Good morning and Happy Saturday!  Cloudy and dreary here in Central Minnesota today… I am a little bummed as I was hoping to get on my bike today and put in some miles.  Instead I think I will be visiting the library, maybe start planning my “what to bring” for next Sunday when I leave for BEA (SSQQUUEEEE!!!)

Every Saturday Alyce from At Home With Books puts up a meme called Snapshot Saturday.  It’s a time when we can post a picture we have taken (or a friend or someone we know). Maplewood Minnesota:

That’s me – far right.  Last Saturday was gorgeous in the cities and by mile two I took off the jacket as it was too warm already.  I can use a lot more days like that.  😀

As for the book cravings… I have a little collection from around the blogs over the past couple of weeks. 

East Of Eden by John Steinbeck (Found at Lydia’s The Lost Entwife) *Yes, an older title but one I have yet to read.

Primitive by Mark Nykanen (found at Sherrie’s Just Books)

The Midwife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain (Found at Jennifer from Rundpinne)

The Bitter End by Jennifer Brown (Found at Nancy from A Musing Reviews)

Just blogging about these books this morning makes me excited to get my hands on them.  How about you, any books you found out there lately that just make you want to drop everything and READ?  😛

Good Morning.  😀 

I am posting a bit later than usual today but I have been enjoying the start to my day off with a little coffee, a little scrambled egg whites, read my emails…. just taking my own sweet time.  😀

I absolutely love no commitment days.  Days, when I wake up and there really is no set plan….

What I would like to do today is –

Catch up on a bit of blog reading this morning

write a couple of reviews – a movie one and a book one

either go to Group Power class this afternoon or take a bike ride (weather depending)

stop at the library – I have books to return

laundry (even with only two people in the house still seems like I am doing laundry at least twice a week :D)

Read a little – I am into an amazing book I can not wait to chat about

post office – I have books to mail

Kickboxing Class tonight

Dinner and maybe a movie with hubby…. 

That’s the “non plan”… nothing is set in stone but that is what I am thinking as on now would be awesome.  I have seen a few books around the blogs too that I have been keeping a list of…. maybe I will chat about them tomorrow…

I did not go biking at all this week like I had hoped.  I had a pretty busy week with commitments every evening except Wednesday which I used to mow the lawn that needed to be finished… the clouds are currently looking like they could go either way – rain or pass over… not really sure.

Hope your Friday is awesome!  Any big weekend plans?

Good morning!  OOH I feel good!

The sun is shining (although it calls for rain) and I am itching to get on my bike again and may do that after work if the weather hold.  Tonight I have a 5 pm dinner with my girlfriends I used to work with.  I am so looking forward to that.  This is the group that I meet with once a month to catch up on life and happenings.  Next month we are planning a 4 days road trip together and that is going to be so exciting – I will probably get more details on that tonight.

I don’t have anything super exciting this morning – in fact as I sip at COFFEE CUP I am pretty much coming up blank for anything fun to share…

I have not worked out much this week due to evening commitments and last night…. honestly – I just skipped out.  Between running and cleaning… I didn’t really want to do anything but finish the lawn and that is what I did.  Now I can move forward from here without “lawn guilt:.  Nobody wants to carry that.  😛

I hope everyone is finally experieincing spring… I feel as though we are and it makes my heart sore… its like the dust came off of me and I am filled with energy.  After tonight my weekend is pretty clear and I am going to work hard on keeping it that way.  I must get some writing done and prepare for New York which is….. 11 days away….

wow.

Bike Miles: Currently 66 for the year but hope to add to that later today.

Good morning!  😀

COFFEE CUP and I are here again at the kitchen table.  (Oh and also Potato Marley) as now that I have named him… I need to do something besides toss him in the garbage.  

Today looks like it is going to be gorgeous – the only day this week that does not call for rain, and of course I am booked solid with work and self-inflicted workouts that I really do not wish to miss… 

I have much to share – but came home last night after a wonderful book club night and talked to my friend on the phone for about an hour and by then it was 10:30 at night and I was SHOT.  I had worked yesterday, mowed half the lawn – made one of the main dishes for Bookies, went to Bookies, home…. crash.

Yup…. that looks right.

