Catching Up and a Little Library Talk

 Well, I've not posted in a few days. I started a post over the weekend, but my thoughts didn't come together like I wanted, so I deleted everything and now here I am, on a random Tuesday, figuring I need to come up with some words for the week.😅

Our weekend was good. I had to work half a day on Saturday, then we had lunch and made our way over to Ted and Alex's to see them and the kids. They had just gotten home from a two week trip to Nashville. We missed them like crazy! Collin and Morgan were there too, but only for a week and we got to see them when they got home last week. I love that my kids have the means to go on vacation, but like it even better when they all get home 💚

Yesterday I worked all day and it was a very busy day at the library. Not sure if it was just the Monday rush or because we are closed today, but things were so busy and I was so tired. I went to bed at 8:30 last night 😴

Tonight we are having family dinner - the first one in several weeks - so I will spend the day getting groceries, cooking and hopefully getting some reading time in.

 I'm reading a "can't put it down" book right now and I want to finish it this week. 

Other than finishing this book, I'm hoping to get a good start on Christmas shopping this week, though storing everything will take creative effort, considering we have limited space here. Maybe I should put "organizing closets" on the list for the week, as well. 

Speaking of space...our house is still on the market. It's been 116 days. Houses are still selling around here, so I'm not sure when this one will go. Very soon, I hope. We go over at least once a week to vacuum and make sure everything is clean and welcoming. It's not fun paying for two places to live, but thankfully the Lord has provided. 

David and I are still amazed at how much we are enjoying living in an apartment. I think it's the feeling of freedom that we enjoy. Once that house sells, we will enjoy it even more. 

I only work one more day this week and then I have my week off. When I get back for my next shift, it will be time to take down all of the Fall bulletin boards and put up the Christmas ones, so that when we come back after Thanksgiving, the library will look like Christmas. 

Timing at the library is kind of like working in the retail business. When we stamp due dates on the books, it's always 3 weeks ahead, so time seems to move into the next month very quickly. In the retail business, they are always shopping for inventory that reflects seasons coming up, not the season they are actually in. Does that make sense? Right now we are stamping books for a return date of December 3rd and it makes you realize how quickly the months move into one another. Just a little "shop" talk for you today. 😀🎄

Well, that's all for today.

I'm off to find breakfast and get started on my day.

I hope yours is warm and cozy and full of good things! 

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

Pictures from My Week

 Happy Wednesday, my friends!

At the risk of repeating this sentiment...I can't believe October is coming to an end! This month has zoomed by! The holidays will be upon us in no time and no, I haven't bought a single thing. I'm usually a December shopper. Now, with 3 birthdays in December, I might have to get started a little earlier. 

Today I thought I would share some pictures from my week and just give a very random update on what's been happening around here. 

First off, this is my cup of coffee I just had to have last night after getting home from work. I knew it was a bad idea, because drinking coffee at night has a strange effect on me. It doesn't keep me from falling asleep, but it wakes me up in the middle of the night and keeps me awake. This is exactly what happened last night from about 1:30 am to 3:30 am. To say I will be exhausted by the time I get home from work today is a vast understatement. 😓

And this was what the sky looked like on my way home, before said cup of coffee. About 10 minutes before we closed up the library, the sky grew dark and it started lightening and pouring down rain. Thankfully by the time I got on the road, it was moving on. This was the cold front that was supposed to usher in temps in the 40's, but currently it's still 52, which isn't bad, but not the cold blast we were all hoping for. (I guess you have to live in Texas where we're still in the 90's to appreciate this sentiment). 

Speaking of work...November is National Novel Writing Month, where writers around the country attempt to write 50,000 words, at least, on whatever they are working on. So for my November display, I brought my old typewriter to work and set up a collection of "how-to" books on writing, as well as books by local authors, to inspire patrons to tell their stories. 

You can see one of my books - Notes from a Writer's Heart - there with the other books. It's so exciting to  have my books in the library. Currently my homeschooling book is checked out to a lady who just started her homeschooling journey. I hope she's enjoying it!

And speaking of books...working at the library means having a "to be read" list a mile long! But it's so much fun too! 

This is a series I saw at Barnes and Noble recently, so I took this picture to show my coworker, who orders books, and we each downloaded a sample, so we could screen it for content before she ordered the series. We don't screen all the books (obviously), but we do read reviews and try to get the gist of the story before adding it to the library shelves. 

As for books that come in, if they look like something I want to read, I will take a picture or add it to my library app for the future. This happens daily as I'm checking in books that patrons bring back or as I'm straightening the shelves. Inevitibly I will find something that looks interesting and I'll take it home and add it to the stack. My stack from the library currently consists of 4 books that caught my eye this week. 😅 

And speaking of reading...this is always at the top of my list and I have to make sure before work to spend time with Jesus. No matter how stressed or tired I am, just 5 minutes in the Word and talking to my Father, brings peace like nothing else. I usually listen to worship music on the way to work (my boy's music comes first on the list) and it just sets my mind and attitude right for the day. What a privilege it is to be able to read our Bibles daily. We need not take that for granted. 

