Category: Saturday Snapshots

 

A quiet Saturday!  Just what I wanted and needed!  A day to catch up on some reading, a little bit of working out and a couple of reviews. 

Isn’t it weird what a difference a week can make?  Last week at this time I was exhausted and at a Women’s Retreat… which really sounds like an oxymoron right?  I mean the words “women’s retreat” brings up visions of relaxation and down time and girl chats….

and it was all that – but I went into it wrong.  I had a hugely busy week last week and by the time I arrived at the women’s retreat on Friday evening, stick a fork in me… I was done.  😯

Don’t get me wrong – it was a lovely time.. I was just tired.  I had a chance to chat with some friends and make a few new ones.

 

 

 

 

All in all the retreat was fun!  We ended the second night with a purse action.  Throughout the retreat you could earn “dollars” to bid on purses.  I did not win a purse but t was a lot of fun to watch people go a little crazy over the purses! 

These pics are my contribution to the fabulous Alyce’s Saturday Snapshots.  Pop over and see what others have taken pictures of.  😀

Have a fab morning – I am going to make an egg white omelet while listening to the end of an audio book.  Later I am back with my February recap and possibly later yet (to get myself on track) a review. 

 

 

Good morning!  😀  It has been three weeks since Al has been mostly away on a job but today he will be returning home.  I found out a couple of days ago while texting him while I was going in the local library… it went like this:

Me:  How’s the job going?

Al:  Possibly done tomorrow then start moving equipment out on Saturday.

Me:  ok

Al:  Just ok?

Me:  I am in the library I have to be quiet 😛

Al:  K

Me:  Are you in a library too?

Al:  Ha ha

Me:  Woo Hoo!

Al:  That’s better.

 

Here is what I have for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot today…

Earlier this week I mentioned I had an awards event to go to…  I even gave you a hint…

What I went to was the Annual Kidventure Awards at our church.  This is a night to honor those who have volunteered in the past year.  We were encouraged to wear either red, yellow, or orange…. a trip to our local Good Will in December helped me find what I was planning…

It was a lot of fun, about 60 people were there and when they voted for best dressed… I took best female and Craig (dressed in a one piece long john thing) won best dressed for the men.  Oh the things I do….LOL

Today I have a baby shower this morning and a lunch date with a friend.  This afternoon I hope to get in a little reading time, it’s been lacking this week.  Late afternoon, Al should be home.  😀

Happy Saturday all! 

I love days that are wide open and this one is…. well not completely, I do have a couple of commitments this morning but as I get into the afternoon it is a get out of whatever free card!  😀  I will not have to leave my house…unless I want to…. I can read or write or bake, or work out, or watch a movie… or all of the above! 

For Saturday Snapshot today (*waves at Alyce*) I thought I would take you inside my book room….its been awhile since I have posted pictures of it and the space has quite a history…

 

 

 

 

The History:

• Originally growing up this was two bedrooms – one was mine, one was my great grandmothers
• in 1996, after I inherited the home, the two bedrooms were mine and Al’s and our son Justin’s
• After we remodeled and finished the basement off the two bedrooms became our son Brad’s and a spare room
• In 2001 we took out the wall between the rooms, remodeled it and became our home office
• In 2006 we moved our office down to our business and this room… became my library 😀

The Books:

• Personal collections (upper shelf around the ceiling)
• Books purchased at book stores
• Books from Library sales
• Books given to me as gifts
• Books picked up at estate sales (hello original Nancy Drew hard covers!)
• ARCS
• Books I have won

They are about 50% read. 

Stop over to Alyce’s At Home With Books and see others posting for Saturday Snapshot. 

I would love to hear where you keep your books!  I think it is fascinating how we collect them and how we store them!  😀

Good morning!  SATURDAY!!!!  Did you know this is my favorite day of the week?  I love Saturdays, they are days that only have things “to do” in them (usually) that I put there… not put there for me :D.  Today is one of those Saturdays.  I am going to go help a friend this morning and then hit the gym for Zumba after that. 

