Good morning!  How ya’all doin’ today?

I have COFFEE CUP in hand, sitting at my kitchen table listening to the quiet of outside.  It is hazy, but not raining…

yet.

I am hoping it will clear so I can at least get a good jump-start on the lawn as tonight my late afternoon and evening are clear. 

Backing up here, if you have been following my morning meanderings as of late, Sunday I went into a deep spring cleaning mode.  I had my audio playing and I opened up the windows and started at one end of the house and worked my way through to the other – and in my kitchen… in the back of the potato bin I found this:

Yup.  Disgusting isn’t it?  At first I was appalled…. I mean GROSS! (I am an 80’s girl and yes I do occasionally say GROSS).  Then as I examined it more… I felt like one of those people who see figures in potato chips, or I think once someone found an image in their salad…

So… with a little help from Picnik:

I think it looks like Bob Marley and all day yesterday I called it “Potato Marley”.  (Yes, I name just about everything).  Then last night on Facebook my friend Joelle said it looked more like the Chiquita Banana Lady in need of tweezers for that chin hair.   And yeah, I can see that too.  😛

Ok…. enough of the spud humor.  It has lost its appeal to me…. (get it?  A Peal?  :razz:)  Ok…seriously – I am done now.

Tonight The Bookies (my book club) are reviewing ROOM by Emma Donoghue.  I read this book last fall and I am so excited to hear what they thought of it.  We are planning food around the book and I have the lamest BEST idea for a main dish that came to me one evening and I thought that just might work.  I can’t wait!  Tomorrow I will post the Bookies thoughts on ROOM as well as our food ideas to go with this review. 

Have a super fab day!  I am off to get ready for work!

Good Morning! 

I am actually in my kitchen looking out my window on to a day that looks to me like is going to be a nice one.  I am almost afraid to blink in case it is all an illusion. 

Yesterday morning I was in the jeep by 4:30 am on my way to Maplewood Minnesota for the MS ride that started at 7:30 am.  When I left it was pitch black so I was unable to see the condition of the sky…. the weather called for thunderstorms and rain but I was hoping it would hold off until later afternoon, after the ride.

As morning began to break across the sky I was excited to see clear skies and when the sun came up it was an amazing sight to see.  (Absence really does make the heart grow fonder!)

At the start of the ride (800 riders at this event) I left all the rain gear in the jeep and rode my bike with my bike shirt and a light jacket, which a few miles in – the jacket was around my waist as it was already too warm for it.  It was an amazing ride.  Gorgeous day and my only regret was my commitment back at home for 6 pm.  If I had not had that I would have rode the 60 mile loop instead of the 30.  I was nervous if I did the 60 if I would have enough time to drive home (2 1/2 hours), get cleaned up and to the event by 6 pm. 

On my way home I text Al to tell him that I had finished the ride and was coming home to start mowing the lawn.  He text back and said, “No mowing here today, it is raining.”

*sigh*  Of course it is.

Well, as least I got out of it for a day, put another 30 miles on my bike bringing my biking total miles  for 2011 up to 66.  My bike also just turned over 1300 miles total as we finished the ride so I am super pumped about that – I will have had this bike for 2 years in June.  😀

Today looks great too and I have a lot of plans today.  After brunch with my hubby, I am hoping to get a jump on the lawn. do a little spring cleaning, and tonight Floor Hockey.

Everyone have a wonderful wonderful Mother’s Day!   For those who will not have their children around them today *hugs* to you.  Mine will not be home either.  Justin is working in Mankato and Brad is in the Navy in Florida. 

By the time most of you are reading this I will be on the road (4:30 am) heading to Maplewood Minnesota about two and a half hours away to ride in the MS bike ride with several of my friends. 

As I left here was the forcast:

Today 63° | 41°

Sunday 63° | 47°

Monday 63° | 49°

Tuesday 65° | 49°

Wednesday 63° | 47°

So why why why am I going?  Great question… the weather has been so annoying this year and I already missed out on last weekends ride due to rain and cold.  The bummer is that the rest of the team riding all live in the cities area… I am the only one coming from Brainerd and the drive is half the battle. 

I have to be back by 5:00 pm tonight so I need to make great time, driving, biking, driving again. 

