Good morning! Happy Thursday. Even as I type this morning my wrists hurt. When I walk to get more coffee my calves hurt… I can’t tell you how happy that makes me 😀 I started Kick boxing again on Tuesday, plan to go again tonight, and yesterday did Group Power and later Rollerblade with my friend Wendy. *waves to Wendy who reads these posts from work* 😛
As for the titleof this mornings post…. a couple of books arrived earlier this week that have me SO EXCITED!!!!
Yup! Insurgent AND These Girls. I have been waiting for Insurgent and These Girls? Don’t even get me started on how much I enjoy Sarah Pekkenen’s writing! 😀
Remember that stray dog that wandered into out lives and into our heart right after Easter? Well Sam, as he is now named, is doing wonderfully. We now have a vet who guesses him to be between one and two. He has a lot of puppy in him. When I come home from work he is so excited that when he jumps on me to be petted his feet actually leave the floor. I call that “loving with your whole body.” Thank you Kerri for thinking of us when you found him… even when I told you “no” the first time. 😀
Sam and Bailey (out 13-year-old shih-tsu) get along great. It is good to see them together.
Hanging out together in the front room. Bailey (left) and Sam.This morning, while I am writing this post…. Good morning Sam, 🙂
Have a great day everyone, be sure to stop by later for my review of Laura Lippman’s the most dangerous thing.
Good morning! 😀 *lifts coffee cup to mouth “ow ow ow!!!”* *Puts coffee cup back on table “ow ow owww”*
Yup, I went back to kick boxing last night after ten months off and I feel AWESOME. Well and sore this morning, but in a good way. HOnestly there is something about putting gloves on and bashing a friend that well, brings peace to the world…. 😛
Ok, I didn’t bash her… but she did ask me not to hit so hard. 😯
I can’t explain it but it just felt good. It made me feel strong and I love that feeling. I am no good at this. I dont remember the moves and the long chains of commands from the teacher with the “do this, this this, then this this this, then that and this , with a double that and end with 14 this and 6 that with a double twist of that”… yeah…. I get lost.
BUT… I will get better. And I am determined.
So…. has anyone else besides me caved and joined Pinterest? I wasn’t going to you know… I wasn’t. I didnt need another time suck in my life and I knew from the little I had seen of it that it would be just that….. pretty shiny pictures drawing me in… craft projects I think look cool but really when would I fit that in….. but then during The Dewey Read A Thon it was brought to my FULL attention that Pinterest and book reviews do mix. Once I was told that when you pin your book covers to Pinterest it links back to the review (if you link it from the post), AND that people have been picking up significant visitors that way….
suddenly I was listening.
So yes, now the past few weeks I have been pinning not only books from the blog, but I also found fitness tips, recipes, things I want to look at more closely and things that I think are funny… and life has been blissful…. pin this, pin that….
now I can’t only pin it, but I also have to do something with it?
GAH….
But she is right… I have pinned and pinned but I have not cooked one thing, tried one project…. so anyhoo…. I am in on this. 😀 You can click the picture above and read her whole post.
In other news, yesterday I put up a read-a-long, check it out. 😀 Cami’s fitness giveaway is still going on… and if you want to be my friend on Pinterest (or whatever it is called there…. )I am Sheila DeChantal (and I think this is a link.)
Good morning and Happy Tuesday! Today it is raining in central Minnesota. I am anxious to get on my bike (although it may not be in the plans for today now…) and it looks like I may be going back to Kick Boxing tonight with my friend Christy after 10 months off due to my injury last June. YES!!! *fist pump in the air*
Today is Tuesday, and that means, it is Tuesdays With Camryn, the new YA reviewer who has graciously agreed to join me here on Tuesdays to chat about YA reads. Today watch for her review of Unraveled by Elizabeth Norris. Lets just say I will be needing to read that one SOON.
Since it is looking to be a great YA day, I figured this is an excellent time to chat up the new exciting Harper Collins Teen Book Club. They launched a few weeks ago on Facebook with this awesome logo:
Awesome yes? YES! The current read is INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows, but soon… the May read will be Bumped by Megan McCafferty (as seen in the yellow bar at the top of the Facebook page.You have to check this page out! There is a place for book discussion as well as to win some prizes! If you are not a YA reader yourself, please pass this information on to anyone you know who is… what a smart way to interact with teen readers!
You have a month to join the active discussion around the month’s book, but the forums on Goodreads will live on forever, and people can look back through archives to participate for past books there!
