wrapping it up

I'm a sucker for pretty paper, nice bows and beautiful gift tags. Heck, I'm a sucker for pretty boxes, packages, gift bags etc.  Those folks who work to make containers look good...I'm their audience. Sometimes it doesn't matter what is inside the package. How the package looks is what is most important. Crazy, right? 

I bought the most gorgeous wrapping paper last year for this Christmas. It is a beautiful cranberry red with white snowflakes and elegant black script. Simple, classic, so pretty.  I also bought red, black and white ribbon to use.  I've wrapped all the kid's presents thus far and haven't tagged one of them. I've color coded the ribbon so I know which gift goes to which kid.  It is our most recent holiday game.  The presents look stunning under the tree. Love it.

Today I will finish shopping for them as well as for my two nieces and nephew. Very fun stuff indeed.  More presents to wrap and make pretty.

The latest read, as I wrap up this year's books, is "Ghost in Trouble". This is the third Bailey Ruth Raeburn book by Carolyn Hart. Bailey Ruth is at it again, helping to solve another murder in her beloved Adelaide, Texas. Hart is an accomplished and experienced writer.....comfort food for the mind. I enjoyed the story.

Up next is another  mystery, but this is a more historical piece, and I think it might be a debut book.

Happy Thursday.

yippy skippy

My to do list has now been all crossed off. Yeah!!  I have a few things to do tomorrow, but today will be an 'at home' day as I have a few small things to do as well as finish the book I'm reading and make a big pot of chicken and dumplings for supper tonight.

My current book is the latest Bailey Ruth story from Carolyn Hart. Bailey Ruth is a ghost, or as she puts it, a heavenly emissary.  She is sent earthside by the Dept. of Good Intentions to help solve mysteries.  My friend, Anne, suggested these books to me, and I've enjoyed them. I'm going to miss chatting about this latest adventure with her. In fact, Anne would be a great heavenly emissary and I'm sure she'd be a great candidate for the Dept. of Good Intentions.

I got an email and a phone call from B&N yesterday. The big book order for the Anne Babin Book Club in a Bag program is on its way. I really hope we can make a go of this endeavor. Once the library gives me the green light to go public, I am going to put a huge effort into this. Huge. Whatever it takes. 

Off to enjoy the day...cooking, a book, maybe a movie and a closet or two to bring under control.

the art of making lists

Apparently I'm not alone when it comes to list making. I posted a comment on facebook about the simple joy I feel when I am able to cross a line item off my to do list. Ahhh. That sweet feeling of accomplishment. Nothing like it. Several of my friends agreed as they are list makers too.

A long time ago, Franklin planners used to be all the rage. Folks would go out and buy a special calendar book and then try to prioritize their day and their to do list with an ABC ranking system. Don't know what sort of business Franklin is doing this days. I'd imagine that the smart phone technology has put a major crimp in their business, but perhaps they've developed a Franklin app, and all is well in their world.

I never used the Franklin system, even though one of the banks I worked for at the time of its heyday offered a seminar on the concept.  I just stuck with plain notebook paper, a pencil and a plan.

You write down the stuff you need to do. Then you go and get it done. Cross the items off the list. Enjoy the feeling of satisfaction. Start it all over again as needed.

Now, granted, not every day needs a to do list. But, there is something very tangible about writing down what you need to accomplish and seeing those words stare back up at you from the paper. I feel more accountable when I have a list in hand.

My list yesterday had only two things left on it by the time my girls arrived home from high school. I should finish those two things today along with a few other things I need to do. And if all goes well, I can sit down and enjoy a cuppa tea, a cookie and a bit more of the latest Carolyn Hart mystery later today.

The Serpent's Tale

I read the second book in the Ariana Frankling medieval mystery series over the weekend. It was every bit as good as the first one. Yay. One of the things I need to do today is put holds on books 3 and 4 and have them sent from our neighboring library. This story featured Queen Eleanor, and while I didn't particularly care for her personality in this novel, it was fun to see the author's take on one of my favorite queens.

Now a mother, Adelia is happy living in the Fens and is somewhat content being away from her lover, Rowley Picot, the current Bishop of St. Albans.  He is sent to summon her to yet another convent to investigate yet another murder, but this time it is the 'fair' Rosemund, Henry II's mistress.  She's been poisoned and all attempts made to make it look like this deed was done at Eleanor's behest.  But, all is not as it seems, and as winter sets in and the Thames freezes, the action heats up and the bodies pile up.

Good stuff.

On another note, I'm anxious to get a recipe for potato leek soup. We attended the Advent Lessons and Carols program last night at church and the soup supper afterwards. Another mom I know, made the soup from a recipe shared by the new associate priest, who happens to be a trained chef. It was delicious...even the kids loved it. Cream. White Wine. Potatoes, Leeks. What is not to love??

Okay off to begin a very busy week. I have a lot to do and am determined to accomplish a lot. Happy Monday.

100 books this year

I'm closing in fast on my goal of reading 100 books this year! The Anne Rice book is number 94. Yeah.  I've tried to read a  variety of genres and next year on one of the facebook pages I enjoy, a different genre a month will be a new goal for the participants. Sounds like a good plan to me.

The donations yesterday were marvelous. We have some books that were pulled from the library inventory and are less than six months old. Amazing. For example, we have four copies of the latest Janet Evanovich book to sell...at $2.50 each.

I'm going to lunch today with some of the gals, I'm sure we will have a good time. I also have lots of errands to run. I'm putting off cleaning my house as I need to get some cleaning gloves. My fingers, now that we are in drier weather, are starting to crack already. I've tried all sorts of lotion and cream, but keeping them out of water seems to be the first step. So, I have a legit excuse for my dusty house and less than sparkling bathrooms.

Happy Friday!!

when every word matters or how Anne Rice writes

I picked up the latest Anne Rice book, "Of Love and Evil" at the library yesterday. This is the second title in the Songs of the Seraphim series. I was a bit surprised at the length of the book. Coming in at 177 pages, this is more of a novella than a novel. I've only read about 40 pages thus far and I now understand why the story is so much shorter than most of her other stories. Every word matters. Talk about a lesson in lean, but lush writing. We are talking a master's class in between the covers of this book.

She has packed so much power and insight into such few words. The word choice. The sentence structure. Incredible.  The only thing I can liken it to is dessert. Sometimes you have a dessert and you finish the slice or serving and think....hmmm, I could eat two more of those. Other times the dessert is so rich, dense, complex and heavy that you struggle to eat half of it.

That is this book. I'm going to read this one slowly and savor each and every word.

She is in New York right now doing the news shows, interviews and book signings. I caught her interview on GMA with George Stephanopoulos via a link she provided on her facebook page.  Great interview. Her faith 'journey' is very interesting to me, perhaps because she was kind enough to exchange emails with me several years back when her first Christ the Lord book came out.

Happy Thursday....the weekend is sneaking up on us.

short and sweet

Lots and lots to do today starting with taking the dog to the vet bright and early. Hoping for a good report there as we've found two 'lumps' on his underbelly and I'm a bit concerned.

Then I have the Friends meeting.

Sigh.

It is going to be a long day.

******UPDATE****** Our dog is okay, just some fatty/tumor deposits and the vet is very sure they are nothing to worry about. No needle biopsy needed at this point. Yeah!!