It has been a crazy busy week and while I still have a few things to tend to throughout the weekend… at least I think it is safe to say life has mellowed to a low “hummmmmm” of energy.
I think anyway…
I am really still at the Church I stayed overnight in for the IHN program. I have cleaned up the kitchen and dining areas and am sitting here with COFFEE CUP (not mine, but a coffee cup all the same) waiting for my co-volunteer Jennifer to return with the van that delivered everybody back to the day center.
Next stop: HOME.
I have a book review up today and really need to get cracking on Pride and Prejudice for next weeks book club. 😛 Yes… P & P … first time around and I am going to try (try try try) to finish it in record time. On the semi bright side… I have been wanting to ride my bike all week as it has been GORGEOUS here in Minnesota and not this morning it is really really windy and a bike looks as though that may have to wait….
why is that the bright side?
I will actually stay in the house and get some reading done. 😀
I feel like I have been energized…. no idea why, but here I am popping up with a plan this morning that is tight but doable….
Yesterday went something like this…
6:30 am – up get ready, write a morning post, go to work
8:00 am – work… an assortment of duties, a meting, an insurance call about my accident this summer, several IHN calls for serving the homeless this week, another family of five entering the program bringing us up to 15 people…
noon: Still at work but multi tasking, planning more food for the IHN meal so it does not stress out my family doing the cooking, actually thawing the bbq while I am at work.
3:00 Pm – leave work and hurry over to where we are serving to set up five beds.
4:00 pm – run home to cook the BBQ beef and get buns out of freezer to go with this.
4:30 back to where we are serving, drop off food, grab van – go pick up guests
4:45 back at serving area with all guests, do orientation with new family, help my cooking crew with their meal set up and serving.
5:30 Activity people come in and while families are still eating I tour them through the program, introduce them, and help with kitchen clean up
6:20 take one of the teens serving to Band practice and then drive home
6:40 start making dinner for Al and I
7:00 pm we go downstairs to watch the recording we have of Amazing Race
8:20 pm – Al goes to bed… I start reading the book I need to have done for the magazine article.
11:30 – Done with book… jot down a few thoughts so I can write the review in the morning… off to bed.
This morning, review is written, I am getting for work, I work until 3:00, I am with the IHN program after work until probably 7:30 tonight after I do orientation with my overnighters tonight. Tomorrow, I am one of the overnighters.
Yes – crazy… but somehow it is juggling well and the light at the end of the tunnel is Friday afternoon I am done serving, my volunteers from that point on are repeat servers so really know what to do and I have the weekend to catch up on other life things… like Pride and Prejudice due to be read by Tuesday for book club. 😯
Ok…. here goes. SO yesterday Morning I posted about my book review due to the Her Voice magazine by October 5th and what could I be reading and reviewing under the Christmas/Holiday genre they requested of me…
I tried… I really did. Christmas style reads are really not my thing… they tend to be too light, too fluffy, too neat, and so sugary sweet sweet sweet that you want to throw up a bit in your mouth. (sorry about the graphic visual there, but that’s the way I feel). My books need meat…
So I tried… I posted for suggestions and you gave them to me and still nothing hit what I was looking for. I wanted an author that was new or little known… I wanted a book that had a Christmas story, but had action as well. And I wanted it to be a pleasant surprise that I could honestly say, “curl up with a blanket this winter and enjoy this read!”
But… with a deadline hovering… I still had nothing.
Desperate times….
I went to our local book store today and gathered the two employees working and told them my story. I told them I wanted different, I wanted exciting, I wanted….
well… we all searched the store for “the book” and time and again they would walk up to me with a book I would turn down. Then, the bookoligist (my word), came running down the rows of books yelling, “organ transplant! Organ transplant!”
I asked her if she has tourette’s.
No, she had a book… and while it is a Christmas read… I think it may have potential. The book is:
Nora Peterson’s twins are seniors in high school and she has planned the perfect Christmas for them. Christi and Charlie are fraternal twins with the invisible bond that many twins experience. Christi is budding artist and during this holiday season Charlie is playing one of Santa’s elves. The holiday season is moving perfectly until a tragic accident shakes the Peterson’s home and threatens to overwhelm them.
Jenna Montgomery is a single mother who works as an emergency room nurse. This Christmas season she only has one wish, finding her daughter a new heart. Jenna’s daughter Heather has been living with a weak heart and becomes weaker each passing day…
So this is my read for the next day – digging in last night and continuing today… as time is a ticking….
In other crazy news… I messed with my new Smart Phone (1st smart phone experience) yesterday and somehow lost how to answer it. It rang and rang, and all I could do was go to call logs, see who called me and then call them back. GAH.
