Good morning!  Coffee Cup and I are off to early start today.  All that craziness of late all comes down to this day.  I am packed, have the dog/house sitter lined up…. packed (FINALLY!), caught up at work, dropping Chance off at school pretty quick here, returning library books, mailing packages (Yes Secret Book Santa – this includes you :D), fueling up Durango and at 1:00 pm…

we are on our way to Honduras.

I am going with my husband, and five other people.  We will fly to Texas tonight, stay over night, and then fly out of Texas to Tegucigalpa Honduras tomorrow morning landing in Honduras around noon.   We are on an exploratory team and we will be looking at several different areas of Honduras to see where we feel called to do future missions.  I have been on work teams going to Honduras since 2004, but this is the first time we will not be working and instead traveling all over Honduras exploring.  (Just call me Dora the Explorer).

I will have internet service occasionally while I am there and on those days I will try to pop in and do a morning meandering.  Thanks to a group of wonderful bloggers, I will have guest posts each night that I am gone…. and they will all have a little something Christmasy in store for you.

I hope you will stop by often over the ten days that I will be gone and check out their stories.

Have an awesome start to your December!!!

Good morning.  Life is pretty insane these days as I juggle my way through the next 30 hours before I head to the airport.  I am trying to balance the “to do’s” with some down time each day so I do not get overwhelmed and crack like an egg…

seriously… I can’t imagine it would  be pretty.

So yesterday – between work and making tacos for 30 people and a wrap up pre trip meeting last night… I squeezed in a little down time and read through the Monday What Are You reading participants as well as a few of my favorite blogs I just love to read and see what they are reading.  I seriously pick up awesome reads this way!

For example…

Over at Mundie Moms I found this cover that I thought was very eye-catching.  This book is the last of a series but the review I read was enough to make me think that this may be a series I would like to try.

At In The Forest this title and review caught my eye.  I know very little about cutting but do know someone who has done it so I have looked it up on-line to understand it more.  I would be interested in trying this book.

You may be seeing this book start to pop up around the blogesphere but I first seen it at Word Lily.  I have not (that I can recall) read any books like this one.

And finally, over the weekend this little gem caught my eye first at My Friend Amy’s and then I read a couple other reviews on it as well.  I was on my way to the book store to talk with Pat Bluth at a book signing so as long as I was there I inquired about this book.  They did not have any in stock but I was able to order it and with a little luck it will be here Wednesday morning and may make the cut as the fourth book that I will take with me to Honduras.

So that’s what happens when I visit other blogs and bloggers who book opinions I trust…  I wind up with uhhh…… more books.  However, I do not find that a bad thing because honestly the good ones are worth promoting and when a book interests me… I cant wait to grab it at my library or support my local book store when I can.

Any books that have caught your eye on other blogs recently?

Good Morning!

I wanted to share with you my funny (or really – not so much) shopping experience I had recently with Chance.  Our destination was to go a certain (I will not mention the name) establishment where the idea was for Chance to get a haircut, while that was happening I was going to get a pedicure (upcoming Honduras trip = sandals!) and then do a little shopping.

First, I took Chance over to the salon area.  We stood at the front counter while the lady behind it proceeded to ignore us for several minutes.  Finally she said, “Can I help you with something?”  (Uhhhh… you cut hair….. what else would I be here for?)  I told her that Chance needed a hair cut and she tossed a clip board my way to write his name on.  Even Chance commented when she walked away about her pleasant – errr….. lack there of….. personality.  The next lady came up and I pre paid for Chances cut so I could go to the nail area.

Second, I went into the nail area where I have frequented many times before and they are usually quite friendly and get you set up right away.  Even if they are all busy they will still put you in that wonderful massage chair and your feet in a warm jacuzzi style water while you wait.  I had my book to read and I was so ready.  I went in and picked out my color and sat in the waiting chair.  No one acknowledged me other than a lady I knew who was getting her own pedicure done.   I sat and read for about 15 minutes slowly getting more and more irritated.  I decided that if Chance showed up done with his haircut before I was waited on I would just leave.  25 minutes in a guy who worked there approached me and said “what are you waiting for?”

I said I was there for a pedicure and he turned and walked away saying nothing and he did not return.  Now I am annoyed – and really, I am pretty easy-going so it takes A LOT to annoy me.  One of the ladies doing a pedicure turned and looked at me and said, “Oh, are you waiting for a pedicure?”  I said yes I was but now I felt I probably did not have time.

