Category: Meanderings

There really is  something to be  said about sleeping in your own bed.  Everywhere we have stayed the past 12 days have been wonderful, but curling up last night with my pillow and blankets was heaven!

This morning I am sitting here briefly with Coffee Cup and I am thrilled to be drinking out of my cup too!   Last nights book club was so wonderful – a great review of The Hotel On Bitter And Sweet.  Have I mentioned lately how much I love my book club?  We have a great read lined up for March too but I will show that in the next few days.  The review will probably have to go up tomorrow as today is going to be super busy.

Whats on my plate platter?  Well, tomorrow morning at this time we are off for Illinois for our oldest sons Navy Graduation.  Yes, I am home for just a little over a day.  I have laundry going, have a full day in the office, packing again, contacting dog/house sitter for the weekend, books and packages to mail, grabbing some food for our house as I cleaned it out pretty good before we left for Florida – and – at the end of the day my treat is to go through my mailbox books from the last 12 days.

Want to know what 12 days of books can look like?  I am so glad you asked!

Yup.  I asked the house sitter just to put any books that came in the mail in my reading Room.  Well – here they are.  That’s my tonight project with a cup of tea or maybe two.

And finally my birthday yesterday was nice, too busy, but I love friends.  I came home to a package that had been dropped off by a good friend of mine Amy who is also in my book club.  It was a super cute sweater hoodie that has fur in the hood.  She said she seen it and it just screamed “Sheila”.  LOL  She’s right… I love it and I am wearing it today.

I also had a card in the mail and this one made me smile:

Now – that is a good friend!  Have a great day everyone!  I have to hit the ground running with a tight grip on Coffee Cup today.  I have a review coming up in a little bit here today so stop on back – coffee is on and the virtual cinnamon rolls are always hot and fresh out of the oven.

Yesterday Al and I were looking at the Yoder Frey auction most of the afternoon.  For a special dinner last night we went with my cousins and my aunt to Texas De Brazil.  A totally new experience for us but one I hope to repeat.  We really enjoyed the amazing salad bar and the meets were delicious.  I didn’t get to try a lot of the meats because I did exactly what my cousin told me not to do – I filled up on the salad.

Tomorrow I am excited to be taking on the hosting of J Kaye’s It’s Monday! What Are You Reading meme.  I am honored to do so.  I hope if you have participated in this in the past that you will continue to do so, and if this meme is one you have not participated in, I urge you to give it a try.  I like it because it causes me to plan out some of my reads for the week.  Plus – I really love seeing what everybody else is reading around the world for the week.

Have a great day – hubby and I are visiting the Richie Brothers Auction today in Orlando.  We will not be here the actual auction so Al likes to look things over if he wants to bid on line.  It’s all a little over my head but he likes to tell me about the equipment and I don’t mind going along for the ride.  I am hoping to treat him today to his first Cracker Barrel experience!

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Today I am up bright and early to go to the auctions with Al.  Yes – this is my first time going.  We will be in Orlando all day and then tonight we will have dinner in Orlando with my cousins and my aunt who will be flying in today to join us.  Al has been so great this week taking me to book stores and to Disney World that now it is my turn to smile real big and do something nice for him.  The auctions we are seeing these next two days do not start until after we have headed back to Minnesota so Al is checking them out to see if there is anything he wants to put a bid on for online.

I am taking with me today Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter and Sweet.  This is our book club read that we meet to discuss on the 9th, the day we fly back.

What are you reading today?

Good morning!  Still here, still in Florida – and now two of my cousins are here Jarrod and Rob so that is cool!  🙂  No big plan for today, I have a couple reviews to write and later tonight Al and I will probably go try out a different restaurant.  He loves that…

Yesterday I found a link to this site called BookCloseouts.com.  There are a few good reads if you are willing to dig a little and they are priced no higher than 1.99.

Right now I am in serious need of coffee so I am off to say good morning to the Coffee Pot!

Late today….. we had a fun and busy day yesterday.  AL and I went to Disney World with the aforementioned Flat Stanley.  The sun was out and we had a good time walking through the park and ended by going to sit in the audience for an American Idol performance.  That was kind of cool – they had three contestants and after they all sang you voted for the best in your opinion.  That person would go on to the finals for that day at 7 pm where the winner would receive a ticket that would put them in the front of the line for any American Idol addition they were able to attend.

After Disney, we went over to our friends Dick and Adrienne who are from Brainerd Minnesota but spend their winters in Florida.  Dick and Adrienne own a bed and breakfast in Brainerd and I love catching up with her.  We never get to see them enough.  Adrienne is also a blogger and I love reading her blog as she is very crafty and comes up with neatest ideas for projects and in her cooking too.  We did not leave their home until 10:30 pm (I blame AL – he is soooooo chatty….LOL) and then made our way back to where we are staying which is an hour and a half away.  Yup, back after midnight and TIRED.  Thus, the late meandering this morning.

Hope everyone’s day is a wonderful one – I am putting the finishing touches on my review of dream HOUSE which will be up yet today.