I can’t say enough about this! Teen readers are so important and YA is an awesome genre to really generate readers in the 11-20 age group (and yes, I know… there are many of us, including me, who also enjoy YA reads too! 😀 )
If you have been thinking about reading Bumped, this would be a wonderful way to do so and connect with others reading it too!
Wow. Sunday again. Already! My past week was a crazy busy one…
And now here I am on Sunday already. I was supposed to go on a bike ride today around Mile Lacs lake with one of my bike teams and I am bowing out. 😦 Mainly because there was something I was hoping to get done last night and not have to do today but that did not happen.
The ride today would bring me home late afternoon and I just have too much to do to escape for the day. I am bummed… but there will be other rides.
I did get a few books in the mail:
With the first week of May sneaking up on us here I will have some reading to do this upcoming week for a book tour and for my book club!
Good morning and happy Saturday! My FAVORITE day of the week. I have had (I didn’t finish this post before I had to leave) a commitment this morning so need to get to the point today so I am really late putting this post up this morning. D
I want to participate in Alyce’s Saturday Snapshots but have not really thought of a theme or event of current interest so thought I would give you just a splattering of life happenings in the past two weeks or so…
You ever have people in your life you just have a blast hanging out with? My friend Amy here is one of them. A couple of weeks ago we went out to dinner with them and had a great time!
Hunger Games was my World Book Night hand out - SO FUN!
This is just one of the gorgeous items that was on the silent auction I was at for Camp Benedict on Thursday
The pups got a haircut on Friday... L: Sam (the stray we inherited three weeks ago) and R: Bailey, who has been with us for 13 years.
The gorgeous throw I won during The Dewey Read A Thon for playing one of the mini challenges arrived this morning. I will be curling up with this today on this cold afternoon while reading. 🙂
Please stop by and say hi to Alyce, the host of Saturday Snapshots and see who is else is showing pictures of their corner of the world today. 🙂
In other news… I am joining the Meg Cabot read a long because it sounds like good summer time fun!
As for this cold breezy day in Minnesota, I think I will spend part of it under the above lovely throw reading a bit of the afternoon away, and finishing the audio books of The Snowman and Home Front, both of which are on their last cd. I may see if hubby would like to go out to dinner or something tonight.
Yesterday was a BUSY day, while I took the day off, I did so to help with a benefit for Camp Benedict. I had a blast being a part of helping make it happen, and I think it was a huge success. The Silent Auction was wonderful – it actually brought tear to my eyes when I seen how generous our community could be.
I walked out with a massage gift certificate, a basket of hair products, a movie basket with Batman Returns and an assortment of popcorn, seasonings, and vintage popcorn bags, a basket of chocolates from our local chocolate shop… ooh these are made locally and DANGEROUS, and a basket of homemade banana bread and banana muffins…. (the muffins are going to work today to share with my co-workers). 😀
In bookish worlds I am in several places….
I am in Germany with Jolene who is going to be coming home from the war now. Michael has tried to tell her how much he loves her, but right now Jolene is feeling “too little, way too late”, life is going to be quite different for this family in light of recent events… Home Front
With Detective Harry, we are getting closer to capturing the crude murdered but really – it has taken a long time to get there and dealing with much of this audio’s …. mmm…. lets say crudeness, I am pretty sure in the end I will not be a fan of Joe Nesbo. The Snowman
On Three Sisters Island I am enjoying a fun conversation between Mia and Nell about things Nell will need – swatches of fabric, candles, incense, she already has her wand from a living birch, but Mia tells Nell she will want to pick out her own cauldron. (Oh how I have missed this book and I had forgotten how much!) Dance Upon The Air
I am following Andrew through reckless choice after reckless choice as he runs from what he knows, what he doesnt want to embrace…. The Secret Life Of A Fool
I am taking Bailey in for a haircut this morning, running into work to get a few projects wrapped up and then I think I bike ride this afternoon… the weather looks like it will be lovely and I am itching to get on the trail.
Good morning! 😀 Hope Thursday finds everybody well! We are so close to the weekend that I can smell it! 😀 It is looking to be shaping up to another gorgeous day here in Minnesota and I am wishing I had time to play in it, but alas, no… I will have to wait until tomorrow.
I currently feel like I have a lot of irons in the fire (I know… odd saying, but there it is).