Then I think I will be home.  I would love to do a little reading… and little writing. 

For Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot I thought I would post some old pics’.  Don’t you love old pictures?  I always look at them in awe when I think how much photography has changed in just a couple of generations…. we can do so much with a picture now…

 

 

 

Neither of the pictures have dates on them but my mom was born in 1948 so I am guessing the top pic has to be the early 50’s and the lower pic as my Aunt Jackie is older than my mom would have to be mid to late 40’s.

That’s it for this morning… working on a review for this afternoon. 😀

Good morning.  Still under the weather here… a little sniffly and a little sneezy (that sounds like two dwarfs!) still, but moving forward.  That said, it did not stop me from putting a baseball cap on my head, throwing on tennis shoes and a sweatshirt over my t shirt and sleep pants and taking a drive down the road to capture some pictures this morning for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot.

Just down the road from where I live is The old Brainerd State Hospital.  Once a flourishing environment of 22 large buildings and many State jobs, the hospital opened in 1958 and was able to house as many as 1,500 patients.  In fact, in 1981, my first job was there, I worked in building 16 one summer as an activity assistant.  I wasn’t old enough to drive then, but I road my bike to and from, Monday through Friday.  Being a state job, it was the best pay scale I had for many years to come.

 

As Health Treatment philosophy changed in the later 1980’s the patient load declined rapidly until as of the last few years, the only buildings being used are 20,21, and 22.  Last month they began to demo the other buildings. 

I have lived in this home for the most part, since I was 3 years old.  The State Hospital, besides a job – holds many memories for me.  My cousins and I used to ride our bikes through the roadways within the property from the ages of 8 to 14. 

This morning… I grabbed up my camera and took these pictures:

 

 

It is the end of an era.

Today I plan to lay low and recover.  I have a book to read this morning, and a few of us from my book club are going to go to the afternoon showing of One For The Money, based off the book by Janet Evanovich. 

Good morning!  It’s been awhile but today is a true day off!  Meaning…. no big “to do’s” other than the things I chose to do 😀  And that – is exciting. 

My plan today is stay curled up in this blanket for the next 30 to 45 minutes and write this post here… and one for Team Kickin It as well.  Then I am going to get ready to go to a Zumba Class with my friend Amanda. 

After that I need to pick up some dinner items as we are having a special dinner tonight for Navy son as this is his last night here before he goes back to Florida tomorrow.  I know he is sad to go back, but I am thinking he has to miss the nicer weather.  (Minnesota has become COLD!) 

I also want to pick up a couple of movies on books I have finished recently – Winter Bone and Into The Wild.  Tonight… I may just movie up… I haven’t watched a movie in quite a while.

I do have a few pics to post today from the last week for Saturday Snapshots from Alyce’s Home With Books. 

Last weekend was the first time the four of us were all together since Christmas 2010.  Brad’s  schedule has been crazy since he has been home, visiting friends, catching up, and during the week days helping at the Recruiting Office.  We had Christmas with Brad and then all went out to dinner. 

Then… on Thursday of this week my four female cousins and I went out to dinner.  My cousin Cheryl started putting this together and it is nice as we didn’t even hang out like this when we were kids. 

It was an awful picture…LOL, but we will work on it.  We have plans in March so hopefully we will not all be lined up against a wall in a diner… 😛  I really wanted to capture a pic of us all together because it is rare, and I know how important pictures can be.

Have a great day!  I am off to get ready for the gym!  Zumba here I come!!!

Note to Alyce:  I am not sure if my comments are showing up at At Home With Books.  I commented yesterday on your I’m Back post and today on the Saturday Snapshot one as well.  🙂  When I comment it takes me to a blank page.

Good morning!  Cranking out a post this morning before I head to a meeting…

basically… it has been a week.

