Category: Meanderings

Morning Meanderings… Where To Begin…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)72 Comments

Good morning!  😀  I can not even begin to tell you how good it felt to sleep in my own bed last night…. and now sit in my recliner looking out on a beautiful day and knowing I will soon be basking in the sun with a book enjoying a (for the most part) quiet day.

Quiet because no one knows I am in town.  Well, a few friends do, but I was supposed to come back from New York and go right into the MS 150 bike ride that I would have shuttled to yesterday afternoon after I got off the plane.  The night before I left New York I cancelled out of the ride.  I really wanted to do it but several things were at play:

1.  I was exhausted from all the events and constant “go go go” of New York

2.  I really was missing seeing Hubby, and our new pup, Sam.

3.  A little peopled out.  I had been with large amounts of people since last Sunday and I am a person who needs to unplug from the activity and step back at least once a week.  Doing the ride today and tomorrow would have put me with about 2,500 people. 

4.  I wasn’t looking forward to two more nights in a hotel.

SO here I am.  Home.  Today I am going to mow the lawn and listen to audio.  I have some wonderful choices thanks to a dinner we had the last night in New York with John from Brilliance audio (going with The Magicians, John!) .  I cant wait to dig in and I just finished one last night on my IPOD so I am ready.  😀  I am also going to write a few reviews throughout the day.  I wrote up a list yesterday and I am about 5 behind, soon to be more as this afternoon I am sitting on my deck with book.  That is the plan.  And later we have invited friends over to grill tonight and hang out and chat.  She is in my book club so it will be fun to talk BEA, and they are close friends so this will be quite laid back and I am soooooo looking forward to it. 

For this mornings Saturday Snapshot brought to you by the wonderful Alyce from At Home With Books, I thought I would give you a few random shots of New York and the Expo.  I started my recap post yesterday afternoon with BEA Recap 1, and hope to put up recap 2 later today.  I am writing a blow-by-blow of my daily experience to give you the BEA feel.  To pick up the full story on the pictures, please read my recap posts.  😀

We were in a thai restaurant (Yum Yum Two – so good!) and it started to pour. It was actually pretty to watch. As soon as the rain came, it went, and by the time we were done eating it was a beautiful day to walk.
The Javitz Center…. where all the magic happens 🙂
Oh Snap! Me and James Dashner! (More about this in the recap part 2)
Can someone identify this building for me? I was walking with Alison from Alison’s Book Marks and she said it was one of the most gorgeous buildings in New York.
Times Square!
Day 1 Registration area for BEA… about 8 am.

More to come in the next couple of days here.  🙂  Also a completely random note but today is my 3 year blogiversary – in the past two years we have had a big party here with giveaways (books, swag, gift cards) and fun stuff and I do not want to miss that so please accept my invitation to my 3 year Blogiversary Party which will take place on Friday June 15th.  😀

Morning Meanderings… The Missing Blogger

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)27 Comments

Good morning!  Oh wow… I did not mean to be absent from the blogesphere while in New York.  I can’t explain how this year is different from last years other than I think I was wiped out before I came to New York and feel like I have never really caught up.  AND every day since stepping a toe off the place in New York I have RAN from event to event…

Which I promise upon my return home I will give details and pictures… I am just a little fried right now and as I type my roommate Gail from Ticket To Anywhere is saying “Are you actually writing a blog post?”

Which I am….

a little one. 😀

So today is the last day of BEA and I have had a blast, met up with friends, met some fun authors and event got lost in New York for about an hour (sorry Alison!)… more on all that later –

What I did want to share is if you remember last year Reagan from Miss Remmers Reviews and I took over the info booth…. well, Reagan did not attend this year….

however, I thought it would be fun…

to do it again:

So there I am … alive and caffeinated in New York.  Thank you for hanging in there with me, we will return to our regularly scheduled blogging whatevers upon my return home. 

Morning Meanderings…. BEA – You can participate from home!!!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Good morning!  It’s really really early by the time you are reading this I should be flying to New York, my flight left Minneapolis at 5:45 am.  Book Expo Of America… here I come!

Today I wanted to share with you something a little different than I normally do in the mornings.  While many book bloggers are currently flying from all over the world to New York…. many of you are still at home keeping the blogs fires lit.  What I want to share with you this morning, or I guess really, what I have asked Danielle from There’s A Book, to do this morning is share with you a very fun event called Armchair BEA.