I returned the polish to the rack and walked out.

Third (oh yes, there is more), Chance and I shopped the store and I picked up the things I needed and we proceeded to the check out.  We got up to the counter and the cashier started ringing us out without saying a thing.  I looked at Chance and said, “I am so ready to just go home now.”  She continues to ring and then at the end of my order I had two large pizzas.  She said, “Are the pizzas yours too?”

I said “yes.”

She hesitated a minute, looked at me again and said, “Are the pizza’s yours too?”

I said “yes they are,”  (a little louder this time resisting the urge to wave my arms to see if she truly seen me).

When she finished ringing the order she handed me the receipt while looking at the next customer…. I had to chase her hand to get the receipt as she kept floating it around trying to find me.

As we walked out of the store I told Chance that I had no idea that I played such a large part in The Deathly Hallows.  “What do you mean” he said.

“Well, I clearly must be the current owner of the invisibility cloak” I responded.

😀

True story…..  for the record… no employees of said establishment were hurt during this transaction.

Good morning!

I love days when you can get up grab a cup of coffee and your laptop and go back to bed.  Saturday is my favorite day of the week!  AND – here it is… in all its glory it is spread out before me like a port-hole….. so many choices of which direction to go….

I can be low-key Sheila and hang out for the morning tapping away at my key board and prepping guest posts for later this next week…

I can be reader Sheila who keeps the coffee coming and completes the two books on her nightstand.

I can be “Housekeeping!” Sheila and start organizing the house for the dog sitter….

I can be pro active Sheila and get ready for my day, hit the gym for group power, and then off to the store to find Al lightweight pants for the Honduras trip, and then home to start packing…

I can be coffee Sheila (ok who am I kidding, when am I not Coffee Sheila) and take my friend Wendy up on her offer to get together at Starbucks today to chat….

I think I will be a mix of all of the above starting with the laptop in bed and writing a couple posts.  😀  Did I mention I love days like this?

Bookish news…. I finished and reviewed Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt yesterday and have been basking in the after read.   I will be chatting with author Beth Hoffman soon here and I am so excited for that!

I am planning to stop by Pat Bluth’s book signing today at Bethany Book Store between 11-2.  Pat wrote From Pain to Peace, which I read last year and I told her I was planning to stop by.

I have 4 new audio books on my IPOD for the trip and I am excited about that.  Two are books we have been reading as a group anyway:  When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert, and The Hole In The Gospel by Brian Stearns, Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

Of course…. that’s not including the books I have yet to pick out – however I do not plan to overdo it like I have done in the past and am planning on three tops – THREE.

What is happening  this weekend for you?

Any movies you are seeing or recommending?

Good morning!  Hopefully you all had wonderful Thanksgivings and are now having a wonderful Friday!  I figure we all fall into one of these categories for today:

1. Crazed shopped who got up at 3 am and proceeded to stretch and do squats and lunges before they charged out the door to get in on all the great deals…. leaping aisle after aisle in a single bound….
2. Disgruntled worker….. HAD to get up to be to work to smile at the crazed shoppers (all awhile a little concerned  for your own safely (and rightfully so if you are standing in front of the “it” item display).
3. 4 Day Weekend person, cheerfully rolling out of bed at a non-insane hour and staying in sleep pants for most of the morning while you have a bowl of cereal, an egg and a side of turkey while you watch movies.
4. Normal work person who has to work but not at a retail store (WOO HOO!) and goes to work with a slight turkey induced hang over and can not seem to shake the “I just want to curl up with a book and read” vision….

I am number 4…… (LOL… Isn’t that a book title?)

Yup… I work today, in the office…. but I think it will be a nice quiet day.  And yes, I looked it up…. turkey does make you sleepy… which explains why yesterday after a delicious dinner and a game of QUELF (which was HILARIOUS!!!) we all watched Prince Of Persia and I promptly fell asleep in the chair. (now I wipe the sleep from my eyes and move towards a new day….

The way we do Thanksgiving is we have the BIG dinner at 1:00 PM.  I go all out, there was only 4 of us but I totally overdo it every year…. turkey, stuffing,. sweet potatoes, corn souffle, dinner rolls, pickles, cottage cheese, broccoli salad, shrimp, chips, dips, crackers, cheese, cranberries, 3 kinds of pie….

EGADS!