I wasnt around a lot yesterday and probably the same today with the review hanging over my head… but I do have an audio review coming up today!
Banned Books Week is officially over. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work too. There were a few of you that signed up mid-week to participate and I just did not have the time to connect with you and add you… lets just say it got a little crazy trying to make sure I had all the links of everyone participating each day. 😀 (you can still get in on this giveaway by linking and picking up the clues here…. and then filling out the form here.
Today I hop into our serving week for IHN, yes it is that time again where I work with a team to house the homeless for one week and that starts today. I am pretty set with volunteers, just need to do some set up, food shopping, and a lot of orientation throughout the week with new volunteers.
It will be a busy week. 😛
So what is this welcome me to the new century about? I think I am the last person in my office to get a smart phone. Up until yesterday I was still on my flip cell phone that had pretty much lost its flipping powers the week before. It was at the point if I shut it, it would shut off. It would not hold a charge and as much as I was all gaga over it two years ago when we contracted our cell phones…
I no longer found it cute.
So off I went yesterday to come up with a new plan. Literally. I wound up at Sprint as my two sons SWEAR by Sprint and I liked that nothing was limited – no limited data plan, no limited text or phone minutes….
My only fear…
was this too much phone for me?
The salesman assured me it was not.
After a switch of my accounts to Sprint (awkward by the way – their shop is right next door to Sprint… I walked over, received my account info and walked back to Sprint. ) BUT – better plan, less money, more phone… how could I not?
And seriously –
ain’t she pretty?
I am obviously still very new to the fancy phone world but I LOVE LOVE LOVE that I text by talking…. of course picking up my emails and having internet access is pretty sweet too…
I have yet to figure out the camera (I can take a pic but where doe s it go?)
How to link Twitter and Facebook…
And although my hubby called me and I could not figure out how to answer…. eventually I got there. 😳 This is by no fault of the salesman who was awesome and told me how to do all of this stuff… I just hit information overload…. got home and went… huh? 😛
Ok – got to run but will be back later with a review …. and a winner…. (or two)
I can not believe it is the last day of Banned Books week! It has been a fun week and I have had a blast reading the other banned posts. So today I have the final clue to give you and then for those of you who have gathered them all – figure out the 9 letter answer and pop back here and fill out the form I have up….
The final clue comes from Tif at Tif Talks Books with her review and thoughts on The Diary Of Anne Frank
AND if you did not catch the clues because life happened… no worries, this link will let you catch up on the nice reviews that gave you the clues…. as well as a list of the bonus entries.
The giveaway package w/ $10 Amazon card
Thank you to all the awesome people who participated in Banned Books Week. I know I learned a little more about some of the books this week and was able to even read a few that have been on the TBR for a long, long time.
Did you learn anything abut banned books this week? Maybe a title that surprised you on the list, or a new/old book brought to your attention that now you would like to read?
It’s feeling fall here this morning. I have already been outside with the dogs and yeah… a bit chilly for sleep pants and a t shirt but the trees are looking gorgeous as the weather man said they would this year.
Anyway… I did mention ice cream.
I am really not a big fan of ice cream but occasionally a flavor will draw me out. A couple of summers ago there was a limited edition called Key Lime Pie. Of wow…. that was bad. Lets just say I would go downstairs to do laundry (which is next to the freezer) with a spoon. ‘nuf said.
Then recently at the store, I seen this limited edition Pumpkin Pie ice cream. I am not even sure why it called to me… I am not a big pie person either and if I were to have pie, pumpkin probably would not make my top 5 choices….. yet there it was…
For the record – I thought it was ok…. different, good – but not a “have to have”. Remember though… not the Pumpkin Pie fan… my college son however, who I sent a text to about my find, made a special trip to the store last night in Mankato to find this ice cream. His #1 pie of choice: Pumpkin.
Moving on… we are nearing the end of banned books week and we are down to only two more clues – today and tomorrow. If you have missed any of them, I have organized them here for you so you can quickly catch up and get in on tomorrows big banned book giveaway.
Today your clue comes from Laura at Book Snob, with her review of The Handmaid’s Tale (one I have yet to read but own and want to!)
In other banned posts going up today and each one worth a bonus entry for tomorrows giveaway – please take a little time to see:
Sarah from Sawcat’s Book Blog has her review up of The Hunger Games
And for all your year around banned book curiosities… Bonnie runs the Banned Books Blog which I am thrilled to be a contributor to.These reviews not only let you know what each book is about – but why it was banned.
There’s the banned plan! As for me….I think this morning I will have a little tea, a little reading and maybe this afternoon a bike ride or a walk with the dogs.
We are having some nice weather here in Minnesota.
