Category: Sunday Salon

Good morning!  Welcome to Sunday.  Because we are in a cold weather warning I took care of all of my running yesterday.  I went to church last night, and have left today open in case it was hard to go anywhere.  The Governor of Minnesota closed the schools state-wide for this Monday, the first time that has happened since 1997.  While yes it is cold, it does not seem (at least at this time) to be as cold as they were anticipating.  I think they were expecting wind chills and maybe that is still to come but as of right now… its pretty mellow out there.

So here is my Sunday update:

Time:  8:51 am

Place:  That awesome recliner in the living room. I ♥ the recliner.

Food or drink:  I am having a mocha espresso right now, not as tasty as I had hoped.  Will be having plain old coffee soon. 🙂

Reading: Flowers In The Attic (page 97), not reading as quickly as I had hoped but then again, really haven’t been home much this week to read. 😀  Also had started Reconstructing Amelia which I put down for the first book of the year (FITA) but hope to get back to that one if not today, then tomorrow.

Watching:  We found the first half of Season 4 Walking Dead on tv and we (hubby and I) are super stoked as we have watched all the three previous seasons on DVD and have been hoping to find the first half of season 4 before the second half starts on February 9th.

Cooking:  Not sure yet.  Navy Son is coming over for dinner tonight.  I want it to be tasty but not a lot of work.  I think I went soup or chili the last two times he was here so I am trying to get “out of the bowl”

Whats Ahead:  A pretty full week actually.  Today I am invited to an open house at a friend’s home.  I am hoping to make an appearance.  Tomorrow morning (Monday) the Friends of the Library are meeting to take down the Christmas decorations at the library and then have our monthly meeting.  Wednesday we are working with the students again after the holiday break.  Thursday I have dinner plans with my cousins.  Friday I am going to meet up with a group of friends for dinner.  Saturday we (me and three friends) leave for Fargo where we will be seeing PINK in concert that night, staying over night and coming home on Sunday.  Yup…. bust week 😀

So that is what is happening here 😀  Whats on your agenda for today and the upcoming week?

Brainerd, MN

Sunday 8:00 AM

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Happy Sunday!  I have about 45 minutes before I get ready for church but enjoy doing this Sunday post so here we go. 😀

Time:  8:15 am

Place:  That recliner I love so much in the living room

Eating/Drinking:  a mocha coffee in the Tossimo coffee pot.  No food yet…

Reading:  Starting Platform 21 by T R Patrick

Listening to:  Array of awesomeness…. Red Hill by Jamie McGuire (you will see why below) and Parkland by Vincent Bugliosi (listening to this one in the car and it is powerful!)

Blogging:  Like a mad woman.  I suddenly realized that due to my “hiatus” earlier this year I may not finish my reading goal of 100 books this year.  I have many books I have read but nor reviewed yet… I know it is not a big deal… just the competitor in me. 😛

Anticipating:  Coming home this afternoon, I am making homemade caramels and want to document it for my :Weekend Cooking” post yes, with recipe 😀

Hating:  That the weekend is almost over.  I could use another day or two… it has been awesome. 

Loving:  That both boys will be home for Christmas this year and unlike Thanksgiving, we will not have to run around but instead just hang out here surrounded by good food, movies and board games.  😀

In other news, I found a few interesting reads while I was blog reading this week.  Normally I post these earlier in the week but every day I had something to chat about and did not do it… so here it is now:

Carrie over at Books and Movies posted this review of Red Hill and I was instantly engaged… so much so, it is what I am listening to now.

Girl XOXO had a new title to me, Snow White Must Die.  It sounds interesting.

Book’d Out posted about The Recipe Box which sounds like my kind of read.

Lakeside Musings post on Tell The Wolves I Am Home and I am for sure going to read this one!

That’s it.  Hope your day is wonderful. 😀  Are you doing anything fun today?  Decorating?  Shopping?  Baking?  Curled up with a book or audio?

Good Morning!  I have not put together one of these posts in a while but each week I admire the way at Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness writes up her Sunday post so thought I would take a bit of direction from her.

