The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland

I'm always a sucker for a book that takes place in a bookshop or a library. Words like "witty" and "charming" were used to describe this novel, and I thought I was in for a lovely, summery, light read.  

It wasn't quite like that, although I did like the novel. It was certainly slower in pace and more solemn that I expected. Loveday Cardew is a young woman working in a second-hand bookshop. It is her refuge from a past that left her living in foster homes and being on her own for most of her life. She's very private, and no one knows her past as a happy little girl with two loving parents, before it all went horribly wrong when she was ten years old. Now 25, she's found her small slice of contentment, and a family with the shop's owner, Archie, a delightfully charming man who seems to know everyone and has done everything. 

Enter Nathan, who stops in the bookshop after losing his book of poetry near the bus stop. Loveday found it, and posted a note about it on the community board in the bookshop. Nathan is a magician, a poet, and knows how to give Loveday her space, while at the same time edging her towards a relationship. Rob, an ex-boyfriend of Loveday's, is a creep. He's stalking her, and won't leave her alone. As the story progresses, Loveday's relationship with Nathan slowly moves forward, as we get the history of her short relationship with Rob, and the background of her life in Whitby, a seaside town where she lived happily with her parents.  Until happily ever after came crashing down in a horribly tragic moment.

I wasn't sure what to make of this novel. Loveday is pretty prickly and withdrawn, and Nathan really is a gem: he knows when to push, and when to stand back. He's exactly what Loveday needs, and I was so relieved that she had enough sense to realize that, even if she felt she wasn't worthy of a good relationship. Her growing confidence in reading her poetry during poetry nights at the local pub, along with her unfolding relationship with Nathan, are the two plot points that keep the story moving forward. Also, I was curious as to what exactly happened to Loveday's family. It wasn't hard to figure out, but I had to wait until 3/4 of the way through the novel to finally get the full story. I also appreciated Loveday standing up to Rob, after realizing she played right into his hands. Jerk. Physical abuse is a big part of the novel; and Loveday's thoughtful insight into her experience with it explains the mindset of women who don't always leave at the first slap, and find a way to explain it away. But is also shows that sometimes, that abuser won't leave, even when a woman does stand up to them and take back their power. 

I can't say this was a charming novel. It wasn't. It was thoughtful, and a bit dark, and, for me, a bit sad. I'll leave it to you to read and discover Loveday's journey, and the role books play in her life. The ending will satisfy all who are cheering Loveday on in her journey. 

Rating: 4/6 for a novel that surprised me with themes of domestic abuse, stalking, and bullying; what they do to us as adults, and how we cope. The power of books to provide comfort, and remind us of the best things in life, are the backbone of this novel. I liked the story, but had hoped for a frothier read! Not the fault of the author, but of my expectations. Would make a good book club selection. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio

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Car Financing: Buying a Used Car

Car financing when buying a used car. For most people, a car is the second most expensive purchase they will make in their lives, next to a house. While you can always find great bargains on new cars, it might be a smart financial move to purchase a slightly used car instead. Remember, a new car depreciates by thousands of dollars the moment you drive it off the lot. If you buy a car that is a couple of years old, it will still depreciate, but less quickly as the first owner already took the big initial hit.

Whether you plan to pay with cash upfront or use car financing, here are some things you should do before you buy a used vehicle:

1. Do your research

Make a list of things you want from a car. Think about if you want a big or small car and the features you can’t live without. When you have determined these things, do your research to see which car best suits your needs. Also, look at ads from varying dealerships to get an idea of what you should expect to pay for similar vehicles in your area.

2. Set a budget

Determine how much you can afford to spend on your purchase based on your financial situation. Your budget should include funds for the car as well as any taxes and fees plus the cost for inspection and minor repairs, if necessary. When you set your budget, do not allow a salesperson to persuade you to go beyond this limit to get a car you cannot afford. Never reveal your budget to the salesperson. This will give you more room to negotiate.

3. Check the car’s history

Before you purchase a used car, check the history to shed light on the details of the car’s life. You may read about the car’s history on sites such as CarProof and CarFax. You want to find a car that is only around 2 years old with less than 30,000 miles on it.

4. Test drive the vehicle

Always test drive a used car before you buy it. You should try to drive the vehicle in a variety of situations such as on the highway and up and down hills, for example. If you test drive the vehicle and anything seems off, do not be afraid to walk away.

5. Get a car inspection

When you plan to buy a used car, you must have the vehicle inspected by a trustworthy mechanic. While there are some things you may check for yourself, you will need a mechanic to look under the hood and run basic tests. It is also a good idea to buy a used car from a dealership that offers an extended warranty on certified used vehicles.

6. Always shop around

Never walk into a dealership or to a meeting with a private seller with the intention of purchasing the car that same day. If you are too eager, it could cause you to settle for a car that is not ideal or one that may have many issues down the line.