Take it away Danielle!

Hi Sheila and Book Journey Readers!

What an exciting week and month in the book blogging community! Book Expo America, Armchair BEA and Audiobook Month all packed in together making more than enough bookish goodness to go around.

I’ve long been a fan of Sheila’s site and especially her enthusiasm for all she’s involved with. So, when she asked if I’d be interested in guest posting on her site about one of the biggest events happening in the book industry, Armchair BEA, I was so excited.

For those of you who might not be familiar with Armchair BEA first off let me say you absolutely should check it out! In a nutshell here are the basics of what makes up this great event:

If you’re a book blogger who can’t attend Book Expo America and the Book Blogger Convention in New York this June (June 4 – 8, 2012), you don’t have to miss all the fun – this virtual convention is the place to be! The Armchair BEA site includes news about daily blogging themes, discussions, giveaways and more!

This is the third year for Armchair BEA and it’s more exciting than ever. Armchair BEA began as six book bloggers (Tif from Tif Talks Books, Florinda

Armchair BEA won this award in 2011

from The 3 R’s Blog, Pam from Bookalicious.org, Chris from Chrisbookarama, Michelle from That’s What She Read, Emily from Emily’s Reading Room and myself) looking for a way to enjoy the week without feeling too bad that we couldn’t actually attend the event in person. To be honest, we all originally thought of calling it the “BEA Pity Party,” but decided it would be so much more fun to make it a fun event centered around the books, authors, publishers and bloggers we love. What we didn’t anticipate was the overwhelming response from the book community. With only two weeks of planning before BEA and Armchair BEA started that first year we had over one hundred participants, close to a dozen sponsors, an agenda filled with activities and even one Twitter party.

Since that first year we’ve added more organizers (Amy from My Friend Amy and Julie from My 5 Monkeys), increased the number of participants from one hundred to over five hundred the second year, added partners (Edelweiss and Book Expo Authors Studio Podcast) and included nearly ev

ery major publisher in our Sponsors listing. Last year was a whirlwind packed with behind the scenes exclusives and an additional Twitter party.

During our third year we’ve grown to include more than any of the original founders would have ever predicted. What began as a way to escape the feelings of missing everything going on in New York has become the event to participate in. This year, in one of the biggest surprises thus far, we’ve now partnered with Book Expo America. The partnership is one of the biggest steps toward bringing everyone involved with Armchair BEA closer to the event happening in New York and we couldn’t be more excited.

No doubt Armchair BEA has become something each of us organizers looks forward to ea

ch and every year. I hope if you haven’t already decided to join in that you’ll consider it, even if you happen to be attending BEA! Armchair BEA is definitely the event of the year and we’d love to have everyone from the book blogging community participate!

 

 

 

 

So there you have it… it looks (and sounds so awesome) and I am hoping that many of you will pop over to the Armchair BEA site and applaud the hard working bloggers that are working behind the scenes, as well as a few like Danielle that are at BEA making connections to Armchair BEA. 

By 1:00 pm central time I will be popping through the New York airport trying to find luggage and a taxi to get in the vicinity of my hotel…. check in is not until 3 but I can drop my bags there and then I think I am connecting with Mari from Bookworm with a View and my roommate, Gail from Ticket To Anywhere.  Sunday 6 – 9 pm is the Simon and Schuster Open house.

I will continue to pop in as I can… I had big plans to have more posts ready before I left but my week got away from me and now I am hoping to get a few reviews up this week as well, but for sure you will hear about my day to day happenings at BEA!  😀

Morning Meanderings… The Art Of Procrastination (BEA style)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)51 Comments

Good morning.  Let’s just get to this.  I have been up since 5 am.  I am sitting here in my pajama’s… coffee cup at my right hand… next to a notebook of lists of “to do’s”.  Later this afternoon, I will drive to the cities and stay overnight to catch my flight in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow to New York for BEA.

I have not packed.  I have not really done much of anything besides organizing my agenda of events on Wednesday evening.  I have never been less prepared for this trip.  😯

My work week was busy with a capital B.  Yesterday is normally my day off but I had things to prep for while I was gone next week and I thought I would be out by noon and then get a jump on these tasks before me.  Uhhhh…. yeah…. I walked out of work at 4:55 pm, barely making it to the bank in time, in fact they locked the door behind me as I ran in. 