Our Book Club discussion around ROOM was fantastic… while not everyone loved the book, it made for good discussion… maybe one of the better ones we have had in a while.  I will be writing up a post centered around this discussion and of course the food we ate – as Bookies – the food aspect just adds to the flavor of the read.  😀

In another completely random thought…. I abandoned two audio this week and started with new ones.  Tami Hoag’s The Trouble with J J didn’t last long at all.  First of all, when I chose it I did not realize this was an older writing of hers, I thought it was a something new she was trying and different from her usual suspense genre.  In short time I discovered it was going to be a giddy romance and not a genre I enjoy at all. 

The second one I bid farewell to in short time was Before I Die by Jenny Downham.  I did not make it through disc one.  The story is about a 16-year-old girl who is dying of cancer and her list of things she wishes to do before she dies.  It did not take long to find out the first on her list was sex – and her friend takes her our clubbing (her dad says no – she goes anyway) and picking up guys…. and well…. good-bye to Before I Die.

Instead  I am now listening in my car to A Change In Altitude by Anita Shreve and while this first part is a bit confusing – I think I am going to really like it.  I also picked up Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky and I am listening to that in my kitchen.  That one has already generated some opinions that will more than likely show up in my review.  Awesome 😀

Ok – I am out…. but enjoy your day… I would love to hear if you have had any book abandonment as of late.

Good morning!  How ya’all doin’ today?

I have COFFEE CUP in hand, sitting at my kitchen table listening to the quiet of outside.  It is hazy, but not raining…

yet.

I am hoping it will clear so I can at least get a good jump-start on the lawn as tonight my late afternoon and evening are clear. 

Backing up here, if you have been following my morning meanderings as of late, Sunday I went into a deep spring cleaning mode.  I had my audio playing and I opened up the windows and started at one end of the house and worked my way through to the other – and in my kitchen… in the back of the potato bin I found this:

Yup.  Disgusting isn’t it?  At first I was appalled…. I mean GROSS! (I am an 80’s girl and yes I do occasionally say GROSS).  Then as I examined it more… I felt like one of those people who see figures in potato chips, or I think once someone found an image in their salad…

So… with a little help from Picnik:

I think it looks like Bob Marley and all day yesterday I called it “Potato Marley”.  (Yes, I name just about everything).  Then last night on Facebook my friend Joelle said it looked more like the Chiquita Banana Lady in need of tweezers for that chin hair.   And yeah, I can see that too.  😛

Ok…. enough of the spud humor.  It has lost its appeal to me…. (get it?  A Peal?  :razz:)  Ok…seriously – I am done now.

Tonight The Bookies (my book club) are reviewing ROOM by Emma Donoghue.  I read this book last fall and I am so excited to hear what they thought of it.  We are planning food around the book and I have the lamest BEST idea for a main dish that came to me one evening and I thought that just might work.  I can’t wait!  Tomorrow I will post the Bookies thoughts on ROOM as well as our food ideas to go with this review. 

Have a super fab day!  I am off to get ready for work!

Good Morning! 

I am actually in my kitchen looking out my window on to a day that looks to me like is going to be a nice one.  I am almost afraid to blink in case it is all an illusion. 

Yesterday morning I was in the jeep by 4:30 am on my way to Maplewood Minnesota for the MS ride that started at 7:30 am.  When I left it was pitch black so I was unable to see the condition of the sky…. the weather called for thunderstorms and rain but I was hoping it would hold off until later afternoon, after the ride.

As morning began to break across the sky I was excited to see clear skies and when the sun came up it was an amazing sight to see.  (Absence really does make the heart grow fonder!)

At the start of the ride (800 riders at this event) I left all the rain gear in the jeep and rode my bike with my bike shirt and a light jacket, which a few miles in – the jacket was around my waist as it was already too warm for it.  It was an amazing ride.  Gorgeous day and my only regret was my commitment back at home for 6 pm.  If I had not had that I would have rode the 60 mile loop instead of the 30.  I was nervous if I did the 60 if I would have enough time to drive home (2 1/2 hours), get cleaned up and to the event by 6 pm. 

On my way home I text Al to tell him that I had finished the ride and was coming home to start mowing the lawn.  He text back and said, “No mowing here today, it is raining.”

*sigh*  Of course it is.