This morning I am basking in the quiet lull before my day takes off… but my mind is still tossing through to do’s like playing cards… (I don’t know what is with the metaphor’s, just smile and nod…. ) 😛
Today I took the day off from work to help Connie with her first dinner and silent auction combo for Camp Benedict. We will be setting up the place this afternoon, I will be helping her set up the auction, and prepare whatever she needs…. I am at her disposal. The actual event starts at 5 pm tonight with a social hour and then movies on to a dinner, and program. I believe it ends between 8:30 and 9 pm.
My to do’s building in my head are related and also not to this event:
get nails done if there is time
put an address on that package in the car that I forgot to label (after I open it to see what it is and who I was sending it too *sigh*
I have a little more prep work for a class that starts Sunday – do I go in to work tomorrow for a bit, if so when?
I want new cards for BEA this year, what does that look like? Can I incorporate my new header?
I must register today for the Iron Man bike ride before Amy has my head on a platter.
I need to (want to) ride bike this weekend… I hope the weather cooperate so I can do the ride around Mile Lacs Lake on Sunday with the team
I need to write that review today, this morning.
DO I take a change of clothes with me tonight, and change later or do I just wear what I am going to wear for the day?
WHY did I eat that really yummy MAGNUM ice cream bar last night?
What should I get Al for supper so he has something in house with me gone tonight?
DO I have enough audio in the car for the ride to and from the event tonight.
Should I take a book with me in case we are done with set up early… (and also, DUH – of course I will take a book!) and then, uhhhh…. which one?
Anyhoo…. thats my head.
I am really excited for today and so thankful I am finally feeling better after two days of headaches, I think maybe sinuses? I look forward to having a great time for a great cause. 😀
Good morning! 😀 I feel like I should just splash the coffee directly on to my face and go on from there 😀
The last two days have been run from one thing to the next and today looks like it could be more of the same…College son came home yesterday for one day and has to go back to Mankato today and his car broke down last night. Not sure what is going on there yet, but it may involve me driving him the 3 hours+ back to Mankato today after work, and of course for you math whizzes out there, 3+ hours back to Brainerd. 😀
Hello audio books!
One of my favorite things to do in the evening after the house is quiet and my work for the day is done is to either read, or catch up on the blogs I love, and lately even a little bit of Twitter. A couple of nights ago I was swept into a Twitter conversation late that I will not go into, but lets just say it had me clicking through posts one to another like a kid all hopped up on sugar. I kept reading posts and comments and one post led to another and my gosh…. eventually I had to step away from the computer because it was after midnight and I had accomplished nothing but a little heart ache.
And then last night… after all was quiet in the house and my work was done….
I did it again. 😯
I feel like their should be a support group for people like me, or at least a hotline.
Sorry I am being vague here… but really, enough has already been said.
Today looks to be a gorgeous day here in Brainerd. Of course, because my day is busy.. the outdoors will taunt me with sun and smells of spring. Can anyone else smell spring? It is the light scent of lilacs in the air, a flash back of crisp sheets on the line, and visions of summers past.
Monday was one of those crazy days I seem to find myself floundering in occasionally. It was just BUSY. I worked until 11:45 am yesterday, was at the gym and working out at 12:15, at 1:30 ran to the bank, the library, the post office, another bank, grocery store, and scraped in at 3 pm to meet up and help sort the IHN bedding and toys for when we serve the homeless. Right from there I went home at 4:30, started supper, made some phone calls about a meeting at my house tonight, sent out a couple emails, (barely looked at the blog), had a group meeting at 6:30 pm, came home from that at 8:20 pm, walked into my house talking with Connie about the banquet this Thursday that I am helping her with and my role – and at 9:00 pm hung up the phone just as my hubby was on his way to bed.
*SIGH*
I really hate being that busy.
The good thing about yesterday though… probably the best thing – was it was World Book Night, the first one ever in the United States and I was thrilled and honored to be a part of it.
As you can see from my above day, time was of the essence. My original plan to hang outside the high school at 3:00 pm was not going to cut it with the commitments I had. SO…. instead… I think an even better plan emerged…
I GAVE as I went about my day….
My first book was given to a guy I work with… I left it on his desk in the morning. He had seen the movie, not a big reader….