And lastly...this dining corner of our apartment is shaping up to be so cute and happy 😀💚 Collin and Morgan gave me the adorable green and white table cloth, which I love and the window with the painted flowers was a birthday gift from Ted and Alex. Each of the flowers represents the month our grand babies were born. How precious is that? Eventually I will add some shelves and other pictures or signs around what's already there, but I want to find just the right things and spend as little money as possible. It will take some thrifting, here and there. 

And that's it for this week, so far. Today is my "Friday" and I'll be off until next week. I've got projects to work on over the next few days, bills to pay and lots of books to read 😅

I'm hoping for some nice weather so we can sit by the pool in the evenings and read. It's one of our favorite things to do. 

So...

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

Oh, and let me know if you've ever participated in the National Novel Writing Month. I would love to know! 

A Celebration and Some Much Needed Rest

 

Well, I've finally recovered from all the birthday celebrations. It's been a fun and busy few days!

Monday my mom, aunt and uncle drove from South Texas to get here in time for my birthday dinner. We had a little time to visit before going to Ted and Alex's house, then we all headed down the road to the party. 

Morgan and Alex had all the food ready and the place looked so colorful and festive. They both worked so hard to make this a special night and it was way more than that. The food was delicious! We had tamales, tacos, beans, queso, homemade salsa, street corn and probably more that I can't remember. 

After dinner we had an ice cream bar, with ice cream and several toppings. But then Alex surprised me with my very own ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins, which is the same cake I used to request every year when I was a kid - Jamocha Almond Fudge. 

The gifts they gave me were all so precious and it truly was the best birthday I've ever had. I have felt loved and so blessed this year. 

🎂

Yesterday I woke up and had zero energy. I felt exhausted and just wanted to do nothing, so I practically did just that. 

I did manage to pick up a salad from Schlotzsky's for lunch, then came home and did more of nothing until early afternoon when I finally got out some cookbooks and made a menu and grocery list for the week to come. I placed a grocery order and we picked it up later that evening.

Oh, and I also managed to fix a crockpot of Lasagna Soup (thanks for the recipe Carrie!) which turned out to be absolutely delicious! But, because I didn't have lasagna noodles in the pantry, I used broken-up spaghetti noodles instead and it turned out to be amazing. This was probably one of the easiest recipes ever and one of the tastiest. 

I did two loads of laundry, put away all the groceries that evening and that was all for the day. Not a total loss, but not overly productive. 

As I was resting during the day, I started to feel that familiar feeling of guilt creep up, the one that says "you should be up doing something!" but I told it to shut up and I kept resting and taking it easy. Sometimes you just need a day to do nothing. 

I also ordered a book from Barnes and Noble and asked David to grab it on the way home, which he did. I mean...this is the life! 😅 hahaha! I rarely do things like that, but it was just that kind of day.

We had just been to B&N the day before and I saw this book in the window and it intrigued me, so when B&N sent me an email with a coupon...well...I had to have it. 

I am always fascinated by stories told in the 50's and this is a mystery, as well, so I'm excited to read it. 

I'll let you know how it goes.

Today I'll have my girls for the day and we will probably end up doing crafts and playing games, which sounds like the perfect way to spend my last day off. 

Tonight will be leftovers of Lasagna Soup and hopefully a good night's rest before work tomorrow, which I'm actually looking forward to. 

Well, I'm off to start the day. I hope you have a good one (productive or not) and I'll see you on the next post.

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

The Winter List - The Perfect Gift for Yourself or a Friend

 

As some of you may remember, I published this book last spring, but I'm sharing it again, because this is the perfect time to start using it for the upcoming winter. 

The book shares the story of the year that I began to feel anxious as the darker, winter months approached. I needed something to focus on during those long days, so I came up with the winter list of things to work on around the house, to keep my mind off the darker days. It worked so well, that I practiced this every year after that until I no longer dreaded the winter months. 

I go into more detail in the book and I've included plenty of space for writing out your projects and fun ideas for staying busy during the cold months. 

If you or someone you know struggles with the long, dark days of winter, this book would make a great tool and now is the perfect time to start compiling the list. 

Right now Amazon has them for $5.99, so it would make the perfect gift, priced just right. 

To purchase, click HERE or find the book on the sidebar of the blog and it will take you directly to the book on Amazon. 

I hope you all have a great weekend! See you soon.

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

Libraries and Bookstores - two of my favorite places

 Hello Friends!

I hope your first week of September was cool and cozy, with colors of orange, yellow and autumn all around. I live in Texas so mine was...HOT! 