I had a busy Wednesday so had no reading time whatsoever running from one commitment to another… however, once home, I cuddled up in my blanky, put on the recording of Survivor, and played a little Pottermore on line.
I know I am revealing my level of Harry Potter geekiness here but… so be it, it’s POTTERMORE and I just received my letter of entry a few days ago. I wont go into a ton of detail but let me just say – wow. The story opens into chapters, you look for clues to collect in your trunk as well as ingredients for potions which is cool…
BUT – coolest of all is that J K Rowling reveals back stories on the characters the places, from character names, to addresses…. all great stuff for the Potterheads out there like me. 😀
Yes, it is still banned book week and I have another clue for you!
Central Minnesota has been kind to me these past few days and I have been able to get my lawn mowed, yard cleaned up, and yesterday I even cleaned out the garage while listening to…
Night Circus.
I know, I know… I am reading all banned books this week but my thoughts on this are – if they are saying this read is going to be as big as Harry Potter, already had the movie rights bought by the same company that made the Twilight movies…. certainly it will one day be banned/challenged as well right? 😛
We are sitting right in the middle of Banned Books Week and I have been thrilled to have so many Book Bloggers join me here sharing banned book reviews and thoughts. I hope you are able to take a few minutes and peek at some of the links I have been giving you since this last Saturday as Banned Books Week is an important week .
Each day since Saturday I have been giving a link with a clue letter for you to gather for the Banned Book Giveaway…. here is the Wednesday clue…
I am still deciding, I am liking the story line but it is taking me awhile to get into Jim Dale’s narration. That’s sad as I love Jim Dale… but the tone, I dont know… its too early to tell. If all else fails, the book is right here on the table 😀
How is everyone? I am doing rather well here, had a great day yesterday, mowed the lawn for what I think is probably the final time for the year and received my Pottermore link to get in.
Yup – that’s right… last night I finally experienced a little bit of Pottermore which has been interesting and fun… I stayed up too late exploring within in and cant wait to get to the sorting hat… that’s all I am saying on that today. 😛
It is Banned Books Week.
I wanted to chat my thoughts on banned books this morning and then link you to the clue for the day as well as a few other great posts on banned books.
Go with me on this… imagine if your favorite book in the world, the one you recommend to everyone to read…
was suddenly being challenged or banned and threatened to be taken out of the schools, stores, library, etc….
what if someone, somewhere, somehow, thought there was a word in the book that was too harsh, too real, too strong, or a character who did not fit in as their idea of what a good clean appropriate character should be…. what if …
in that favorite book of yours an animal talked and some group of people decided that animals should not talk in books, it was confusing and blasphemous and just can not be, what if in an older classic style read a word is used that is not accepted in todays culture and therefore surely we must pretend the word never did… we must… we must cover up our history….
I am saying this today because before last year I thought a banned book must be something disgusting, filthy, unfit for reading… and then on closer observations, I seen they were books I loved like all the Harry Potter Books, many (MANY) of the classics… books we grew up on as kids…
and that is why I am so passionate about banned books. Take a look at the list of top 100 books and I think you may be surprised.
And – it is not just “an older” book thing, as Sheree will show you today from The Eclectic Reader….
Your banned book review today with your clue #5 is:
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, pop over to Sheree’s and see her beautiful blog – and a great message about the book and the clue for today.
Missed a clue? Need to know what I am talking about? I have a prize package going on right now to celebrate banned books week. Check it out here.
And please see these other banned book related posts from book bloggers around the world. A comment on these posts (as well as the ones I have posted each morning since this past Saturday will get you a bonus entry into the giveaway)
I love that so many of us have jumped on the banned wagon, and there is so much more than this out there on the web this week. Take some time and check out these wonderful posts and learn a little more about censorship.
Have a lovely day – it is gorgeous here in Minnesota. I may go rollerblading or biking this afternoon. But honestly… will probably be dabbling in Pottermore this morning. 😉
created by: Luciano Sormani (click picture for website)
The It’s Monday, What Are You Reading post is directly below this one.
*grabs coffee cup and slugs a big drink*
Coming in a little later than expected today. I had a really full and fun weekend, a 36 mile bike ride, Saturday evening with my aunt and uncle for dinner and then coffee at our house and then Sunday we were busy out to dinner and met with a group of friends and then home, and after watching Amazing Race…. I did not get the links prepped to this post as I had hoped to last night. 😯
AND – you are not going to want to miss out on these links…. this first one is the one that has your clue to the ongoing Banned Books week BIG giveaway:
again I hope you can stop by to the wonderful Banned Book Week participants and see what they have to say about banned books. 😀
Oh and if you are wondering, what is going on with Sheila and chatting up banned books and what is she talking about when she mentions a clue? Here is the info you need. 😀
Book Journey 