With my hubbies busy schedule as owner of an Excavating company, I take care of all lawn care.  Our lawn takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to mow and I broke a belt on it on Monday.  I got it fixed and on Thursday evening at 8:15 pm (yup… pm) I mowed the front part.  Last night after running to the bank and getting home around 5:15 pm I should have started the back and finished it.  Instead I called my hubby, found out he would not be off the job until around 9 pm, took one look at the lawn, thought about my BEA prep I still needed to do… groceries to buy…. and I called a friend and went out to a quick dinner instead.  😛

I got home around 8:30 pm, and started the back lawn until I could not see… and I will finish later today before I leave.

So today – here is what I need to do:

1. pack

2. finish laundry

3. finish lawn

4. stop at work, one quick email I need to send

5. take bike to friends house who will deliver it to Duluth for me for the MS 150 bike ride next weekend.

6. Pack my bike gear

7.  Fix the deck gate so Sam (newer dog) can not squeeze through while I am away and break my heart)

8.  Grocery shop for hubby while I am away – quick easy fixes

9.  Stop at a couple stores in town – I have a gift card

10.  Get nails done

See – really it is not so bad…. only 10 things!  😀 

Anyhoo…  I do want to post a pic or two fro Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot since I almost forgot it is Saturday…. here is my deck after last weekend hauling out of all things that scream “yes, come and hang out with me at my favorite place to hang in the warm summer time:

(Stop by and add your own pics to Saturday Snapshot as well or just check out what everyone else is up too 🙂 )

Have a super day – and dont worry about me… I actually work well under pressure and have a game plan of when and where I need to be to get it all done and leave here about 4 pm this afternoon.  From the hotel tonight I plan to prep a post or two, and I will be checking in throughout the expo as well so keep stopping by 😀

Morning Meanderings… Audio, A Trip, and Garden Party Wrap Up

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)21 Comments

Good morning!  😀  Hope you all are finding your Friday morning to already be delightful… the sun is actually out here so I am hoping for a lovely day which I need in order to finish our lawn 😀

This will be a rather sporadic post this morning.  I am usually off on Fridays but this next week while I am away is a big one for a kids camp that I usually help with, a big meeting that I normally do the set up for… BEA pushing back one week this year has put me where I am today – going into work to do some more prep work and hopefully I can be done by noon.  I have not packed yet, I want to get my nails done, prep some food for my hubby here, and pack for my bike ride that will take place right after I return from BEA – RIGHT AFTER as in that bag needs to be in my vehicle.  😀

In a completely random side ways conversation… my audio book order came in from bookcloseouts.com… Each of these was around $3.00 each:

YAY!!!  My summer listening is going to be AWESOME!!!

And finally, if you missed out on the garden party here yesterday for our read a long, Secret Garden, you missed some wonderful party conversations!  I, was late to my own party with a heavy schedule yesterday but caught up with all of you at the end and had a chance to chat with each guest so I feel it was a success.  I have not made it around to all the posts yet, but I will – later today. 😀

There were some winners from the Secret Garden read a long and using random.org while I sit my coffee this morning they are as follows:  

Winner of the Secret Garden DVD:

Ryan from Wordsmithonia!!!

 

Winner of the book, Little Lord Fauntlerot, also by Francis Hodgson Burnett:

Faith Hope and Cherry Tea from Tea Room

 

 the garden supplies:

Allie from A Literary Odyssey

 

and the $5 Amazon Gift Card goes to:

Robin from A Fondness For Reading

Winners please email me shipping info (no po boxes!) at journeythroughbooks@gmail.com.  Robin, I will email you your gift card.  😀

There is also a survey going on yesterdays post about what book I am going to offer up next for a June read-a-long, feel free to put your two cents in – I will announce that book and sign up info tomorrow morning.  See you all later – have a gorgeous day!  😀

Morning Meanderings… How Much Is Thay Doggy In The Window?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)35 Comments

 

Good morning!  Another overcast day… but I think the weather is supposed to break today…. *fingers crossed*  AND another day closer to BEA….. I really need to start packing…

You may recall that in April, on the 11 to be exact, my friend Kerri brought along a little friend to book club that night.  Normally I would be alarmed because this guy was REALLY REALLY hairy… and because we are a group of all girls…

however, he also had 4 legs, and was a stray dog, so he was allowed in. 

