pass them out when I hold a training for adults!)

I believe all people are 10 years old on the inside.  I have taught all ages, including K-12, adults, and graduate students, and I still stand behind that statement.  I have had juniors walk into my classroom to find coloring sheets, 8th graders requesting to hang up their art, and adults requesting stickers as a reward!  We are all 10 years old inside! In my current library (Medical Library), our students adore coloring sheets, puzzles, and word searches!

Everyone needs a break and a small moment of peace! (Even adults!)

Here are some of my favorite resources:

🟣 Melissa Corey is a Middle School librarian, and her resources are by far favorites in our library.  They particularly love her iSpy pages! She has something for every season.

🟣 Doodle Art Alley has been my favorite since teaching elementary.  Even high school students love coloring images that are themed and not too detailed. I particularly love this set that (seems to) celebrate my Texas Tech Red Raiders!

🟣 Canva (of course!) has pre-made coloring books and coloring pages.  You can make your own by creating a poster (8.5 x 11), clicking Elements, and typing "coloring sheets".  Add to your page and resize!

🌟 I challenge you to do two things:

1. Make coloring/activity sheets available to all your students, coworkers, and yourself. Don't forget to get out that giant tub of colors!

2. Take a second to color for yourself. As an adult, you don't have to do the fancy, advanced mandala-type coloring pages. I currently prefer princesses.

With love, love, love!

Laurie

P.S. My favorite coloring pencils... because when you know, you know.

9. Tech Tool Tuesday 💻 Canva Whiteboard

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

The last weeks before summer are perfect for experimenting with new tech tools in your classroom! Your students are tired, you are tired, and everyone needs a break from the constant classroom rhetoric.  Whiteboards are a low-stakes way for your students to collaborate, and an easy way for you use them as guinea pigs.  Think about this: if you want your students to brainstorm on paper, on the physical whiteboard, or aloud in class, try transitioning it to a Canva whiteboard!

A Canva whiteboard gives you the functionality of Canva (think images, graphics, text, etc.), but it expands it into a limitless digital whiteboard with no edges and no limit!  

How Do I Use Whiteboards?

Anytime I need my learners to collaborate, I set up a whiteboard.  Maybe I need to gather information about what they've learned, or I need to decide what concept to teach next: a whiteboard is the answer!

8. Earth Day 🌎

Monday, April 21, 2025

Tomorrow (April 22nd) is Earth Day!  I grew up in a small town called Earth, and surprisingly, they never made a big deal out of Earth Day! When my parents were kids, they used to have an Earth Day Celebration, but that had disappeared by the time I came around. As a tribute, this "real earthling" will be writing about two things: my hometown and easy ways to celebrate Earth Day every day!

Earth, TX: My Beloved Hometown

Earth, TX has a population of 999, and there were 23 in my graduating class (insanely small, I know).  Looking at the satellite view of Earth, you see miles and miles of concentric circles inside squares - dots of green and brown on the map.  It's ridiculously flat with zero landforms, but those concentric circles represent home.  Housed inside each of those squares are crops: cotton, corn, maize, hay grazer... and cattle.  My family owns some of those squares - one of which has been in our family for 5 generations - and we've farmed them and raised cattle on them.  

That flatland is my home, but it's the people that make it even more so.  The greatest humans I've ever met came from that town.  They hug your neck when they see you in church and never let you go.  They ask you how school is going, even though you graduated a decade ago.  They sent mounds of beautiful gifts to my shower when I got married and to my sister when she had a baby.  They cheered for me at basketball games and track meets and alongside me at Friday night football games.  They brought food, love, and support when my Grandmother passed.  

It's been 18 years since I've lived in Earth, but she'll always be my home. If you're teaching about the Earth this week, try to squeeze in a mention about my hometown.  Tell your students that you know a REAL EARTHLING, and (she thinks) she's pretty cool.

Celebrating Earth Day Every Day!

I've worked hard the last few years to become more sustainable and eco-friendly!  I love our planet, so I give you my quick sustainability tips (that you can actually use!).

Use less water!  

