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, but still, it was a lot. I don’t know if I mentioned here or not, but one of the biggest projects I’ve been working on at the college is acquiring a new mascot costume. Our current one is about 10 years old and, while, he’s still functional, he’s old and we only have one for all five campuses. Anyway, about 2 years ago we received a grant from a foundation that supports community colleges to assist with rebranding. I used a portion of the money to get five new branding videos, which we’ve been showing on social media and YouTube. Hopefully, they’ll make their way to a TV screen {yes, I know kids today don’t watch TV, still it’d be cool}.

Back to the mascot… The hard part was finding a company that makes mascots and could operate on a less than sports league budget {most of the quotes I received were for upwards of $20,000 and more for a single costume}. One of our sister colleges had had a mascot makeover, so they put me in contact with a company in Canada and they were a perfect fit.

Skip ahead and we’ve placed an order for FIVE costumes {yes, every campus will have it’s own costume}. I’ve seen the sketches, the mock-ups, and the “skeleton” so far and I’m positively giddy. I sent in the eye and nose color selections yesterday and *squeal*.

This so far out of the normal scope of duties for a librarian, but it’s one of the many reasons I enjoy my job.

WHAT I WORE

How beautiful is this vest? It was gifted to me by MātrVāra in exchange for a review. MātrVāra is a small woman-owned business that creates upcycled garments in traditional methods such a block printing, using sustainable fabrics. The company is committed to empowering rural women artisans by providing them with opportunities for financial independence and pride in their heritage.

While I’ve styled this vest over a button down, this vest can easily be worn over a tee with a pair of shorts with sneakers or a dress with a pair of sandals. The color is neutral enough that it can play well with anything in my closet.

A camouflage jacket and a patterned dress from Kantha Bae because why not? I love pattern mixing because it’s so fun and unexpected. Hint: everything goes with camo.

This beautiful upcycled dress was gifted to me by MātrVāra in exchange for a review. I opted to layer my dress over a long sleeve tee with a blazer for work, but I could easily layer it with a chunky sweater for a more relaxed feel. This is an easy fit, one size fits most dress with a snap closure down the back. When the weather gets warmer, I’ll switch out the long sleeve tee for a short sleeved one with a denim vest and a pair of sneakers.

WHAT I READ

February was a tough month for reading. I’m not sure if it was the constant flow of political stuff, the social/cultural bruhaha or what, but I simply couldn’t focus long enough to read a book. I did, however, manage to finish one book: The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick. Such a good book. It followed the story of four women who form an impromptu book club called the Bettys, after Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. I’ll write a review in the coming days.

IT’S YOUR TURN

How was your March? Did you accomplish any of your goals?

BOOKISH THINGS

Bookshop.org – Shop for books selected by me, for you!

NetGalley Professional Reader – I receive free ARCs from NetGalley to review on my blog and share on Instagram.

The StoryGraph – A reading app that shares all the nerdy details of my bookish life.

THANK YOU

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new. If you like what you read, please consider sharing this post on Facebook or Pinterest. While I pay for many of the items I share on this blog out of my own pocket, some items are gifted to me {I always disclose those items}.

Come back soon,

 

 

 

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AFFILIATE INFORMATION

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.

Reading and reviewing books brings me a great deal of happiness. If you’re a reader, I’d love for you to visit my online bookstore, Living Outside the Stacks, to make your purchase. If you purchase from my shop, I’ll receive a small commission and you’ll also support indie bookstores. If you need help staying organized, but want to keep it pretty, I invite you to give Artful Agenda a try. It’s a digital planner inspired by paper planners. Use my code: RD1191716. Artful Agenda connects effortlessly to your Google and Outlook calendars and works across devices.