Well, as least I got out of it for a day, put another 30 miles on my bike bringing my biking total miles  for 2011 up to 66.  My bike also just turned over 1300 miles total as we finished the ride so I am super pumped about that – I will have had this bike for 2 years in June.  😀

Today looks great too and I have a lot of plans today.  After brunch with my hubby, I am hoping to get a jump on the lawn. do a little spring cleaning, and tonight Floor Hockey.

Everyone have a wonderful wonderful Mother’s Day!   For those who will not have their children around them today *hugs* to you.  Mine will not be home either.  Justin is working in Mankato and Brad is in the Navy in Florida. 

By the time most of you are reading this I will be on the road (4:30 am) heading to Maplewood Minnesota about two and a half hours away to ride in the MS bike ride with several of my friends. 

As I left here was the forcast:

Today 63° | 41°

Sunday 63° | 47°

Monday 63° | 49°

Tuesday 65° | 49°

Wednesday 63° | 47°

So why why why am I going?  Great question… the weather has been so annoying this year and I already missed out on last weekends ride due to rain and cold.  The bummer is that the rest of the team riding all live in the cities area… I am the only one coming from Brainerd and the drive is half the battle. 

I have to be back by 5:00 pm tonight so I need to make great time, driving, biking, driving again. 

It has been several weeks since I have been able to participate in Alyce’s Snapshop Saturday but yay for current and upcoming events that provide me with pictures!  😀

So that’s me… I am out!  Have an awesome Saturday and if it is raining and you are not bike riding 😉  you should definitely enjoy a little reading.  😛

Good morning.  I am a little later than usual this morning.  I stayed up too late watching episodes of Amazing race 2.  I just received it in the mail a couple of days ago and I wanted it as one of the couple that were in season 2 live here in Brainerd Minnesota.  I think season 2 was about 8 or 9 years ago and hubby and I caught a couple of episodes at that time just to see these people we knew.  I don’t know why I decided I wanted to own, thought it would be fun to watch it from the beginning and it is, it is also really funny to see how far Amazing Race has come (currently on season 18 I think…..).  The camera work is poor, the rules are less strict, and the challenges they have to perform are nowhere near as wild as they are on current seasons.

Anyway… that’s why I am running about an hour later than usual and looking at the sunny start to the day – I am thrilled, as it was supposed to be another day of rain.  (If we can only keep this weather through tomorrow afternoon!)

My College Son turned 21 this past Monday.  Our kids always had a running joke that the day before any big event, earned an “Eve” (like Christmas Eve)… so on Sunday we were all on Facebook saying happy Justin’ Eve!  😛

Sitting here this morning…. not quite fully awake (first cup of coffee), I have a notebook next to me checking off what I need to do today, and what the weekend is looking like.  It is a whirlwind of activity.

Today I need to prep for tomorrows bike ride.  I need to be in Maplewood by 7:30 am.  Last year I went up the night before but this year… I just don’t want to.  Hubby thinks that’s crazy but last year was paying for a hotel room just to sleep and then out early in the a.m. to go to the starting area a few blocks away.  A waste of time and money.  And today is a full day –

Bike prep, mow the lawn (yes -first time… I think it is time), a bike ride, errands around town, clean house, tonight I want to kick box at 5:30 and then evening with my hubby.  Looks like I need to leave her at 4:00 a.m. 

😯

So Saturday ride – get back to Brainerd and help out with Child dedications at 6:00 pm for work (of and I need to look nice for that so if I have been in the rain all day + helmet head…. yeah…. ) 

and Sunday is Mother’s Day – I plan to be working on my house a lot on Sunday which probably does not sound like a great way to spend Mothers Day but I am actually excited about it.  I have not done a good spring cleaning yet as well… no spring 😉  And we have people coming over Monday night so that always motivates me to give the house a little extra attention.  😀

Ok final note since I have not done this yet…… May comment winners (Thank you everyone – I really do enjoy chatting books with all of you!!!) 

Top commenter and $20 Amazon Card Winner:  Hannah from Wordlily

Random comment winner of choice of books out of the Reading Cafe: Julie from Reading Without Restraints!

And we are back to rain.  😦 

I mean, Good Morning.  😀

But yeah.. I am at the kitchen table this morning with COFFEE CUP looking out the window hoping I do not develop frown lines.

Seriously.