• • If you live in my area, you know that it's basically a desert here. There simply isn't much water around here.  My dad says that water used to flow from irrigation lines like a river. Enough that it literally gushed from the lines!  Now, people are having to drill extra wells to get a small fraction of what we used to have.  So how do you use less water?

  • Turn off your faucet when brushing your teeth, washing your hands, etc.  You've heard this forever, but... for real, guys!  Don't let the water run while you brush your teeth!

Thrift!  

• • Last year, I found the joy of thrifting!  I've worked extremely hard to stop buying brand-new clothes and visit a thrift shop when I'm ready for something new.  Tip: Go in with a plan.  If you need jeans, go in for jeans! It can be overwhelming to look through everything!

    • Once, I was headed to Target to buy shorts. I stopped into the thrift shop and found the exact same pair of shorts I would have bought at Target for half the cost.  Never worn.  

    • Look for other second-hand items - like house-wares and books!

Delete old emails!

• • This was a new one for me... Did you know that your old emails live on a server somewhere?  Did you know that server uses electricity to stay alive?  Did you know that deleting your old emails can actually reduce the strain on those servers?

  • I logged into my Hotmail account (that I've had my whole life!) and deleted emails from 2017! Nobody on God's green earth needs emails from 2017. I do recommend checking to make sure important documents aren't hidden somewhere.  I did find an email from my Grandmother (who passed 17 years ago) that I would have hated to lose.

Happy Earth Day, everyone!  Go plant a flower or something 😘

With love, love, love!

Laurie

7. Friday 5 🖐️

Friday, April 18, 2025

Happy Friday! Today's article is another Friday Five, influenced by Sarah Dessen.  

1. Glimmers.  These are small, almost inconsequential things that bring you joy.  It's the opposite of a trauma, and is proven to be beneficial for your mental health. By focusing on one small glimmer a day, I've started noticing more and more things that make me happy. I've been sharing glimmers with two friends over the past week, and it's honestly nice to have accountability partners in this. Some of my glimmers: a purple flower growing next to the sidewalk. ✨ A warm cup of coffee. ✨ My favorite colored pencils. ✨ Eating lunch with my husband. ✨

2. Bean Salad.  Each Sunday, I meal prep for the week: one large meal for lunch and one large meal for dinner.  Because it's just my husband and me, neither of us minds eating the same meal multiple times a week!  This week, we made my favorite low-prep vegetarian lunch: bean salad.  This meal is so easy: cut up bell peppers and red onion, pop open cans of beans, add tomatoes, and make the dressing. It's also delicious and eaten cold.  

5. News.  I have severe anxiety and mild depression, not to mention a highly sensitive personality, so reading and watching news coverage can be overwhelming for me.  I've learned over the years that I can't listen to or read the news every day.  I really need headlines, and I have to limit what I will and will not read.  (Anything involving children being harmed, especially in schools, is an automatic "no".)  Recently, the news has been especially overwhelming.  So, I've fully limited myself.  I've chosen a few topics to keep up with, and I've let the rest fall to the side.  I want to be fully informed, and I fully believe that knowledge and information are powerful! But my mental health will always come first!

May your weekend be filled with all of your favorite things!

With love, love, love!

Laurie

6. Music & Mood

Thursday, April 17, 2025

Recently, my mood has been less than ideal.  Logging into Spotify today, unsurprisingly, my music mirrors that mood: my Daily Mix 01 was an intense mixture of Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and company - all detailing their saddest, most devastating moments.  In an act of desperation, I frantically typed "upbeat" into my Spotify search bar.  Magically, their algorithm created an Upbeat Mix for me straight from my liked songs and musical preferences.  I felt an immediate lift in my mood!

Sometimes, it's something so incredibly small that influences what we feel. 

What am I listening to? 

What am I reading? 

What are others around me saying or doing?  

All of it matters in my overall mood. While I don't have the ability to change every stressor or negative emotion that hits me, I do have the choice to filter what goes into my head.  I challenge you to find one way to lift your mood in these trying and emotional times.  Find your Upbeat Mix or put down the depressing book and pick up a light romance. Protect your mood because you deserve it.

Tomorrow, I'll be sending out my newsletter! Sign up to keep up with articles from the week, and a special feature of "What is Library Lady reading?"!