Monday was run run run from work, to work out, to pick up diner, to group… home at 8:30 pm

Tuesday was Book Club at my house – so work, grocery shop, cook, clean, BOOKIES!!!, a little bra burning, and house empty at 9 pm

Wednesday Bailey had surgery for a sore he had on his back side…. work, surgery, stayed late at work, volunteer with students, home at 8:30 pm

Thursday was Navy son’s dinner request so work, grocery shop, home, cook, have fun chatting it up with Brad (Navy Son) and Andy (best friend also in Navy) and everyone left to go visit friends at 7:30 pm and I promptly fell asleep on the couch within minutes of everyone gone. 😛

Friday – DAY OFF!!!!  Worked the morning catching up on writing reviews, blog visiting, writing… then went to work out with friends (only the second time to gym this week!), then to help with a concert for the homeless in our community.  Home at 8:45 pm

And now it is Saturday.  I am helping with a meeting this morning that is from 10 – 11:30 am.  Then I need to run a few errands, then chill at home a bit, tonight College Son will be here too and we are having Christmas with Brad since he was not here for it, going out to dinner and then Brad is heading out-of-town to visit with friends in ST Cloud for the night. 

Whew.  What a week!  😀

And for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshots, I do have a few random pics of the week…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok… I am out of here for a while but back later with a review.  I am currently reading The Future Of Us and it is getting GOOD!

Good Morning!  How is everyone doing this last day of 2011?

I stayed up WAY too late… I think I went to bed about 1:30 a.m.  I have been reading our January book club pick, Henry’s Sisters… and honestly – I can’t seem to put it down!  I am really excited for this review! 

BUT – put it down I must because it is tradition around here that the first book of the year is a big deal – and every January 1 I finish a book I have been planning and hope it is wonderful to kick off the New Year!  (That book will be revealed tomorrow)

In the meantime, I thought I would post a few of our pics from last weekend for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot meme.

 

 

 

 

 

Brad, (Navy Son) will be here this next weekend (WWWOOOOO HOOOOO!!!) for a couple of weeks.  Our little Christmas tree will remain up so we can do Christmas with him once he gets here… we are thinking maybe next Sunday and hopefully Justin can come back for this too 🙂

 

One more picture…

 

I will probably have three posts today… I need to put up my WHERE Are You Reading map finals for 2011 and I have so many reviews piling up due to my posting about other things… like challenges, and recaps, and “best of’s”…. 😛

Good morning!  Happy Saturday. 😀
Last night I was at an Ugly Sweater party with Al.  We go to this party every year.  It is just a gathering of friends, good food and good conversation.. 

Usually I have a great picture to show you – but this time, it was not until after we left that I realized that no pictures had been taken.  I know, I know… I am usually so on this, but I think after a day of looking for a great sweater (KOHLS, Walmart, Bargains On 7th, and finally Good Will) I came up with nothing… I heard that recently there was a big Ugly Sweater gathering at the Casino and the top prize was $10,000 so I am guessing that all ugly sweaters had been taken.

So I came home and dug through a tote of sweaters I have in the spare room that I no longer wear and came up with a dark green kind of stretched out one and wore that.  Al wore the same one he wore last year. 

For Saturday Snapshots, here are the two previous years sweaters:

Looking at these past two years I am a little bummed this year was not captured.  Hopefully I will make up for it next year.  😀

As for this Saturday… I have several books that are partially read that I hope to get a grip on finishing.  I also have a couple of reviews that I have been meaning to write for days and just have not found the time. 

What does your Saturday look like?  Any good books being read?  Any fun events?

Good morning!

Kick off to the weekend!  Last night I got together with a few friends and we crafted ornaments.  I did not get a whole lot done but this is what I did accomplish:

We only crafted for a couple of hours so I guess this accomplishment isn’t bad… but really the get together is always more about this:

That is my contribution to this weeks Saturday Snapshots.  Stop on over to see Alyce and At Home With Books to see what everyone else has been up to this week in pictures.  😀

As for today… this morning I have a breakfast brunch I am attending for a group of volunteers I work with.  I am making and taking an Almond Pear French Toast casserole which – if it as yummy as it sounds, will grace this blog later today.  😀

Later I am hoping to do a bit more blog maintenance, and some reading of the several books I have going….

How about you – what adventures do you have planned for today?