Tag: reading

Stitchy fun available with a library card

April 27, 2025

Do you have a library card? If not, get one! It’s usually free for local residents or for a small annual fee for non-residents. Takes less than 10 minutes to get one. Well worth the investment! Following is a sample of what’s available to patrons via the Cobb County Library System.

Inspiration Awaits
Would you like to visit one of the following places for free? It’s possible with a library card and a pass that you check-out from the library.

  • Alliance Theatre
  • Atlanta History Center
  • Chattahoochee Nature Center
  • Georgia Parks Pass (for ALL parks in the state)
  • Marietta – Cobb Museum of Art
  • Marietta History Center
  • Smith-Gilbert Gardens
  • Zoo Atlanta

Magazines and Craftsy Access
Download the Libby app, add your library card credentials and voila! You have instant access to many popular quilting, sewing and crafts publication. FREE. The library’s research and digital databases include Craftsy access, as well.

Maker Spaces and Creative Studio
Is your sewing machine acting up? Curious about a 3D printer? Want to explore a Cricut Maker? The Switzer and North Cobb Regional Branches offer maker spaces with sewing machines, Cricut products, button makers, 3D printers and a host of other crafty equipment for you to use. Sewell Mill offers a Creative Studio where you can work with audio/video equipment to create videos, record podcasts and transfer old family videos and photos to modern digital equivalents.

Learn Something New
Most branches offer free classes or take home kits in a variety of craft mediums. All you have to do is sign up.

Meet New Stitchy Friends
Want to hang out with like-minded crafters or learn how to crochet, cross-stitch and do macrame? Several branches host groups that meet on a weekly/monthly basis. Some are led by a volunteer instructor who will teach you how to crochet and supplies may actually be furnished for these events. Unless otherwise indicated, assume that any stitchy meet-ups will be limited to handwork only. Do EPP, cross-stitch, embroidery or hand-quilt/sew binding while you visit. Some people even bring small projects to cut out. This seems to be okay as long as there’s enough room for the cutting mat.

Meeting Space
Need a quiet place to plan projects? Reserve a study room. Sign up the same day. First come, first served. Need a place to sew with friends? You can reserve a room for $25.00 per meeting date. Given all the events at the regional libraries, I’d suggest trying to reserve a room at a smaller branch if you can’t be flexible with meeting date and time. The library also limits reservations scheduling to 3 months out. Working with a smaller branch and offering to be open to the public wanting to join in may give you a regular meeting space at no cost. This is how my Friday Sew Squad got their space.

Photo by Antoni Shkraba Studio on Pexels.com

Our R.E.A.D. program begins

December 12, 2024

Big Girl is demonstrating what good listeners do while waiting for our next student. What you don’t see is a small group of special needs students being read to by a teacher in the opposite corner of the library. Sadie’s being quiet, listening attentively and watching the speaker.

We have four students we’ll see each week – 3 boys and 1 girl with very different reading levels and backgrounds. Sadie was so excited to get to work this morning! The front office buzzed us in and she led me straight to the library once I obtained my visitor pass. Zoomies around the library while I set up and an enthusiastic greeting for our first reader made for a great session. We worked on assigned reading passages together and students learned to use text evidence to figure out the correct answer to the comprehension questions. A little bit of test taking strategies thrown in there too, but it’ll help come time for Milestones testing next spring. This is exactly what I wanted to do in retirement.

P.S. I understand her friend Barney (the K-9 dog assigned to the school) stopped by to check on us, but we were busy with a student and he didn’t want to interrupt.

In other news:

Next week marks my final Monday enrichment class at CAA. My rolling tote is already packed for the lesson and activities. I’ll spend some time this weekend weeding my general craft supplies and gifting a couple of teachers the bulk of them. In late January, Sadie and I will return to CAA as literacy volunteers on Thursday mornings. This could morph into a homegrown read-to-a-dog program as there is another family in the school community who also has a certified therapy dog.

Our therapy dog work is definitely influenced by the academic calendar. Most school and library visits wrap up by mid-May. Summer months tend to be slower with random summer camps and corporate event visit opportunities. Sadie and I try to make one visit in June and another in July/August. Our established school and library programs typically resume after Labor Day.

Someone asked about the cost of being a therapy dog volunteer. There are certain requirements as to attire/accessories for the handler and dog. You’ll definitely need at least one logo shirt, harness/scarf for your dog and a 4′ leash. Besides the $40 in annual dues to the national organization, it’s really up to you. The more visits you do, the more it will cost in terms of dog grooming, logo attire for you and transportation costs. If you do kid and young adult visits like Sadie & I do, you will also need to budget for trading cards, stickers, pencils, bookmarks and other swag to pass out on visits. It all adds up to a few hundred dollars each year plus my time. Money and time well spent, in my opinion.

Rediscover the joy of reading

October 2, 2024

I love to read – most anything non-fiction, magazines and contemporary, realistic fiction. Before retiring, I joined a neighborhood book club – primarily for the social opportunities. Honestly, the group’s collective book choices usually aren’t my cup of tea, but I muddle through. After several months of murder mysteries, WWII spies and a few duds, there’s finally a book I can’t wait to finish – How To Read A Book by Monica Wood. I’ve had the best time streaming this month’s selection while I work in my sewing studio.

I rarely buy books anymore – especially books I’ll read one time. I like to browse the local Barnes & Noble with my Libby app open. If something looks good, I place a hold on the title. My books usually come from the library or via the Libby App. I know the wait for popular titles at my local libraries can be up to 3 months for print, electronic and audiobooks. This is sometimes a challenge when obtaining book club titles. Kindle Unlimited and Everand operate like a paid Libby service, except you have instant access to a lot more stuff. If you are a voracious reader and like to read current bestsellers in an e-book format and/or listen to audiobooks, the $11.99 per month fee seems quite reasonable. Music apps like Spotify also offer access to audiobooks, so it’s worth exploring what options are available to you.

Publishers of quilting books are slowing entering the e-book realm. I attended a class with Christa Watson last year. I was the only attendee with a digital copy of her book. Everyone else came with a print copy, which she autographed for them. Note to self – bring a charged Apple Pencil with you next time and set the pdf copy for markup.

Photo by Perfecto Capucine on Pexels.com