But, what to do when it's still in the 90's outside? Decorate the library for FALL and pretend like the season is changing (even if you're sweating while doing it)😅

This week I got to decorate for Fall at the library and I had so much fun. I have a boss who gives me free rein to decorate and I just love that she trusts me with the task. We put a fall scent in the wax burner, turned the air down to 70 and by the end of the week, it was smelling and looking like a new season.

And speaking of books...over the holiday, we went to visit family and I also got to visit a bookstore I discovered on Instagram, called The Painted Porch Bookshop, in Bastrop. It was such a quaint little place with all kinds of books, as you can imagine. 

Take a look at that stack of books! There was a cozy couch just across from the fireplace and other comfy spots to sit around the store. 

I did end up buying one book from this collection of Everyman's Pocket Classics. The one I chose was Wedding Stories, about famous writers and their wedding stories. I had a hard time choosing. I love short stories and I also love series, so to choose just one book was really hard. I wanted to own every one of them 😅 But, that wouldn't be practical at this point, so I just chose one and will hopefully add more as the years go by. 

Of course...what's a cozy bookstore without the resident cat? This cat was laying on a bench, just under the window and we had to spend a few minutes petting him and listening to him purr. If I ever own my own bookstore, there will absolutely be a cat (or two) hanging around. 

Now the weekend is here and we are spending the day with our granddaughters. I think the local children's museum is on the agenda. It should be a fun day and I know we'll be wiped out by the end of it, but in the best way. 

I hope your Saturday is all you want it to be. Hopefully with some true, Fall-like temperatures to go with it. 🍁

Take care and I'll see you soon!

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

Books and More Books

 Hello friends...

It's been a great week, filled with friends, family and some much needed time to work on some things around here, such as rearranging my office and finally putting some order to my overpacked bookshelf.

David had a long day trip yesterday, so I had all day to move an entire room around and get this project done, before going back to work. 

It was good to have the goal of finishing before David got home, because it gave me incentive to keep going, even when my back was done and I really just wanted to sit down and read a book.

After all, much of my rearranging involved moving books and as much as I love my books...they aren't fun to take off the shelf and put back on, when you have a decent collection. But I did it and I'm happy with the progress I made.

These are some that I can pick up and read a few chapters and come back to later.

There's another row behind these.

Currently, I'm working with only one bookshelf and my books are stacked and double stacked. I'm holding off buying another one, but once the house sells, I will have that on my list of things I need. 

So for now, I've shelved them according to:

*MY FAVORITES

*DEVOTIONALS

*TO BE READ / TO BE FINISHED

*FEEL GOOD BOOKS

*BOOKS ABOUT HOME

*PERSONAL FINANCE

*WRITING BOOKS

*MAGAZINES

*REFERENCE AND OLD BIBLES

These are some of my absolute favorites.

Also my favorites

More favorites!

To be read or finished

The shelf is nothing to write home about, but it's working for now and at least I know where everything is. Years ago I had triple the books, but I gave away bags and bags, to a friend who loves books. I've regretted it at times, but I really had to pare down. 

Now I only read fiction from the library and if it's really a keeper, I'll buy it for my own shelves, which I did recently with Richard Paul Evan's Broken Road series. But I found them on Thrift Books, so I got them at a great price and it was worth adding them to my collection of series. Speaking of series...once I find an author I enjoy, I will collect multiple books of theirs, especially if there is a series. I love having little collections around the house. 

I love biographies, but once I've read it, I will pass it on for someone else to enjoy. I also love books about homemaking, personal finance, cozy home books and story books written in the style that I write in, which are just short stories about life. 

In order for a fiction book to stay on my shelf, it has to have a feel-good element to it. I love mysteries, but I don't keep those anymore and I don't buy them. Thankfully I can read all the mysteries I want, straight from the library. But when a book touches my heart and I love the characters, I will keep it. Those are the books I want to hold on to, like old friends. 

I have a smaller bookshelf that stands beside my desk and I was able to move all of my journals and personal writings to that shelf. Now they are all in once place - even the extra copies of my own books - so I know where all my stories are and can easily reference them when needed. I don't know why I haven't done this sooner. But regardless, they are done now and it feels great to be organized. 

I have more books stacked here and there around the house. I love using them on side tables, as decoration. 

Yesterday I made a small bag for donation - books that never really moved me, but I'm happy to pass them on and let someone else give them a try. I also packed some of my own books into a small bag that I plan on keeping in the car. There are times when I've wished I had one of my own books to give to someone that I meet, but I never have them on me. I think it will be fun to leave some copies here and there, as I go places. 

Well, thanks for reading all about my books 😀📚

Books are and always have been a huge part of my life. Are you a reader? E-books or real books? Mysteries or not? 

Tell me what you collect and what you read. I would love to know. 

Until Next Time...

Blessings! 