Then it is a free for the rest of the day.  Once I clean up after the BIG dinner…. yo are on your own.  If you are hungry, make a plate…..  there is no supper because we have grazed all day long.  😀

We ended our day with the 6:30 PM showing of The Deathly Hallows.  Chance and I had already seen it, but College son Justin had not yet so we went again.  I like to do that anyways when it is a long anticipated movie so I can see it more clearly and pick up on more details.

Weekend plan?  I have so much to do…. we leave next Wednesday for Honduras.  I have to pack, prep the house for the dog sitter, shop, pick up prescriptions, see my dentist, tan (so I do not burn), and prepare the guest posts – which I think are actually a lot of fun and can’t wait for you to see them 😀

How about you?  What are your plans for the weekend?

Good morning!  So many things going on in my head right now so bear with me please ….  😀

First, thank you to Stacy at Novel Source who featured me on her Sunday Serenade.  So sweet!

Then, my friend Lori at Dollycas’s Thoughts has started a fun challenge that involves us once a month reading something fun just for ourselves.  I do that anyway so why not join the fun?

Finally, as we embark on Thanksgiving eve, I found this yummy sounding recipe from Margot at Joyfully Retired for Corn Souffle.  I have never made it but it sounds super yummy to me so this morning as I completed my Thanksgiving shopping I purchased everything I need to make this.

So that is what I have this morning and yes you read the above correctly.  I was up and at the grocery store at 7 a.m. this morning to beat the after work rush.  With grocery list in hand and the help of Chance we whipped through the aisles grabbing the items off the list, then I took him to school and me to work.

Mission accomplished.

I have no travel plans for the Thanksgiving weekend and I am so grateful for that.  Tomorrow will be relaxing and food and movies (I think College son wants to go see Harry Potter so we will be going again!) and board games!  My kind of day!

For those of you who are traveling, safe travels and a wonderful Thanksgiving to all of you!

Good morning!  Can you believe we are two days away from Thanksgiving?  My head is just buzzing with this information.  I am so behind… I swear I lay awake at night and make lists of what I need to do before Thanksgiving:

• shop for my cooking needs
• plan out a few afternoon movies

Thankfully we do not go anywhere so I do not need to travel or super clean the house or anything like that…. *whew*  It will just be my College Son, Chance, Al and I.  I am actually looking forward to the low-key day.

Then – my next list in my head involves that I leave the country next Wednesday:

• pick up prescriptions (malaria, Ambien)
• pack
• do not forget passports
• choose books to go with (gah! There may be a blog post in that one!)
• make dentist appointment (I have a tooth that has been bothering me and I do not want it to be a problem in a third world country…. uhhh…. no, no I do not!
• put together my guest posts for while I am away
• meet with house/dog sitter
• put away the massive pile of books on the table (just because I should)
• start tanning – and soon…. if I do not do this I will burn…

Anyway, that’s off the top of my head this morning….

So… this past weekend, Saturday actually, my friends that usually do Zumba Class with me all had things going on and I had made up my mind that since Saturdays are usually my one day I week that I have no commitments unless they are self-inflicted, that I was going to chill out a bit in the morning before I started running around doing errands.  AT 9:45 a.m. I was still sitting in my sleep plants with COFFEE CUP in hand thinking this is really the life when I received a text message from Heidi:

“We returned from the cities at 2:00 am this morning.  Just woke up.  I am going to Zumba.”

I looked at that message and thought for sure I had read it wrong…  she must have missed the word “not”, she must have meant I am NOT going to Zumba.  I text her back inquiring about the certain typo….

Nope.  Not a typo.  She was going and class started in 20 minutes.

GAH!

I called her and said I had not even showered yet.  She said just come as you are……

I looked down at my Scooby Doo sleep pants and thought…

uhhhh…. no…..

I don’t think I have showered so quickly in my life but I did it, skipped washing my hair just threw a bandanna on and out the door I went.  We both made it and I am glad I did.  Honest;y, I think we are getting better at the moves and we sure do have fun as I laugh the entire time we are there.  To me it is a bit amazing to think that I met Heidi 19 years ago when we were both Department Managers at Wal-Mart and now here we are learning Latin dancing together.

Ok… I am off… I have to shower, drive Chance to school and get myself to work in 30 minutes.

I bet I can do it.  😉

Good Morning Sunday people!  It is a little bit of a snow dust happening here in central Minnesota right now and of course I find that a bit annoying but what can I do?

I know…. I can look forward to this afternoon when Chance and I are going to go to Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows!

SSSSQQQQQQUUUUEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Sorry about the “sssqquuueeee” but seriously…. the movie has been out for three days and I have been chomping at the bit (what a gross saying) to get there.

Even better…. since our original midnight showing plan was axed, I wanted to up the ante so we are bypassing the local Brainerd Movies 10 with our noses in the air and driving the 30 miles to Sunset Cinemas to see the 1:00 showing.

I have never been to the Sunset Cinemas but have heard of the larger more comfy cushioned seats, and nicer theater all the way around.  I am drooling with anticipation!

Born in Brainerd, I never knew there was a different way to do movies and maybe that is true of all of us.  Movies 10 is a large dark theater with sticky floors that make your shoes make noises like suction cups as you walk to your seat.  The chairs are the hard old school ones that flip down for you to sit in them with a big cup holder for that over-sized beverage I no doubt purchased for just such a movie.  And it goes without saying that you do not put your purse on the floor as if you are lucky enough to be able to release it from its sticky grip after the show you are more than likely going to spill everything in it when it releases like a bottle rocket.

Ok… I may be exaggerating a wee bit…..

I know I am suffering from “the grass is always greener” symptoms but this is a great movie to try a new theater with so we are doing it.  I have been saying for over a year now I would like to try out that theater and the anticipation…..  well, need we go back to the sssqquuueeee?

So that is my plan for this afternoon!  I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and I will see you later for a review and hopefully tonight when I post the It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading?

Happy Saturday!  Seriously… if you could see me now I am quite literally doing a dance in my p.j.’s.  YES!  Saturdays are my favorite day of the week.

• It is the one morning each week I do have to get up super early

• I don’t work on Saturday’s so any commitments are mine to choose

Saturdays to me are reading, writing, a movie or two, book reviews, time for breakfast, sitting in p.j.s a little longer than I should, staying in the house if I choose, dinner with hubby that for a change does not feel rushed, hanging with friends, indulging in a little down time…

ahhhhhh Saturdays!

This morning I am going to be shipping out books that people have won, and refilling my Giveaway box.  I have reviews to write and a couple of books I am looking forward to finishing.

None of this so far… has anything to do with my post title and I think that is awesome too.  😀

Here is my recent story.  A few days ago I realized that I had not heard from my pal Reagan from Miss Remmer’s Reviews.  When I looked at her blog I seen that I was correct, she had been M.I.A. and had not posted in a while too.  Reagan was one of my roommates in New York for BEA this past May and again in September of this year in Minneapolis for a Book Festival.  Due to these facts, I have her phone number.

I called her up and left her a “Heyyyyyy, just seeing how you are doing and making sure all is well” message.  She called me back shortly after that and we talked for about 40 minutes about the craziness of life, juggling commitments, finding balance, all the fun things we (or at least I) as book reviewers tend to have to sort through time to time.  It was fun to catch up.

I hung thinking that it is so cool that there are people in my life, Book Bloggers, who a year ago I did not know but now, I notice when they are not posting.  I feel for them when things are hard in their life.  My online friends.  I love it when people share what is on their hearts and when they pop in to comment here, I feel like I know a little about them and can check in with a “Glad you are feeling better, or welcome back from vacation – how was Florida?”

Anyway…. there’s a bit about me there too I guess… I just enjoy my bloggy friends.

Cookies.

Yes…. A couple (or has it been three?) weeks ago I had a girls weekend at our cabin in Finland, Minnesota.  We baked cookies and made crafts throughout the weekend and my plan was to come back and share with you a recipe or craft a day.  I have done a few, but still have not finished sharing with you that weekend fun….

So with no further ramblings from me – let’s get on with the cookie!

Pistachio Thumbprints

Looking for a melt in your mouth cookie?  My friend Sara brought this recipe to the cabin and these not only looked good and smelled amazing – they also melted  in your mouth.  (My mouth is watering just talking about it now!)

1 cup softened butter

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. almond extract

2 cups flour

1 pkg. instant pistachio pudding

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

2 cups finely chopped pecans

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth.  Add egg and extracts; mix well.  Combine flour and pudding mix; add to cream mixture.  Stir in mini chips.  Roll into 1 inch balls; roll in nuts and place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet.  make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes.  Remove to wire rack and cool.

Filling:

2 Tablespoon butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 to 3 Tablespoons milk

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and milk.  Spoon into center of cooled cookies.

Glaze:

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

2 tsp. shortening

Melt chocolate chips and shortening and mix well.  Drizzle over cookies.

Happy Saturday!