(Bailey our 13-year-old left.. Sam the “new guy” right)

The deal was that Sam could visit while Kerri looked for a home for him.  She had seen him running around for four days on the roads, all muddy and matted… no tags, no collar.  When she seen him on a hwy that fourth day she put him in her car.  She called all the local and vets and HART our local impound, no one had turned in a missing dog.

When she brought him to our house, I too made calls around….  no one was looking for him.  I took him to the vet and to the groomer.  They believe he is between one and two years old.  The way he loves to play, I think he is closer to that one year mark. 

When I would be on my laptop, Sam (as hubby named him) wasn’t too far away.

 

As time went on, Sam just fit right in. We discovered that he loves to be in windows.  We have a bench in out bedroom in front of a window and Sam loves to climb up in the windowsill and watch the back yard.  In the living room he will get up on hubby’s recliner and then on to the tall coffee table to be in that window.  I can see him when I come home – sitting in the window sill…. waiting.  He doesn’t hurt anything and it is so cute, we let him do it.  Although, I do occasionally refer to him as “cat-dog”

He really is such a good dog.  When I come home he launches himself at me like “I can not even believe you came back!”  We have a five-minute session where I get down to his level so he can jump and tell me how much I was missed.  😀  Everyone needs a friend like that!

Sam has made a wonderful companion for Bailey.  Bailey has been so sad since we lost Elmo last fall… in a way, they think we all have been.  Sam brought a little life back into our home.  😀

As for today:

WORK!  Need to get done here and head in, lots to do with me being gone next week.

Tonight – depending on weather, I would like to go to Group Power and kick boxing but if it is nice, I may ride bike instead.  Later I have to get on the lawn… but that can wait until evening.. 😀

Enjoy your Wednesday!  😀

Morning Meanderings… Rain Rain… Go Away… and other annoyances

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

Our Minnesota weather is starting to annoy me.  😯

A week ago when College Son and I were at the cabin it was nice on Saturday, pouring/storming on Sunday and cold, and then nice on Monday.

Since then it has been rain off and on Tuesday, storms and power outages last Wednesday, Thursday rain all day, Friday overcast and cooler as the day went on, Saturday rain off and on and storms all night long, Sunday rainy in the morning and then suddenly cleared around 1:00 pm enough time for us to make plans to have friends over to grill, set up the deck and have a nice evening… then stormed all night again.

Monday, Memorial day the day started out nice.  I prepped for a picnic we were going on, bringing my baked bean side dish.  By the time we were at the event and ready to eat, it stormed and hailed (luckily we had the option to be inside).  Then the sun came out and I ran a few errands and went to the cemetery.  By the time I got home it stormed again, cleared and stormed again. 

This morning I am in the house with coffee cup grumpily looking at yet another overcast and gloomy day.  I would love to ride my bike a bit before I go to New York and time is ticking down.  I come back from New York and go into a 150 mile bike ride the same day so I really wanted to get in some ride time.

*frustrated*

On a happier note… I am going to BEA and leaving for the cities this coming Saturday evening and flying out Sunday morning.  Suddenly what I have been waiting for FOREVER… is now almost here and I am going through the whole, “What to pack?” “What is their weather like (hopefully better than ours)?”  “Who will I meet?”

Yesterday I posted about what to know when you head to BEA that first time.  I wrote out everything that helped me before I went as well as what I learned myself that would have been helpful to know prior to going.  If you know anyone going to BEA this year for the first time, direct them over… hopefully I can help them feel a little more relaxed going into the wonderful world of books…

Todays agenda:

Work until three (wow it is Tuesday isn’t it?  That bonus day off is going to mess with me all week!)

Pick up some parts for our lawnmower

IF the weather clears I would LOVE to take a bike ride

If weather doesnt clear I may read late afternoon and hit gym later yet

Late night – I am working on posts for this week and trying to prep some posts for while I am away….  does anyone know who heads up the Armchair BEA?  I have an idea….