With love, love, love!

Laurie

5. Reading Boards

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

A key tenant to librarianship is *generally* a love of reading.  If you ask any librarian, there is usually a book or series that made a profound impact on them. Enough that they decided to pursue a career in librarianship.  For me, that book was The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White and the series was Redwall by Brian Jacques. As discussed on my Day 3 Article, "What is a librarian?", this isn't the only job of a librarian, but it's what brings a lot of us joy!

🔵 Why do I do this? 

One of my great purposes in life is to share knowledge and information.  I believe that this can be done through various digital and print means: aka, books! I read a lot of nonfiction titles, but I learn as much (or more) from fiction books.  

Reading is powerful.  Words are powerful.  I believe that it's important for students, coworkers, and friends to see that you are reading.  Destigmatize the stereotype that readers are nerds. I mean, we can be, and I certainly am... but reading is for everyone.

🔵 What have I noticed?

I work in a medical library where medical, nursing, and health professions students regularly walk past my office to study rooms.   As students walk past my office, I hear them making comments. 

"Oh! I read that book!"

"I hated that one..."

"This is a really good series."

"I bet I'd love that book."

Sometimes they pop in to discuss a book, and sometimes I * somewhat creepily* pop out to join in the discussion.

🔵 Don't limit yourself. 

You might be thinking, "This is all well and good, Library Lady, but I work in an office."

I did too!  This works just as well in an office environment.  It will help you find the other readers in your office and spark discussions.  I recently read a book about Henrietta Lacks (a black woman who had cancerous cells removed from her body; many scientific breakthroughs are attributed to HeLa cells, but she has never received credit or compensation). Last week, a coworker sent me a webinar about Henrietta Lacks saying, "I saw you read a book about Henrietta Lacks, so you might like this!"

Or... "I don't read books that are appropriate to put on a board..."

Same, y'all.  I love a good romantic romp, but I've taught middle school (they don't need any encouragement to be disgusting).  This is where I get creative with titles.  Are you reading something you don't want to have Googled? Make up another title: Deep Water becomes Pool Party.  If a student asks, tell them the appropriate parts of the storyline.

🔵 Get Started:

• Grab a sheet of paper and write your current reads! Post it outside your door.

• Type up your current reads and print them off!

• Grab a cheap whiteboard from Dollar Tree or Walmart. 

• Challenge yourself to change it weekly or monthly! Don't be hard on yourself if you don't keep up with it. It's supposed to be fun!

Sign up for my newsletter delivered every Friday to keep up with articles from the week, as well as a special feature of "What is Library Lady reading?"!

With love, love, love!

Laurie

4. Tech Tip Tuesday - Canva Tips

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Have you noticed I love alliteration? Triples and alliteration are my love language! So expect to see them a lot!

Today is our first Tech Tip Tuesday!! Featuring one of my favorite tools: Canva.  You are probably familiar with Canva, or you've at least heard about it in passing (especially if you're in education). Today is not an overview, but will focus on tips and tricks for working in Canva easily!

⭐⭐K-12 educators, you can get Canva pro for free.

⭐⭐Everyone else, you can use the free version or pay for the pro version.

Isn't it terrible when you move a box and the text doesn't move, as well?! What about changing every single box to the right color to match the pastels of Easter?  Don't worry, I've got you covered. 😘

"But... Library Lady..." you ask. "How will I get the work back from students if I don't print it out?"

Excellent question, my friends.  Students can follow the same process to "Create a Public View Link". They can then share this with you via email *or* you can create an assignment in Schoology, Canvas, etc. and ask them to paste it there.

Voila!  You, my friend, are one step closer to being a Canva master!

Questions? Reach out! I love to talk about Canva!

With love, love, love!

Laurie

Librarians are subject to major stereotyping, partially due to the media and partially due to perceived notions.  If you didn't imagine a white woman reading stories and shushing patrons, you are one of the few. While some librarians are still the cardigan-wearing quiet types of the past, many of us have destroyed this stereotype. My middle school library was loud, bright, and I was constantly on the move! (See baby Library Lady above.) I expanded past purchasing, reading, and recommending books, and I focused on creating partnerships with my teachers.  I co-taught classes and introduced technology into my lessons. I wanted to provide different types of print and digital media to the students (and teachers) that I taught. Even with these changes, I still face the stereotypical view of librarianship.