Do you need car financing to purchase a used car?

If you need to access car financing to purchase a used vehicle, Credit Now offers you the easiest way to get approved for the vehicle you want, regardless of your financial situation and credit background. So, contact us to speak with a member of our team today.

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Log Home Kit vs Custom Build: What’s the difference?

As you look into building a log home, you’ll see some constructed from log home kits while others are custom builds. However, you might not be able to tell which is which from the photos alone. Both construction styles create beautiful, personalized properties but there are differences in the time it takes to build them, the design freedom, and their budgeted costs.
Log home kits allow you to select from a wide selection of pre-designed rooms and styles for your home, including vaulted ceilings and open concept kitchens. Builders then deliver the home in pre-assembled sections that you can easily construct yourself or with a builder.

This is a great option for those who want the experience of building a log home without the time, design, and other costs involved in a completely custom built home.

Custom built log homes can be designed entirely from scratch. You, your architect, and your engineering team have complete freedom with every detail. All building materials are cut and selected specifically for your home to be constructed by a builder on site. This is the best option for those who want to be more hands-on with the project, who need more design flexibility, and who have more space in their time and budget.

To help you decide which option is best for you, here are in-depth overviews of the time, budget, and building differences between log home kits and custom built homes.

Log Home Kit Overview

Building Time

Log home kits are easy and fast to design. You look at a variety of styles available and select those which best fit your vision. You simply need to mix and match the sections to make your log home, your own.
When building a home from a kit, the sections are pre-assembled prior to delivery. Thus, you don’t have to wait for the raw materials to be cut and the sections can be assembled quickly on site.

For instance, our average log home takes about three days to assemble and another day to install the roofing. This means that it can be completed and weather tight within a week!

Log Home Kit Costs

Log home kits take less time in design, labour, and material costs. Your architect and engineer need little input, as the parts of the home itself have already been constructed and their structural integrity and design pre-approved.
Building materials for a log home kit are cut and assembled in advance, which decreases the time needed by the log yard and during the build itself. Time is major factor in why log home kits are a great way to build a stunning log home at a lesser cost.

Personalizing A Kit Home

You may not know it from the name but log home kits allow you to select between a large selection of home styles. For instance, our most popular designs include open concept kitchens and vaulted ceilings. You may actually need a bit more time to decide between your favourite designs.
Unless you have a very specific vision for your home in mind, you’ll likely be able to find a log home kit that fits your needs, wants, and personal taste.
Note: Log home kits are often confused with modular or prefab homes. The big difference between them is in the degree of customization available. With a log home kit, there are many more options for personalizing the style and structure of a property than with other pre-assembled homes types.

Construction

You log home kit will be pre-assembled at the log yard in segments and delivered to the site. After it arrives, the sections will be connected and joined together to complete your home.

If you are a “do-it-yourselfer,” our log home kits are very user-friendly. We will have pre-cut all your window and door openings, your siding slots and drywall slots, and include a comprehensive “how-to” guide so you can finish your log home properly. You shouldn’t even have to bring a chainsaw to the site to build it!

Custom Built Log Home Overview

Building Time

Custom homes require more time upfront for you to envision, create, and have your home design approved with your architect and engineer team.
The raw materials, including logs and beams, must be custom cut and the entire home assembled in the log yard before being dismantled and shipped to you. When it comes to building, all parts of a custom home are typically constructed on site from scratch. This takes longer but is the best option if you have a specific vision for your home and more flexibility in your building timeline.

Custom Build Cost

As mentioned above, custom homes require more time from your design and building team to layout, ensure structural integrity, and build the home piece by piece. This makes the labour costs higher than with a pre-assembled log home kit.
Also, since the materials used need to be custom cut and purchased specifically for your home, the material costs will be higher.

Personalization Your Custom Home

Custom built homes leave the design completely up to you, your architect, and engineer. It’s your chance to build your own unique dream home!
Alone or with a designer, you are able to pick every element of your home’s style and customize it exactly to your liking. The only confines you’ll face are the laws of physics, building codes, and your budget.

Construction

We first build your entire custom home in the log yard. That way, we ensure sure all of the raw materials needed are present, cut, and that the design is perfect. Then, we take it down and ship it to your location piece by piece, placing sections of your home into containers so it’s most efficiently assembled on-site.

Whether the home of your dreams comes from a log home kit or is a custom build simply depends on your budget, timing, and the degree of personalization you’re seeking. No one option is better than the other so have some fun and see where your vision takes you.
If you have any questions about our turn key log home kits or custom log home projects, please contact us.

What is the difference between prefab and a custom log homes

How much do log homes cost?

