Fun Stuff
Random topics that don't fit in other categories.
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What I Wore: Animal Print Card, Blue Toile Shirt, and Dark Denim Jeans
Hey, Friends! How are things with you? It’s the last week of the semester and we’re prepping for graduation – life is busy. I’ve spent the last four days taking, editing, and posting photos of our soon-to-be graduates. I love this time of year, but ohmygosh is it exhausting. I have one more set of pictures to take on Monday and then I’m finished until next semester. This is the first year since I started working at the college that I won’t be taking the graduation photos… It’s gonna be weird, but I’m happy for the break. Trust me, I love taking the pictures, but editing and posting can take…
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{Book Review} Patents, Plows, and Persistence: The Legacy of Napoleon Gallien Jr and the Family Whose Faith Tilled the Soil by Dr. Dr. Geralyn Janice
I remember when Dr. Janice first came to me and told me that she was planning to write a book about her great uncle, Napoleon Gallien Jr, aka NAP. Her excitement was palpable. Every time our paths crossed, I found myself waiting, expectantly, for an update. Every shared detail brimming with awe tinged with disbelief. And, when she posted that her book was live on Amazon, I clicked the link and made the purchase. I even shared a video on Instagram of myself with highlighter and pen in hand, ready to take notes. And, today, I share my review for my friend, who shares my passion for history, genealogy, and…
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Coffee and Pie Chat: We’re Bringing It Back
Y’all, I’m so excited to share that Kristin and I are bringing back our Coffee & Pie series! We first started our “pie along” in the Summer of 2019, using seasonal fruits like lemons, blueberries, nectarines, and such. It was a fun and most delicious time. I learned a lot about myself — mostly that I really, really like pretty pie plates. I also learned that I cannot make pie crusts. I don’t care how good the recipe is, my pie crusts always taste like flour. So I use store bought crusts and I’m OK with that. Over the past few months, Kristin and I have DMed each other about…
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Get Ready to Grow: My Greenhouse
I’ve always credited my grandma with giving me my love for coffee. One of my most vivid memories is of her sitting at the kitchen table watching one of her evening soaps with a cigarette in one hand and a coffee cup in the other, laughing and screaming at Alexis Colby Carrington’s shenanigans. Goodness knows I was way too young to be watching those shows, but Grandma and my aunt would always include me in their evening banter. My other memory is of my grandma working in her vegetable garden.\ Grandma had two massive gardens, one at the family home in Washington, D.C. and the other at her and Granddaddy’s…
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Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: Fancy Footwear
Something happened that I never ever believed would happen to me… I became a Crocs convert. For years, my family has been telling me that I needed a pair of Crocs. “They’re comfortable.” “They’re convenient.” “They’ve updated the styles.” But I just couldn’t do it. “Crocs are so ugly,” I’d laugh as I shook my head wildly. Then I decided to start a garden; I needed a pair of shoes that I could wear in the yard without worrying about destroying. I needed something that could stand up to rainy conditions, so I started searching different online stores and happened upon the Crocs store. And that’s where I found them.…
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Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: Emergency Preparedness
As the blogger and photographer behind Living Outside the Stacks, I independently select and write about stuff I love and things I think you’ll enjoy too. Living Outside the Stacks has affiliate and advertising partnerships so I get revenue from sharing this content and from your purchase. Thank you for your support. One of the scariest things to happen is to get an evacuation notice in the middle of the night. This happened to us when we were living in Pennsylvania; emergency trucks came rolling through our neighborhood with their sirens blaring telling us to evacuate as quickly and safely as possible. Huntsville Dam was about to overflow. Naturally, I…
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Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: Container Garden
Y’all, I have turned into a full-fledged {container} gardener courtesy of TikTok. I’ve wanted to start a garden for years but I was hesitant to dig up my yard and fail, then I stumbled across container gardening and thought that met my needs. Container gardening is just what it sounds like, growing your garden in containers. But before I did anything, I did a deep dive on TikTok to find out what I needed to do to get started. According to the USDA Hardiness Zone Map, I live in Zone 9a, which means our average minimal temperature is 20 to 30 degrees. Knowing this information lets me know which plants…
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Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: Boots on the Ground Line Dance
Y’all, my daughter and my grandchildren have me learning the Boots on the Ground Line Dance. I am perhaps the most uncoordinated, rhythmless person you’d ever want to meet. But I’m going to do it. And they’re going to record it. I’m about to make myself an internet laughing stock to amuse my family. My daughter sent me a link to a tutorial by Bizzy Boom. She used this tutorial to learn the dance, so she figured it’d be easy for me to learn too. I’m happy she has so much faith in me. LOL For reference, because I’m a librarian, here’s some background information on the song and the…
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Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: Artful Agenda, Almost a Year Later
As the blogger and photographer behind Living Outside the Stacks, I independently select and write about stuff I love and things I think you’ll enjoy too. Living Outside the Stacks has affiliate and advertising partnerships so I get revenue from sharing this content and from your purchase. Thank you for your support. I have always been a planner girl. In fact, my daughter reminded me this morning of how I used to carry around a purple snake skin planner with a bunch of little tabbies and sticky notes poking out. I used different colored ink pens to differentiate between my family, school, and personal calendars. I also doodled in the…
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February 2025 Wrap-Up
Hey, y’all, hey! How are things going? I know I’m late with last month’s wrap-up but I’ve had a hard time sitting down long enough to get this post written. It feels like by the time I get home, get the dogs fed, and make dinner, it’s time for bed. Do you feel that way too? I need more hours in the day. Even though I know I probably wouldn’t use them to relax or do something fun. deep sigh What would you do if you had extra hours? WHAT I ACCOMPLISHED My Bingo Card hasn’t changed at all since last month, still I accomplished a lot. Mostly work stuff,…