It has been several weeks since I have been able to participate in Alyce’s Snapshop Saturday but yay for current and upcoming events that provide me with pictures!  😀

So that’s me… I am out!  Have an awesome Saturday and if it is raining and you are not bike riding 😉  you should definitely enjoy a little reading.  😛

Good morning.  I am a little later than usual this morning.  I stayed up too late watching episodes of Amazing race 2.  I just received it in the mail a couple of days ago and I wanted it as one of the couple that were in season 2 live here in Brainerd Minnesota.  I think season 2 was about 8 or 9 years ago and hubby and I caught a couple of episodes at that time just to see these people we knew.  I don’t know why I decided I wanted to own, thought it would be fun to watch it from the beginning and it is, it is also really funny to see how far Amazing Race has come (currently on season 18 I think…..).  The camera work is poor, the rules are less strict, and the challenges they have to perform are nowhere near as wild as they are on current seasons.

Anyway… that’s why I am running about an hour later than usual and looking at the sunny start to the day – I am thrilled, as it was supposed to be another day of rain.  (If we can only keep this weather through tomorrow afternoon!)

My College Son turned 21 this past Monday.  Our kids always had a running joke that the day before any big event, earned an “Eve” (like Christmas Eve)… so on Sunday we were all on Facebook saying happy Justin’ Eve!  😛

Sitting here this morning…. not quite fully awake (first cup of coffee), I have a notebook next to me checking off what I need to do today, and what the weekend is looking like.  It is a whirlwind of activity.

Today I need to prep for tomorrows bike ride.  I need to be in Maplewood by 7:30 am.  Last year I went up the night before but this year… I just don’t want to.  Hubby thinks that’s crazy but last year was paying for a hotel room just to sleep and then out early in the a.m. to go to the starting area a few blocks away.  A waste of time and money.  And today is a full day –

Bike prep, mow the lawn (yes -first time… I think it is time), a bike ride, errands around town, clean house, tonight I want to kick box at 5:30 and then evening with my hubby.  Looks like I need to leave her at 4:00 a.m. 

😯

So Saturday ride – get back to Brainerd and help out with Child dedications at 6:00 pm for work (of and I need to look nice for that so if I have been in the rain all day + helmet head…. yeah…. ) 

and Sunday is Mother’s Day – I plan to be working on my house a lot on Sunday which probably does not sound like a great way to spend Mothers Day but I am actually excited about it.  I have not done a good spring cleaning yet as well… no spring 😉  And we have people coming over Monday night so that always motivates me to give the house a little extra attention.  😀

Ok final note since I have not done this yet…… May comment winners (Thank you everyone – I really do enjoy chatting books with all of you!!!) 

Top commenter and $20 Amazon Card Winner:  Hannah from Wordlily

Random comment winner of choice of books out of the Reading Cafe: Julie from Reading Without Restraints!

And we are back to rain.  😦 

I mean, Good Morning.  😀

But yeah.. I am at the kitchen table this morning with COFFEE CUP looking out the window hoping I do not develop frown lines.

Seriously.

I have been watching the weather all week feeling pretty good about my bike ride I have in the cities this Saturday…. it looked to be about 62 and partly cloudy…. I can deal with that.  Yet now, I look at that same forecast and now it shows that Saturday will be 62 and showers.  GAH.  Double GAH.  That’s right.  GAH  GAH.

In light of the recent news of Bin Ladin’s death, I pulled a book off my shelf that I found at a book sale a couple of years back.  I read part of it back then, found it interesting,but for whatever reason I shelved it.  The book is Inside The Kingdom (My Life In Saudi Arabia) by Carmen Bin Ladin.  She is Bin Ladin’s sister-in-law.  I think I will look through it at some point here.

Are you reading any books that has have triggered by this recent event?  Why do we (or I in this case) do that?  Is it to feel a connection?

In other closer to home news…. while the bike and the roller blades are safe and dry… I have happily had two Group Power sessions at the YMCA this week and two kick boxing sessions.  If feels so great to be back after missing two weeks.  Last night in kick boxing we did what they call stations where ever two minutes you go to a different person and practice a different move.  When I wore the mits (not the gloves) I was the 1 x 4 station.  Every girl who came to me had to punch the mits once with each hand, then twice, three times then four, then they had their choice to do three knees (where I push down on their knee as they punch it up like they are going to knee me in the stomach, or they could do kicks – where I lift the mits high, one behind the other to my side and they kick three times.  My point of sharing all of this in great detail is that they joked that being at this station I would be pretty sore today as well everyone was punching and kicking at me…

the whole point of sharing this is…

I feel great…. not sore at all.

