Category: Saturday Snapshots

Good morning!

Yesterday I spent my whole day volunteering for our Friends Of The Library Book Sale.  I was really excited to do it having for years been a part of the other side of it… waiting outside for the doors to open, rushing in and working my way through all the people to find just the right books for 50 cents a piece, supporting my local library and supporting my reading habit.  😀

I eagerly started my shift at 8 am, my job at that time was to go through all the books on the tables, add books from the boxes underneath the tables if there was room, and make sure there are no trip hazards.  When the doors opened at 9:00 am and the people started coming in I was surprised to see it was a slow trickle.  My morning started out by offering to take people’s books from them to the front and bag them if they had a huge handful and filling in book gaps to keep all the books standing upright and pretty.  As it became late morning the traffic at the sale became more steady and I found myself having a lot of fun looking for books for people, or subjects, and answering bookish questions.  Here are some of the things that I was asked:

Do you have any books on WWII?  (we did)

 

Where are your books on the Renaissance era?  (nowhere that I knew of)

 

Do you have Jodi Picoult?  (we did)

 

Do you have Stephen King’s The Dome?  (we did not)

 

Where do all the books come from?  (people donate them to friends of the library for the sale)

 

Do you have to read the Sue Grafton Books in order?  IE. A Is For Alibi, B is For Burglar, C Is For Corpse…  (I had never read Grafton but was familiar with the series and told the lady that I did not believe you would have to read them in order as Sue Grafton was now on “W” and I think that would deter new readers if they thought they had to start at “A” and work their way to “W”.  However, I told the woman I would “phone a friend” (I don’t think she got my humor) and ask the ladies at the check out table.  They informed me that while the series has to do with the same Private Investigator Kinsey Milhone,  you did not have to read the books in order.

 

 

There were a few other fun tidbits of information I picked up by walking the books of the sale for 11 hours…

Author who had the most books there:  Danielle Steele (there were boxes and boxes of paperbacks and hardcovers)

 

The book we had the most copies of for sale:  Dan Brown’s The Davinchi Code in hard cover.  There were 10 of them.  I strategically placed them throughout the books hoping to entice someone, I think when I left last night they were still all there. 

 

Author asked for the most?  Stephen King

 

There were 12,000+ books at this sale.

 

For Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot this week,  if you seen my post yesterday morning, I did purchase books at the sale on Thursday:

and yes, you guessed right, there was no way I worked a book sale for 11 hours and walked out with nothing… here are my finds from Friday:

 

The Ella Minnow Pea book was a book mentioned to me by my roommate from BEA this year, Gail from Ticket To Anywhere.  I was fascinated about the book and THRILLED when I found not one, but two copies of it at the sale – both pictured above.  I plan to use this book in a way during my beloved Banned Book Week that will take place September 30 – Oct 6.

When my shift was over at the book sale I was sad to go, I really had a lot of fun talking books with people, answering questions and just being in an environment surrounded by books and bookish people.  😀

Be sure to stop by At Home With Books and see other participants in the Saturday Snapshot meme. 

Have a super day, my hubby and I are looking for a vehicle today, hoping we can do this quickly and painlessly…. and then my Saturday is open and I am glad.  I am a little tired out today and could use a day with a little book time.  😀

Good morning!  😀  I have a brief amount of time here this morning as I type this I am in full bike gear, my bike is loaded on the back of the jeep, I am packed and ready to go out and bike the 150 mile ride this weekend for Camp Benedict.  SO far, the weather is overcast but dry (fingers crossed!) It has called for storms today and we biked last year in storms that first day and well… I really would rather not 😀

 

Last weekend I went to the North Shore and stayed at our cabin with my Cousins wife Rhonda, and friends Belinda and Sheila.  We had wonderful weather and a lot of fun.  We biked the Gitchingama trail and I forgot to take my camera…. yup, left it right on the counter in the cabin kitchen.  Here are a few shots I did get throughout the weekend though:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thats it – I am off, a review up later today and then I will be back tomorrow later afternoon with the review of the book I am taking with me!  😀  Connect with Alyce at At Home With Books for your own Saturday Snapshots, and to see others as well! Have a great weekend you all!  I hope to pop in and see you when I return.

Hi all — I am up North today and the first part of tomorrow… laptop is safely on the kitchen table at home because I have no internet at the cabin so this is a timed post and I am hoping it all worked well and it went live Saturday morning and you are all like “wow… that Sheila, so clever!”  LOL….NOT.