Morning Meanderings… Sunday Salon

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

Good morning.  I am sitting at my kitchen table looking out on another gloomy rainy windy day.  GAH.  SO much for our weekend plans.  We were going to head to our cabin later this morning with some friends on motorcycles and stay over night and come back later tomorrow since we all have tomorrow off….

however in light of today… and apparently tomorrows forecast… that doesn’t look like it is going to happen.  The only two nice days we had this past week I was too busy to enjoy them… now that I am sitting on oodles of time… the weather is not cooperating.  😯

Our local movie theater is currently under construction while it is being made from Movies 10, to Lakes 12… word on  the street is better seating and concession stand.  I think it opens next weekend but I will not have time then as I am lifting off for BEA.  (SQQUUEEE!!!!)

So enough about the gloom…

here’s something that makes me happy – BOOKS!

Quite the assortment of goodies that came in the mailbox this week… I don’t think I requested The Meryl Streep Movie Club but now that it is in-house it looks interesting…. but I SSQQQUUUEEEDDDD when I seen A Night To Remember in audio.  Thank you Audio Jukebox.  You are my Jukebox Hero (and yes, later there will be a song!)

BUT… that is not all!  You may recall I went to some garage sales on Friday….

YAY right?  I think these will all go to my book shelf to the cabin, which this last weekend when I was there felt it could use some more books.  😀  The top one “Haunted Lakes” is just the type of fun books I like to keep there anyway – I like a good mix of books that anyone can pick up – quite a few about Minnesota, I picked up a couple about birds this week too and forgot to add them here….

Last weekend Justin looked at the three books I brought with me to read.  “Do you have anything less chickie?” he said.  I pointed to the shelf and he found himself a good mystery that he sunk into.  I love that.  😀

So that’s the books in-house this week… I need to go get ready for church and then come home and write-up a couple of reviews while we decide what we will do with our day.  I hope your weekend plans and the weather is cooperating for you…  I can always dig into a book this afternoon.  A few, as usual, are calling my name… and I really need to finish Jane Eyre.  😀

Morning Meanderings… Only In Minnesota

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)55 Comments

Good morning!   Saturday morning here and I am enjoying my coffee this morning and contemplating my day.  We are due for rain today… but currently the skies look they could go either way. 

Last weekend my college son and I took a trip up North to our cabin, I thought for Saturday Snapshots (Hi Alyce!) I would give you a few pics from that trip…

Ship on Lake Superior

 

Duluth, Minnesota

 

The bridge that rises to allow ships through on Lake Superior
The bridge in action!

 

The small town of Finland has a pizza place that was having a sock hop. This we had to see. The population of Finland is 603. Justin (College son) participated in the limbo contest.
Shopping in Ely Minnesota, this is a locally made cereal.

 

From the window of the Blue Fin Bay restaurant in Tofte, Minnesota

 

and just for another little twist of “only in Minnesota”, my friend Heidi and I were hitting a few garage sales yesterday and on our way back from one on a side road, we seen this in the road in front of us:

…as I passed them.

 

Thankfully, before they got to the main highway, they turned off on a dirt road….

 

So a full week of fun events AND my best purchase of the day yesterday was this awesome patio set for $55.00:

SSSQQQQUUUEEEE!!!!

 

Ok…. now you know too much about me….LOL.  For more pics from around the world… stop over to Alyce’s at At Home With Books and check out Saturday Snapshots.

Morning Meanderings… A Real Friday!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

 

Good morning!  😀

I am excited this morning for many reasons…..

1.  It is not raining!  The forecast called for rain all weekend long which is such a downer as it wipes out visions of bike rides, and reading on the deck.

2.  I think I will go to garage sales this morning as that is what I used to do on Fridays and would like to do a bit more of that.  I forgot until I was at the cabin last week that my moose dinner plates, my moose salt and pepper shakers,the books on the shelf, the pictures on the wall, the board games, the fun decorations in the bedrooms from cardinals to greenery were all from garage sales.  I practically put that house together other than furniture, towels and bedding, from garage sales.

3.  I do not work again now until Tuesday!  That could mean so much – a movie, books, writing, biking (if the weather holds), getting prepared for BEA(ooh I could actually start packing!!!)…

4.  The SUN!  It has been gloomy and overcast since last Monday and I like the sun so much better than the gray clouds. 

And hopefully – I can catch up on blogs this weekend too.  It seems like there is just not enough time these days (of course falling asleep last night at 7:45 pm was probably not the most productive use of my time – but it was a crazy week and I think I was exhausted).

How about you – any fascinating plans this weekend?  Share!  😀