Time:  8:33 am

Place:  The comfy recliner in our living room with my favorite blanket

Consuming:  So far just coffee but an egg white omelet is calling my name

Watching:  I am deeply involved (ADDICTED!) to The Walking Dead.  I know.. I know… I never dreamed I would like such a show.  My friends have raved about it to the point that I picked up the first three seasons on the Thanksgiving weekend sales.  Now, half way through season two.. I have to say it is keeping me up at night watching.

Reading:  ugh… I am just starting a book, All That You Could Ask For, that I meant to start yesterday but time did not allow.  What I should be reading is our book club book that we will discuss on Tuesday.

Listening to… an array of “OK” audio.  The new Ann Rule in my car just did not engage me, and while Killing Jesus is interesting (wow… does that sounds wrong…) I am not finding myself as fully invested as I was in Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln and I think I know why.  It will make for an interesting review.

Making:  Today I need to create something for Book Club.  We decided this year our gift exchange would be homemade gifts.  I have an idea… just need to get it done.  Also – tonight I will be making dinner for Brad and Al…. Thai chicken is calling my name and a great butternut squash… (LOVE squash). 

Blogging:  This week seemed to have been the week for me to put up posts to engage others in.  I put up two 2014 challenges –

2014 WHERE Are You Reading Challenge

2014 Bucket List Challenge

and I put up a New Years 1st Book Of The Year event

Anticipating:  This afternoon I am going to Catching Fire (again!) with my friend Amy.  Her first time seeing it, my second.  It is her birthday and we were supposed to go opening night and she was unable to go.  Cant wait to see it with her!

Also, looking forward to a semi quiet day.  This weekend was a whirlwind of activity.  I spent most of the day Friday and half the day Saturday helping at the Library.  Last night we had a Christmas party to attend and a birthday party.  I came home around midnight, great stuff…. but I hate overbooked schedules, they wipe me out.

Which, is probably a good description of me at this time… wiped out.  I just need a few hours to re-energize.  Today is the perfect day to do it.  I little blog visiting, a little reading…  I will be back up and moving before you know it. 😀

How is your Sunday shaping up?  Is Sunday a “gear” up for Monday day, or is it a soak up the last of the weekend day and take it easy day?

Good morning and Happy Sunday!  How is everyone doing with their turkey comas?  We are good and pretty clean here…. I sent the pumpkin bars (dangerous!) and a lot of turkey home with College son when he left yesterday.  I made turkey soup for dinner last night, Al ate the last of the stuffing…

This morning I am helping out with a volunteer fair and should be back home around 12:30.  I am hoping to get all my 2012 challenges updated so I can start promoting for 2013.  Oddly…. I find that exciting!  😀  I love new beginnings. 

Today…

I am still reading The Forgotten Road by Randall Arthur

I am listening to One Second After by William R Forstchen and this is weird – I am listening to nothing in my car or on my kitchen cd player as I am out of audio.  😯  I know…. I need to get to the library or something….

I am planning to work on the Challenges this afternoon and a work out. 

I am hoping to catch up on my posts that need to be written this week.

I am working on something fun for the Team Kickin It blog with Amanda from Reading and Running.

I am looking forward to a gun permit class I signed up for that will be next weekend.

Here are the books that graced my doorstep this week:

I am excited to do some reading in my near future too! 

What are your plans for this Sunday?

Good morning from Georgia.  😀  On Thursday morning, College son (Justin) and I landed in Florida and had a wonderful two days exploring and experiencing Universal Studios – Harry Potter World (I know that’s not the right name, but that’s what I keep calling it)  We had a blast, rode the rides, had the butter beer, enjoyed the sun!  😀

As you can imagine – all you Harry Potter addicts out there… the park was AMAZING and I highly recommend it to all ages!  Here is a quick little clip that I took of the area but this did not capture it all… I wish I would have filmed more. 

Then Saturday morning we packed up out of our Orlando hotel and drove our rental car two and a half hours to St Marys Georgia to where my Navy Son (Brad) is living.  He has weekends off so we came to stay with him our final two days of our vacation.  It is a blast seeing where he lives and it was awesome to have both boys in the same place!