Things I've been told as a librarian (and what I wish I could say):

*sigh* "I wish I could read all day!"

Lordy, me too!  I never actually get to read on the job.  I usually end up reading books for my library on my own time, so that I can review them for purchase. Do you know how much I would like to read a book written for adults?

"Being a librarian is my retirement job! I think it would be so fun!"

Friend, being a librarian is one of the hardest things I've ever done.  Did you know that in a single day, I will co-teach 6 classes, fix a dozen student computers, create a book display, and receive an order of 100 books that need to be tagged, input into the catalog, and shelved? If you're looking for a retirement job, work part-time at the public library!

"Wait. You have to have a Master's degree? In what?"

Master of Library Science.  All public and academic librarians are required to have a Master's degree; most school librarians will have the degree, but it is not always required (in Texas). Fun Fact: Only three schools in Texas offer an MLS degree: Texas Woman's University, University of North Texas, and University of Texas. I'm a TWU alum (our mascot is an owl, and I couldn't be more thrilled!)

"I bet you have a lot of cardigans."

Well... yes... I do. But that's beside the point. I love cardigans, and I think they are adorable and functional. 

Most librarians enter the profession because they love to read; however, you quickly realize that librarianship is about information and knowledge.  It's about helping others find information, whether a picture book, a website, or a Wikipedia article (yes, I believe in Wikipedia - we'll talk about this another time!). It's about finding resources for your patrons and sharing them.  It's about print and digital literacy - moving far past the reading and purchasing of print books.

I challenge you... The next time you need information, ask a librarian.  We have a superpower called "finding information", and although that might sound lame... it's pretty powerful!

With love, love, love!

Laurie

P.S. Other titles for librarians: Media Specialist, Information Specialist, Master of All, and my favorite... "Hey! Library Lady!"

1.  100 Articles - 100 Days

Thursday, April 12, 2025

This week, I read an article from Ness Labs titled "Writing 100 articles in 100 days" by Anne-Laure Le Cunff in which the author challenges herself to do just that - write (and publish) 100 articles in 100 days (minus weekends because who wants to work on the weekend?). She has an existing following on Ness Labs and a book, Tiny Experiments, so her content has an audience. However, the challenge was to write more, edit less, and worry very little about the project. 

This, I thought, is exactly what I need! Over the past 7 months, I've been searching for a challenge, a purpose, some fulfillment in my professional life (truly, aren't we all), and I've been tossing the idea of Library Lady Laurie around in my head.  A place where I can put my expertise to use. Where I can share the knowledge I gather about libraries, instruction, and technology.  Because those are the things that I'm really good at.  I am a phenomenal teacher, and I love sharing what I've learned.

I have always been a writer.  Deep inside of me is a desire to write. To create. To put words onto a page and share them with the world.  But. Writing is scary as hell. Regardless of what you write, you share a piece of your soul. Your words have lived within your mind, your heart, and your body for so long that they have become a part of you. To bare your soul is a scary sort of vulnerability.  I don't think this vulnerability comes naturally to anyone at any time. I went to college to become a writer.  I spent four years studying creative writing and finding a love for creative nonfiction. I wrote short stories, read books about writing, and dreamed of writing a novel someday.  But after graduation, the writing stopped.  Something within me short-circuited, and I was no longer able to put words onto a page.  Consider it a 15-year sentence of writer's block. Words still continuously float through my head, and I can revise the hell out of someone else's writing.  But, I cannot do this on my own.

Hence, the challenge.  This challenge is something to work toward. Knowing myself, I will not stick with the challenge without prompting.  This blog will document the journey, and I will publish writing every day (except weekends, because get real). The focus of these articles will be within my expertise: libraries, instruction, technology tools, and a journey of mental health.

Whether my audience is strictly my sister (Hi, Alyssa!), or others decide to join the adventure, I hope you enjoy the journey because I'm scared as hell. Deep breaths!

With love, love, love!

Laurie