Oh so good to be back 😛

In reading… I feel like I have been reading the same book and listening to the same audio forever.  I am finishing up the long long overdue Wordshaker read :  The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg and really enjoyed the read.  I have The Hobbit going in the car which is close to done and The Painted Veil in the IPOD which I am so surprised how wonderful this is and can not wait to share this with you.  I have a feeling several reviews are going to burst onto the scene shortly as all of these come to a happy and fulfilling end.  😀

Good morning.  I am up a little earlier than usual as my two dogs (who apparently OWN me) decided it was time to get up and go outside at 5:45 a.m. as opposed to their usual 6:30 a.m.  I shuffled to the back deck to let them out…. and immediately through slitted eyes searched for the coffee pot. 

On Monday evening I went to my first Friends Of The Library meeting.  This has been a “long time coming” process.  Every year at the annual book sales I see their flyers looking for people to join them.  They are the group that organizes events at the library, Book In A Bag (that is a 10 copies of a popular book to be checked out for book clubs), author events, speakers, etc….

I always thought if I say I love my library as much as I do…. why am I not a part of this.  Well…really there is only one reason…

I love being a part of the excitement of waiting in line for the Library Sale.  Seriously.  Remember my post last fall about the sale?  I have a blast trying to be first in line…. talking with the people outside, waiting excitedly to go in and load my bags with books…..

but here I am…. now a Friend of The Library.

The first meeting for me was interesting.  It was going over the summer plans for the library, which of us would take turns hosting the author events, how much money was in the friend’s account”, the dates for the fall library sale (THE DATES FOR THE FALL LIBRARY SALE!!!), laws being passed, funding for the library…. 

My hubby text me when I was gone  saying *are you almost done with the meeting?  Waiting to eat dinner with you.” and I text back….. “It’s not over yet and it is so interesting.*

Right now I don’t know my role in the group and that was a bit hard for me.  I like to know my purpose.  I figure maybe I am just over eager to get involved and so I stayed quiet except for a couple of discussions and figure I will see how it goes this summer.  I signed up to help with an author event in July and there are a few I would like to attend as well so I figure if I make myself present….. maybe they will see I am committed.  😀

On another completely random note…. (I do like randomness….) I had a review published in our Her Voice magazine which is kind of exciting.  This one was a specific review they asked me to write for the author, however they have asked if I would do a holiday themed review for their winter edition that would appeal to women (my choice SQQQUUEEE!!!) , copyright due in September.  I am so excited about this and you can believe I will have my eyes open at BEA for just the book…..  (I am also open to suggestions here :D)

My Her Voice article on the book Pain To Peace by Pat Bluth (I am page 46… I could not link to the exact page)

Have an awesome day everyone.  I am working then going to group power, then kickboxing tonight.  I have a pretty full day which bums me out a little as I see the sun is out and it is calling me to get on my bike….. but maybe tomorrow….

Good morning!  😀  I feel good.  Really good.  The sun is out (odd but true!) and I am sitting at my kitchen table with scrambled egg whites and spinach and of course…. COFFEE CUP. 

It’s very…

zen like.

First words out of my mouth this morning when I woke up:  “train wreck”. 

That is the way my body felt getting up…. my arms ache, my legs ache, my back is tight (not hurt!) just tight, I can feel my calves stretch and pull and it feels WONDERFUL. 

Yesterday I took the morning Group Power class and yesterday late afternoon I took the kick boxing class.  Both for the first time in two weeks since I hurt my back and recovered.  It just feels so good to feel my muscles saying “WHA????????  I thought we were done with that!”

After work today I am either on biking or blading…. the weather looks good and I can not miss out on a good day when it looks like it will turn back to rain the following two days…. *sigh*  and of course hoping so much for a nice Saturday for the MS bike ride.  I can not easily say no to this one as this is a team ride.

What are you doing as spring has inched its way around the world….  are you a garden person (I wish I was more of one!), a flower child?  A runner, a biker, a relax on the deck with a stack of books and a LARGE ice tea person (oooh I like that one!), a spring cleaner, a bird watcher….