My second book was on my way to the gym I stopped at a gas station to grab a banana. One of the workers was outside, her job was to let everyone know the curbs had been freshly painted. I went in, got the banana, on the way out I asked her if she was a reader, she said not a whole lot, and then I offered her a book. I explained World Book Night and she lit up, got excited and said “Bless you!” Which I thought was funny…. because after all, it is Hunger Games. 😛
My biggest brain child of the day was actually at the YMCA. I prepped many books before I went in. I blog about two things mainly, books and fitness. I wondered if that was an unusual combination… are people who work out necessarily readers? I dropped off two copies to the receptionists who were really excited once I explained. I took a pile into my Group Power class and talked to the teachers asking if I could have a moment of the classes time to explain. They also were thrilled and before my workout, I was able to give out many books.
The stage where the instructors teach - and Hunger Games Books
My work out area- books and working out, thats my thing... 🙂
After that I gave a book to the lady ringing up my groceries, two on my way to help to with IHN, two more in the evening. The only “no” I heard was at the bank, and that lady asked me if I had “Fifty Shades Of Grey”. No…. I did not.
I had a BLAST with World Book Night! The only other person I knew doing it in my area was Angie, By Book Or By Crook. I text her on my way home last night and she said she had so much fun! She wished she would have had more books.
If you participated in any way with World Book Night, I hope you link your posts up to my World Book Night Link. I am hoping to capture all our stories in one place and then I am going to make it a Page so people can look at it throughout the year…. as we anticipate next year. 😀
I have another busy day – work, and I need to take 5,000 flyers around to all the schools in the area. AT 3 I am meeting college son for a late dinner/early supper (SSSQQQUUEEE!!!!), I have not seen him since January! Then I have a meeting at our house tonight so home to prep for that.
The question on your mind is…. did I make it to the finish line of the Readathon. No, I did not. I had started at 5 am yesterday morning and missed about three hours throughout the day due to other commitments and then shut down at around 1:20 am when Jane Eyre became a blurry mass.
Oh, that wasnt your question? Was it did I read as much as I had hoped to? No, I did not. I never do. I always start out with BIG intentions, going to go for the 5 or so books I have lying around and finish them up and yeah…. I get caught up in the social part of the Readathon which I LOVE and I cant help it, but I still feel I did pretty darn good.
Still not your question? Oh I bet you want to know if mt tummy is upset with all the junk I ate yesterday while reading and listening to audio…. the nachos I had for lunch, the Lindor chocolates throughout the day, and of course the vegie pizza I had ordered in last night, no actually I feel pretty good considering I am on 5 hours of sleep and have to help out at church in 45 minutes from 8 until noon.
Oh! Now I get it! You want to know why the Readthon made me cry. Well, that is actually a cool thing. Yesterday I was reading for a charity I support locally, Camp Benedict. Camp Benedict is a camp for people infected by AIDS and for people affected by AIDS. There is a story of why it touches me so, and it is actually linked at the top of this blog in the page bar. Anyway this is my third time reading for the camp and I always commit to giving, and then last fall one other person donated to my cause which was so sweet.
Well, this year, yesterday morning my account had $40 in it, money I had put in. Throughout the readathon people gave and as of last night when I checked my online account for the camp, it was at $370.00! I could not believe it! 6 other people had given besides myself and only two of them I know personally. Seriously you guys, you melted my heart… and of course made me want to read more. ♥
As for myself and how I did, I listened to 5/12 hours of audio throughout the day. I was donating $1.00 per every ten minutes of audio for a total of $33.00. Throughout the day I read 198 pages, which I was donating 10 cents a page for a total of $19.80 (lets not split hairs, I will round that up to $20.00. So from me, $53.00 is being added to my account for my charity this morning. 😀
In other fun news – I held a bonus “because I feel like having fun” giveaway last night for the die-hard readathoners that were still going on hour 19.
That winner of the coffee, the chocolate, and the book is:
Laurel #19 (yeah, I laughed when I seen that!)
Thank you to the Dewey Readathon Team, not only do I love that this honors a wonderful blogger I never had the pleasure of knowing but wish I did, but it takes a ton of work to pull it off and this group did an awesome job!
In other news, here is what came in from Mr Mailman this week:
Mmmm hmmmm, a nice week! The two audio in the front right I bought at Barnes and Noble when I went to pick up my books for World Book Night (SSSQQQUUUEEE!!!!)
Finally, today looks a bit dreary so I think when I get home this afternoon I am going to finish the 24 hours of reading I set out to do. I fell short by about 4 hours. I would like to finish it for Camp Benedict, and for me.
Have a great Sunday all! I have the World Book Night link going up later today and who knows what else, maybe that long overdue update to Jane Eyre. 😀
Book Journey 