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PMP:118 Growing Leaders Takeaways – Crucial Conversations About Students

The other morning, I woke up early in a hotel room in Atlanta, Georgia. For a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was. Then it dawned on me that I was presenting that morning at a Growing Leaders Principal Roundtable event hosted by Dr. Tim Elmore. I dressed, grabbed my laptop bag and headed downstairs […]

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Hiring an assistant principal? Reading suggestions for new leaders! #cpchat

My amazing assistant principal was named principal of another school here in our district this past week. (!!!) We are SO excited for her, but that means I’ve got an incredible opportunity to bring on a new partner in crime. A new leader is bright…shiny…full of energy, ideas, and motivated to do their best. A new […]

The post Hiring an assistant principal? Reading suggestions for new leaders! #cpchat appeared first on Technically Yours Teamann.

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2 Questions to Focus on Long-Term Learning in Classrooms

It is “conference season” for many educators, and I have seen the wave of “60 Tools in 60 Minute” sessions being posted online.  The promise is often made that there will be ideas that you can implement “the next day!” for your classroom.

Is this a good or bad thing?

First of all, having access to ideas is not a bad idea.  But looking for a “quick-fix” for your classroom is focused more on engaging students than it is a necessary long-term solution.  Ideas matter in the way you apply them to your context, now how they are carbon-copied for your classroom.  I continuously state that relationships are the foundation of education, so knowing your class is where we take advantage of finding what works for the students in front of us, not what will work with any student anywhere.  If there were one thing that worked for every student in the world, every educator would know it.

But more importantly, we ask for our students to be “resilient” and “critical thinkers,” which is necessary, but if we always are looking for simple things to do the next day, are we modeling the same aspirations for our students in our own professional development?  The best ideas are often not easy to implement and take time, but that is where we get the most value long-term.

As you think about what we do with students in a classroom, here are a few questions to think about:

1. What will students “create” because of their learning in my classroom/our school?
2. How will this “empower” students in the long-term to learn and create on their own?

Reading the questions above doesn’t mean that “consumption” or “compliance and engagement” aren’t part of the process in schools or classrooms.  It is just that we focus going on way beyond those measures.

Education is not an easy endeavor.  Anyone who has ever spent time in the classroom can tell you that.  But the challenge is the best part of the process.  The deep learning and push that we create for our students and ourselves are what will propel learners to a place where powerful learning becomes the norm and not the exception.

• March 15, 2016 Where will school be when we are done?
• July 23, 2016 “They have to be part of the solution”
• October 17, 2016 10 Essential Characteristics of a 21st Century Educator
• June 26, 2016 “But time is a scarce resource…”
• January 3, 2018 Revisiting #ClassroomLeadership

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20 Ways to Be Future Driven in Your Classroom

Reflection is so important for continued learning and growth. I developed the list below as a tool for educators to reflect on practices that help prepare students for a rapidly changing, complex world. Some of these practices are new. Some are not. Some of them involve technology. Some do not. 

These are all based on important themes from my book, Future Driven. These factors help prepare students for a modern world where continuous learning and adaptability are paramount.

I don't think I would expect any educator to be pursuing all of these indicators at once. And this list should never be used to think in terms of judging a good teacher vs. a bad teacher. So don't look at it like that. The purpose of the list is for reflection and growth.

It might give you an idea of where you want to focus your learning for next school year. You could pick one or two and consider how you might develop the practice in your classroom. It might help you consider your next steps in your growth as an educator.

20 Ways to be Future Driven in Your Classroom

1. I provide opportunities for project-based and inquiry-based learning.

2. I give students choices about learning (time, place, path, or pace).

3. I am learning new things about technology and sharing my learning with students and teachers.

4. My students have opportunities to connect with real-world experts.

5. My classroom learning space provides flexibility for student-centered grouping and learning tasks.

6. My students regularly have opportunities to use digital tools to leverage their skills for learning tasks.

7. I utilize Genius Hour or 20 percent time to provide opportunities for students to pursue their passions and interests.

8. I model risk-taking, grit, and perseverance for students and regularly discuss the importance of these characteristics in class.

9. I build strong relationships by greeting students, calling them by name, and getting to know them as individuals.

10. My students assume considerable responsibility for class discussions. Conversations become student-led, instead of teacher-directed.

11. My students take on projects that make a difference in the community or in the world (service-learning).

12. My students have many opportunities to create work that will be visible to authentic audiences.

13. I am intentional about cultivating curiosity in my students by having them develop their own questions, by allowing exploration, or by creating mystery or intrigue.

14. I ask my students for feedback on my teaching and the relevance of my lessons.

15. Empathy is just as important as responsibility in my classroom.

16. I am focused more on what a child can do and not what he/she cannot do.

17. I think about how the future will be different for my students and strive to teach with that in mind.

18. My students have opportunities to experiment with different approaches, rather than just practicing a predetermined method.

19. Character is more important than compliance in my classroom.

20. My students have many chances to take initiative, not just follow directions.

What other practices do you think are important for relevant, future ready learning? I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below or respond on or .

        

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