Happy Monday and What I'm Reading Right Now

 Good Monday Morning, my friends!

I hope you've had a good weekend. We were busy on Saturday fixing a few things in the house that will be going up for sale this week. I met with our realtor last week and she said the market is going both ways right now, so I'm hopeful, yet a little nervous. 

On Saturday evening we finally made our way down to the pool and swam for about 30 minutes. David and I kept saying that we can't believe this is our home now and we can just swim anytime and not have the responsibility of keeping up (or paying for) the pool. What a treat!

Yesterday we went to church, had lunch at home, visited our youngest kids for a few minutes and took a walk around the complex. There are some great, meandering sidewalks that go through the middle of the complex and it's very peaceful. We met several dog owners, out walking dogs. Everyone is very friendly so far. 

Saturday, after swimming, we watched a great movie called Hampstead. I found it on Prime and thought it looked good and we really enjoyed it.  

Over the weekend I finished an older book about Ashley Judd, called All that is Bitter and Sweet. 

This is one that I came across in the library and thought it might be interesting, since I was always a fan of the Judds. It was a good look into her life, as opposed to what I've always known of her mom and sister. They had quite the dysfunctional household and family, to say the least. She talked a lot about mental health and her time in Africa. I skimmed much of those sections, as I really just wanted to know about her life with her mom and sister. It certainly caused me to have more compassion for Ashley. 

I'm now starting a trilogy of books written by Richard Paul Evans and hope to read one per week, over the next 3 weeks. 

This is what happens when you work at a library 😅 You want to read everything! I always enjoy Richard Paul Evans, so I'm looking forward to this set of books. 

Today I'll be spending the day with my little girls. They've been wanting to go swimming, so today's the day!

David spent the evening blowing up floats, so they are stacked and ready to go for this afternoon. Let's hope the rain holds out or it will be an afternoon of playdoh and arts and crafts, which would be nice too.

Have a wonderful day my friends!

Until Next Time...

Blessings!

Let's Take a Drive

 

Our 1971 Chevy we called Mr. Green Jeans

This week we've both been sick with a bad cold, which the pharmacy claims is covid. I'm still calling it a cold. I refuse to give credit to the devil any further than we already have with this mess. But, nonetheless, we've been sick with congestion and general yuck, and so we've been taking it easy. 

I'm a few days ahead of my husband on the recovery, so I suggested we grab a burger and take it to the park, just for a change of scenery. That was fun, until the flies got interested in our lunch, so we moved on.

🪰

One of our favorite things to do together is take leisurely drives. We've always had our back roads we like to travel; some to see the donkeys, others to see our favorite ranch land. 

For years now, there has been a certain house and acreage that we love to drive by and basically dream of the "what if's." It's nothing fancy - just a house and some land - but for some reason, it has our hearts in a strange way. Who knows? Maybe it's nothing or it might be something, but for now it's someone else's house that we really like. 

It was nice to get out today and spend some time driving around in the sunshine. We stayed gone for about an hour, but it was just enough time to give us a change. Now we're back and settling in for the rest of the afternoon, and I thought I would share a story from my book, Notes from a Writer's Heart, titled "Let's Take a Drive." I hope you enjoy.

Let’s Take a Drive

 

It's an early morning or a lazy afternoon and one of us says.....

 

"Let's take a drive."

 

We’ve been doing this for years. It’s where we have some of our best conversations.

 

There’s something about being in our old truck, taking the roads at a slower pace, that welcomes conversation undistracted.

 

It takes away the pressure of being face-to-face and allows words and thoughts to flow a little more freely between us.

 

We love the country roads; the ones where we search for the donkeys and the horses we’ve come to expect.  We reminisce about the horses we once had and how we miss them and wonder how they’re doing.

 

We pass the property of some friends and take notice of all the progress they’ve made and talk about the projects we would like to get started on at our place.

 

Sometimes we’ll stop by the ice cream shop where I’ll get my favorite and he’ll take on a malt. Then we get back in the old truck and head out for some more conversation and adventure.

 

We may find an old junk store and take a minute to walk the aisles. Most of the time we come out empty handed, but it’s all part of the charm of the day.

 

Finally, one of us will say it’s time to head home and we’ll start going in that direction, only to find ourselves drawn to the winding road off the beaten path.

 

It lends us a little more time and a little more talk, though by this time we’re both comfortable with the quiet of the ride, as we take in the sights of the country road.

 

A little while later we see our home in the distance and we arrive with full hearts.

 

It feels like we’ve been gone just long enough, but the truth is, both of us are anticipating the next time someone says......."Let's take a drive!”  Hoping it will be soon.

 

🫏

I hope you've enjoyed this short story.

You can read more like this

in my book

Notes from a Writer's Heart.

Just click the book on the sidebar

and grab one 

📕

Until Next Time...

Blessings!