We hung out at Brads did a little food shopping at Wal-Mart for our weekend and then later went to a Hibachi restaurant which was fun and oh so delicious!

One of Brad’s friends came over last night and we played cards until about 10:30 last night when I was too wiped out to play any more.  They continued on to the wee hours of the morning so that is why I am holed up in the bedroom… I am awake but no one else is.  😀  I woke up at 6 am and caught up on emails and a little writing.  Now I am going to jump in the shower and start my day.  I have been quiet long enough 😀 

My reading is still lacking due to the activity in my life right now.  I know the boys are watching the game later and I will do a little reading then and a trip to Wal-Mart to look for some new luggage (part of my long story about my bad horrible experience with Spirit Airlines)

Tomorrow morning we pack up early and head back to the Orlando Airport and fly home.  I will be back in Minnesota tomorrow evening landing around 5:30 pm and then driving the three hours back home.  The rest of the week I plan to keep as quiet as possible 🙂

Good morning!  I totally skipped out on posting yesterday.  Friday I had a three hour bike ride and then came home and hubby wanted to go out to eat and by the time I was home from that I was exhausted.  😯

Saturday morning I was up at 5:45 to get ready and meet at my friend Amy’s with Paula and Courtney so we could drive the two hours to Brooklyn Part and take part in the 5K Mud Factor… which was….

a bust.

After participating in the AWESOME Muckruckus in August which was from start to finish mud mud and more mud, sticky mud, watery mud, thick mud, stinky mud, you name it – it was mud…. this was pretty much not what we thought it would be.

The Mud Factor took place in a corn maze which for the first three miles of the 3.2 run was just dirt trails and the occasional obstacle.  Some of the obstacles were small piles of dirt to go over… some were where they had dug a little hole for you to either jump in or over, but mud free.  There was some of the cool rope climbing and tough girl stuff like that – but not enough to make this a win.  At the very end there was a small slide down a hill into a little mud… very little, and at the very end you crawled through some thick mud under plastic ropes. 

All in all we agreed it was too much money ($70 to register, $10 for a t shirt, $10 for parking and $5 for them to hold your bag of clothes to change into in a place that was watched).  The Mud Ruckus was $100 registration but it was for MS and it included parking, a t shirt, your bag keeping, and food at the end. 

Anyhoo – live and learn and it was still a good time hanging out with friends.

Pics were taken on a disposable camera which I have not turned in yet so watch for them to show up later this week.  😛

BOOKS.

A few books did come in the door this week, as my reading has slowed so has my review requesting. 

The bottom three are review books, the top is an audio version of The Knife of Never Letting Go which I purchased.

This morning I have church and later tonight I have a get together.  I hope to work on the book room a bit this afternoon and if it warms up perhaps cleaning out the garage for next weekends family get together.. I think it will be an audio day. 😀

What are you doing today?

Oh what a night, is what is in my head right now!  My friend and fellow Bookie Susan went with me yesterday afternoon to drive the 2 1/2 hours to Minneapolis to go to a book event at Magers and Quinn Booksellers (also where Michelle from Red Headed Book Child) works.  We arrived around 4:35 pm where we checked out the book store and then Sandra found us. 

The three of us went down the block to a Thai restaurant that was fun and delicious and then we proceeded to talk for the next two and a half hours about books and research and life and well… we had a BLAST!  We then went back to the store for Sandra’s book event where we shared more about her books, the direction they are going – and what might be coming next!  SSSQQQUUUEEEEE!

We were there until about 9:45 pm when we made out way to the parking ramp and started out trek home – but no complaints coming from this chick – we had so much fun – Sandra is so down to earth and so filled with awesomeness – really – if you get a chance to meet her do not hesitate to do so. 

That was a great night! 

As far as books that entered my home this week – it was a mellow week and the top two I purchased last night:

I have to run, I am meeting a friend this morning and then I want to get home to read and chill today – my life explodes back to BUSY tomorrow. 😀