Next week I should have cabin pics for you as I am currently with three good friends and we are biking the Gitchigami trail up by the cabin – yay Rhonda, Sheila, and Belinda!!!

This week however, while mowing I took a couple of pics of the fruit trees in my yard…. first the back story….  in 2001 our home was hit by a tornado.  We lost a good part of our home, our business, and about 40 trees out of our yard.  I am a big time tree lover and the following summer my super great friends of Wal-Mart (Cindy, Heidi, and Sara) all came over, potlucked and each planted two trees for me…. I now have two silver maples, two apple trees and a plum and cherry tree.

Today features one of the apple trees we planted in 2002:

and the plum tree:

I am a huge memory person, LOVE things that have special meaning and surround myself with just that.  These trees and their yearly produce reminds me that even in the worst of events…. life does go on, and friends are always there to lend a helping hand. 🙂

I post these pics for the Saturday Snapshot Meme by Alyce at At Home With Books.  Pop in and see what everyone else is taking pictures of 🙂

See you tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon. 😀

Good morning!  Another gorgeous day here in Minnesota and I am excited to get out in it!  😀  This past seven days have been a whirlwind of activity and if you have been around at all this past week you have heard some of this but I thought for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot I would give you a peek into my “Seven Days Of Past” so you can see why I have not popped into blogs or had much of an online presence….

Last Thursday – Saturday evening I went to our cabin up North with my friend Heidi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I went to The Minnesota State Fair Grounds on Sunday and met my college son Justin and a few friends and we participated in the color run. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I came home and we had a family get together to hang out with Brad, Navy son who was going back to the Navy. 

On Monday, we rescued and adopted  an abused puppy…. meet Mater, 18 weeks old, part Basset Hound and part Beagle.

 

 

Tuesday I was in an 12 hour meeting… no kidding, 9:30 am – 9:30 pm.

Wednesday I worked, had a meeting, and it was my anniversary!

Thursday – first day I have had nothing in the evening in over a week….. hung out at home with the pups.  😀

Friday garage sales, lawn mowing, an open house, and finally at 8 pm…. home.

Today – I need to do some shopping for tomorrows picnic for 300, help out at IHN tonight (working with the homeless)

Sunday – church picnic and tear down of IHN and move to the next church.  I hope to be completely done with all tasks and commitments by 3 pm.

And that…. Sunday afternoon, will end my craziness for a while *whew*  😀

 

For other fun pictures and happenings, be sure to go check out Alyce’s Saturday Snapshots post.  Always a good time!

 

 

Good morning!  It is Saturday!  😀  Tomorrow I have a 50 mile bike ride in St Joseph MN, a beautiful area to ride bike in and going with my friend Amy so this will be a wonderful time.  The weather should be descent, looks like it could hit 90 tomorrow but partly cloudy so that should help.  Last year we biked this ride and it was over 100 degrees and not a cloud in the sky…. it was a HOT ride….LOL

For my Saturday snapshot today I thought I would post a few pics of Sam, the stray dog we adopted in April.  He is soooo fabulous and quirky…

 

 

 

 

SO that is Sam.  Stop by and see Alyce at At Home With Books for Saturday Snapshot and see what everyone else has been taking pictures of!  😀 I am off to have my bike checked out for tomorrows ride and then a bike ride to get warmed up for tomorrow.  I will be back later as I am behind on a couple posts I need to write up (the survey one and the April, May, June, recap) as well as three reviews.  These are my goals for today…. oh, and a little reading too 😀

 

Good Morning!  I feel like I woke up fuzzy… and that’s not a good way to start the day.  ANOTHER gloomy day here in central Minnesota, yesterday was gorgeous and I read a little outside and went on a bike ride, but today calls for rain… again. 

ON happier notes, I am participating in Judith from Leeswammes’ Literary Blog Hop from today through the 23rd.  I am giving away a book of choice valued up to $20, so please check it out!  😀

On Monday I will be participating in Jen from Devourer of Books Audio Book Week and I am super excited for that too… I have many audio reviews and giveaways so make a note… it is going to be a good week 😀

Ok and finally – because of the grog fog… (I need coffee…), I will end this morning with my typical Saturday Snapshot hosted by Alyce from At Home With Books. 

 

 

Every year when I go to Honduras, in front of this one store I see these two gentleman playing their music.  I am pretty sure the man on the left is the same every year. 

They really are something to watch.

I have a little snippet of video so you can hear them too:

That’s my morning post.  I am continuing to read Wife 22 today and will be starting Prophesy Of The Sisters on audio as well.

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.  😀

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.  😀