Day 7 in Florida.  AND – today the sun is out!  Our plan is to go into Orlando and hopefully to Disney World MGM.  A friend of mine sent a Flat Stanley with us from her daughter Morgan.  If you do not know what Flat Stanley is, he is a paper doll that gradeschool kids all get.  The kids color him  and them mail him to a friend who they know is going on a trip along with a letter asking for Stanley to go with.  The object is for the said people (in this case – us) to take Stanley to wherever and take pictures of him there.  Then Stanley comes back and you give the pictures and Stanley back to the child.

Morgan will then get to put a pin in the large world map as to where Stanley has been and then do a show and tell story with the pictures.  Morgan asked us to take Stanley to Disney World (I LOVE DISNEY WORLD!)  So that is todays plan and as much as I have loved hanging out here while Al is at the auctions, this will be a fun time.

With a little luck we will be able to meet up for dinner with friends we have from Minnesota who spend their winters here.

Have a great day everyone!  Yes – a book is going with me (Dreamhouse) and yes, I have a review coming up today of Home Is Where The Wine Is.

Good Morning all!  🙂  Day 6 in Florida.  We have had a lot of rain (even now it is raining) and the weather has been a bit cool but coming from Minnesota I am not complaining.  🙂  Al is at the auctions for the day in Orlando and I have a few things I want to do around my cousins home as he should be joining us late Thursday or early Friday morning.  Other than that, the book Home Is Where The Wine Is, happens to be calling my name and that is my afternoon plan.

One bit of exciting news – on a few different occasions I have shared my favorite all time books.  There are an armful of books that I just love the storyline so much I could read again and again.  One such book is not a book, but three books.  It is the Nora Roberts Three Sisters Trilogy that starts with the first book being Dance Upon The Air.  Now before you are in shock that a few of my favorite all time books are written by Nora Roberts – this is not typical Roberts.  These books I found to be different and I recommend them to everyone.

So – on to the news… In December I took part in the Bookworm Carnival where we were asked to share what we consider to be our comfort reads.  This was a perfect opportunity for me to gush about The Three Sisters Trilogy.  Here is what I had said:

“These three books are favorites of mine and are always a “go to” series if I need to just sink into characters that are like old friends to me. Even talking about them now makes me want to go visit them between the pages of these books.”

Yesterday I seen over at Ms. Bookish, due to my gushing about these books, she is making her way through Dance Upon The Air and has called her post, Reading My First Nora Roberts.  What I love, love, LOVE, about this is that this is exactly what I enjoy about blogging.  Sharing books and learning about books and then – picking up a book you never dreamed you would – and falling in love with it.  It has happened to me, I hope it happens for all of you!

Here is my Blast From The Past Post about these books.

Do you have any such books?  Any book that was recommended through another blog or by a friend and due to that recommendation you read the book and LOVED it?

Happy Sunday and day 3 in Florida.  Yesterday Al and I had a laid back morning….  I thought we looked funny, each of us at the kitchen table on our lap tops, he exploring the equipment auctions and I writing a review.  We went into town in the afternoon exploring the area picked up a few things at the Super Target, had a wonderful dinner at Red Lobster, then stopped at Penney’s and lastly, a place called Books A Million.

Pause for effect.

I had never heard of a Books A Million before and my husband, heart of gold that he has, stopped and patiently waited for me while I browsed, touched, and yes – I bought.

Today I wanted to share with you what I have decided to call:

FLORIDA FINDS

Yes!  Evermore!  I have yet to read this author and I am anxious to do so!

Bargain book and I love a good mystery!

I have seen this one on so many blogs and looks like a good one!

Ok – I never said that my Florida Finds had to be all about books.  I needed a pair of casual sandals and I found these little babies!

I am always looking for a pair of tall black shoes…  I love them and my two pair I own are so worn out because I can not find ones I like.  Yesterday – I found these and I am super excited!

*giggle*  Yup – these are my kind of tennis shoes and these will be the shoes that I am wearing around the house today!

Today Al is at the auction.  Tomorrow I will be going with him because Tuesday I need to be here all day for the phone guy to come out.  It looks a little cool and dreary outside today and that’s ok.  I have a book I am dieing to finish and some wrap up things to do for the end of January!  Tomorrow I announce winners of the January.comment giveaway winners AND introduce you to my plans for February!  ♥

Of the above 6 items… which one do you like?

Day 2 in Florida!  There is only an hour difference between Minnesota and Florida but I believe I am still on it.  🙂  According to “Florida”  I slept until 9 am today!  9 am!  LOL

Here is my funny story.  At home, when my coffee gets cold in my Coffee Cup, I dump the coffee into a near by plant and get a new hot cup of coffee.  I had learned a long time ago from a friend I used to work with  that the coffee provides nutrients for plants.  My plants at home are greener than green so who am I to argue? I do this all the time – I never throw old coffee down the drain.

HOWEVER – when you are a guest in someones home and late at night you take your cold coffee and feed the fake plant with it…..  not so cool.  😉  I am just saying…. LOL

Today we will venture out together and go exploring.  I am excited… I hope to find a local book store….. maybe just to browse…. but maybe to buy.  I will be taking a book along with me of course for the road trip… planning to have a review up later today!