I have been watching the weather all week feeling pretty good about my bike ride I have in the cities this Saturday…. it looked to be about 62 and partly cloudy…. I can deal with that.  Yet now, I look at that same forecast and now it shows that Saturday will be 62 and showers.  GAH.  Double GAH.  That’s right.  GAH  GAH.

In light of the recent news of Bin Ladin’s death, I pulled a book off my shelf that I found at a book sale a couple of years back.  I read part of it back then, found it interesting,but for whatever reason I shelved it.  The book is Inside The Kingdom (My Life In Saudi Arabia) by Carmen Bin Ladin.  She is Bin Ladin’s sister-in-law.  I think I will look through it at some point here.

Are you reading any books that has have triggered by this recent event?  Why do we (or I in this case) do that?  Is it to feel a connection?

In other closer to home news…. while the bike and the roller blades are safe and dry… I have happily had two Group Power sessions at the YMCA this week and two kick boxing sessions.  If feels so great to be back after missing two weeks.  Last night in kick boxing we did what they call stations where ever two minutes you go to a different person and practice a different move.  When I wore the mits (not the gloves) I was the 1 x 4 station.  Every girl who came to me had to punch the mits once with each hand, then twice, three times then four, then they had their choice to do three knees (where I push down on their knee as they punch it up like they are going to knee me in the stomach, or they could do kicks – where I lift the mits high, one behind the other to my side and they kick three times.  My point of sharing all of this in great detail is that they joked that being at this station I would be pretty sore today as well everyone was punching and kicking at me…

the whole point of sharing this is…

I feel great…. not sore at all.

Oh so good to be back 😛

In reading… I feel like I have been reading the same book and listening to the same audio forever.  I am finishing up the long long overdue Wordshaker read :  The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg and really enjoyed the read.  I have The Hobbit going in the car which is close to done and The Painted Veil in the IPOD which I am so surprised how wonderful this is and can not wait to share this with you.  I have a feeling several reviews are going to burst onto the scene shortly as all of these come to a happy and fulfilling end.  😀

Good morning.  I am up a little earlier than usual as my two dogs (who apparently OWN me) decided it was time to get up and go outside at 5:45 a.m. as opposed to their usual 6:30 a.m.  I shuffled to the back deck to let them out…. and immediately through slitted eyes searched for the coffee pot. 

On Monday evening I went to my first Friends Of The Library meeting.  This has been a “long time coming” process.  Every year at the annual book sales I see their flyers looking for people to join them.  They are the group that organizes events at the library, Book In A Bag (that is a 10 copies of a popular book to be checked out for book clubs), author events, speakers, etc….

I always thought if I say I love my library as much as I do…. why am I not a part of this.  Well…really there is only one reason…

I love being a part of the excitement of waiting in line for the Library Sale.  Seriously.  Remember my post last fall about the sale?  I have a blast trying to be first in line…. talking with the people outside, waiting excitedly to go in and load my bags with books…..

but here I am…. now a Friend of The Library.

The first meeting for me was interesting.  It was going over the summer plans for the library, which of us would take turns hosting the author events, how much money was in the friend’s account”, the dates for the fall library sale (THE DATES FOR THE FALL LIBRARY SALE!!!), laws being passed, funding for the library…. 

My hubby text me when I was gone  saying *are you almost done with the meeting?  Waiting to eat dinner with you.” and I text back….. “It’s not over yet and it is so interesting.*

Right now I don’t know my role in the group and that was a bit hard for me.  I like to know my purpose.  I figure maybe I am just over eager to get involved and so I stayed quiet except for a couple of discussions and figure I will see how it goes this summer.  I signed up to help with an author event in July and there are a few I would like to attend as well so I figure if I make myself present….. maybe they will see I am committed.  😀

On another completely random note…. (I do like randomness….) I had a review published in our Her Voice magazine which is kind of exciting.  This one was a specific review they asked me to write for the author, however they have asked if I would do a holiday themed review for their winter edition that would appeal to women (my choice SQQQUUEEE!!!) , copyright due in September.  I am so excited about this and you can believe I will have my eyes open at BEA for just the book…..  (I am also open to suggestions here :D)

My Her Voice article on the book Pain To Peace by Pat Bluth (I am page 46… I could not link to the exact page)

Have an awesome day everyone.  I am working then going to group power, then kickboxing tonight.  I have a pretty full day which bums me out a little as I see the sun is out and it is calling me to get on my bike….. but maybe tomorrow….