I am curious what you do when the weather turns nice.  😛

Good morning!  I got up too late yesterday morning to do a morning meandering post before I had my class.  This morning I am trying to be pro active and get this one done early 😀

I was supposed to be on the first Minnesota bike ride of the year today in Lakeville Minnesota but funky weather made me cancel out.  I know… I just honestly did not want to ride in the rain.  If the weather does turn out to be nice today I am going to ride the Brainerd trail instead. 

I have another one next Saturday – hopefully the weather is better.

And now… here we are in May.  MAY.  Can you believe it?

I think it was a fairly good month for reading… lets recap…

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

The Priest’s Graveyard by Ted Dekker

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Heart Of Deception by M L Malcolm

The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark

Sunday At Tiffany’s by James Patterson

Open House by Elizabeth Berg

Little Princes by Conor Grennan

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Massacre At Mountain Meadows

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

The Lost Girls by Jennifer, Holly, and Amanda

Where She Went By Gayle Forman

What Good Is God by Philip Yancey

My 2011 Where Are You Reading map is advancing right along and I am having so much fun with it!

I will cover more May stuff tomorrow…. and April comment winners as well 😀

Rollerblading miles:  18

 Biking miles:  15

Ok… you may not believe me but I really have been up for hours.  AND I really did set out right away this morning to write something for this post and then get on with my day…. but here is the way it went down….

6:30 am – UP!

6:45 am – flip switch on kitchen audio and start coffee maker.  Had fallen asleep early last night so had not cleaned up dishes so decided to do that….audio is good anyway. 

7:00 am:  1st cup of coffee “ahhhhh” and decided to go and work on getting laundry moving…. washer to dryer, dryer to upstairs, fold fold fold – put away…. did I mention the audio is good?

7:15 am:  2nd cup of coffee “ahhhhhh” and “…. I think I want oatmeal.

7:30 am: sit down and open up email.  Sheesh…. I was not on at all yesterday and in box looks like a disaster! Pick through the ones that are delete without opening – you know the ones – advertisements…. forwarded jokes….

7:45 am:  3rd and 4th cups of coffee…..  “ahhhhhhh….fully awake now” and oooh my Shelf Awareness email *read read read* – Huh?  What’s this?  The new Harry Potter trailer for the July movie…… *click*

8:00 am:  After having watched trailer twice, I am a little teary eyed.  Why?  It is the end of an era…. it is a bit of history that those who lived it – waiting for the books – waiting for the movies – will never be able to recapture that first time feeling for the next generation…. it is…. it is….

a blog post.

8:15 am – 9:30 am:  Harry Potter – My Story.  A blog post coming up later today.  Had to write it while I felt it.  😀

There it is.  😀

I will be back later with that post and again later after that when my CLOAKED review and giveaway go live for the Fairytale Fortnight event.

As for current life happenings…. yesterday I rollerbladed 2nd time this week with Wendy = awesomeness.  I am meeting her at noon for my first group power class since the back pain an I am a little cautious but ready.  After that I hope to get in a bike ride as today appears to be a gorgeous day (weird weird Minnesota – snow to sun, all in the same week).  Later I am helping set up for a class and then attending that class so will not be home until later tonight.  GAH.

Oh – and for giggles… and for myself too…. I thought I would keep a running total for the summer of where I am working out….

SO…

Rollerblading (twice this week) total:  18 miles

  Biking (only had Al’s bike out so far but hope to change that later today):  3 miles

Good morning fellow book lovers and people who just enjoy reading about someone who makes their live feel…. well…

normal.  😛

This is a late post this morning as honestly…. I wrote this, left the house… and forgot to hit “publish”  😳

Little more coffee this morning Sheila?  Hmmmmm???

I  have an eye on the weather – it was snowing yesterday afternoon but I am relaly trying hard to NOT acknowledge that as today the sun is peeking out and I am hoping to Rollerblade this afternoon.

Here is what I want to leave you with today as I think this video can be an encouragement to all of us….  no matter where we are in life – we will fall… but know that we can get back up and finish our own race strong.  Attitude… perseverance….

Hmmm….. Makes me want to get outside.

Have an awesome day everyone – my review of Where She Went by Gayle Forman is up in a few hours here.  I think it is worth a stop back 😀