Book Signing

A few weeks ago, I found out about an author signing event hosted by Folklore and Lovebound Library. It was for Ally Carter and she was "in conversation" with Shannon Hale. I thought about it for a few days because it was in Park City on a Tuesday, but then I just decided I was going to go. Spoiler alert: I had the best time!

Somehow, I ended up with 9 books yesterday! LOL 2 of them came in the mail that morning, but still, that's a lot for one day, even for me. 

I decided to take the entire day off and spent the morning doing some errands and getting the oil changed in my car. Then around 2 pm I took off and drove to Midway. I figured if I was off work and heading in that direction anyway, I really needed to go back to Folklore. Three of the books in that stack got purchased at Folklore. Then I drove over to Park City for some dinner. I had a little time to spare so I went into World Market and then they have a huge Barnes & Noble up there. It has been a while since I've been to Park City and it was new to me. I went inside because I knew they'd have a restroom. I ended up with one more book as well. 

Then it was time to head over to the high school, which is where the signing was. I picked up my copy of Ally Carter's new book and then there was a table with books for sale. I bought 2 more books. I figured I needed the other Ally Carter to match (I only had it on Kindle) and then I bought the Shannon Hale book as well. What can I say, it sounded good? 

The conversation was fantastic. They were so fun as they talked and I was so happy I decided to go. They talked and answered questions for about an hour and then we got in line to get our books signed. I was standing in line with 2 other ladies who also drove almost as far as I did. It was so fun to talk to them about books. I really miss that. I don't care if we talk about specific books or just books in general, but that's not something I've had a lot of in my life. That's probably why I am on bookish social media places? Ally and Shannon were very nice and it didn't matter if I sounded stupid when it was my turn.

After that, I drove home. I was grateful that I took a coat because the tops of the mountains got a tiny bit of snow. It also rained most of the day. That only made it better, IMO. I had to really pay attention to drive home in the rainy dark, but I got home without any problems. 

It was just a really good day. 

Rainy Weekend

We are getting the moisture from a pacific hurricane, which means rain. Yay! It rained a bit on Saturday and Sunday. Then this morning when I woke up, I listened to the thunder and then the rain for a bit before I got out of bed. It finally feels all the way like fall. I even got to wear a long sleeved t-shirt today for the first time this season.

I didn’t do much on Saturday. I did my grocery shopping early and then just read or did a puzzle. I did fall asleep on the couch in the afternoon. It was a nice day for a nap and I hadn’t slept well the night before. But that’s what rainy days are for!

On Sunday, I had to prepare for family dinner. Both starting the roast in the slow cooker and rearranging my house. The roast turned out excellent. And I made au gratin potatoes for the first time and they were delicious. That recipe is a keeper for sure. The family ate the entire pan except for a very small scoop, which I saved for my dinner tonight. It was a good time, even though having that many people in my space gets my anxiety up. I didn’t get impatient with the kids at all though. And when they left I just sat there in silence for a few minutes. Then I got up and cleaned and put everything back the way I like it.

Cramped, but the setup works. I'm glad I got that old card table from my mom.

Rainy August

We got a nice rainstorm today. It was basically raining when I got up and was pretty steady until around 3. I loved it. 

I had to be at the church this morning at 8:30 to help clean. I got there in time to grab a vacuum. I don’t mind helping out when I get the vacuum. I was sweating when I was done. Then on the way home, I noticed my tire pressure light was on. I drove home and checked and none were flat-flat. I was really hoping it was just the temperature change. So I showered and got ready and drove over to the shop. The tires were a few pounds flat and they did say it was the temperature. Even though it’s not cold, it’s still almost 30 cooler today than it has been.

Then I did my grocery shopping and ate lunch. I had been planning to go to the library book sale, but they had to move it indoors and I just was not in the mood to be with a bunch of people in that space. So I skipped it and took a nap instead. After my nap, I was still not in the mood to be home. I wanted to get cozy, but not until later when I knew I was in for the day. I had told myself I could look for a few more wax melts for fall so I ran down to the mall. I found 2 apple based scents I’ve never had so that was good. 

I’m finally in for the night and it feels right this time. The sun is shining, sometimes. I think we may get a little more rain this evening. I made a soup called “Busy Day Soup” that I basically dumped frozen veggies and some leftover unseasoned ground beef in a pot with a can of tomatoes and some homemade onion soup mix. Then you add a noodle so I added bowties since that’s what I have. It actually tastes pretty good for a very quick soup. No chopping and very simple pantry ingredients. If it freezes well, I can put it into my soup rotation. 

Time to get cozy and enjoy the rest of the evening. I do hope we get a little more rain. The 10 day forecast has the temperatures in the 80s and as we head into September, I really hope we’ve seen the last of the high 90s. Two more days and I’m hitting fall hard!

Weekend

It was slumber party weekend. My niece had asked if they could have one before school started. I didn’t quite make that since most of them started this past week, but it was close. I had 5 of them spend the night. I feel like we did pretty good. The chaos was manageable and I didn’t yell. Seriously, I’m not sure why they like coming here. When I was younger, I made more of an effort. LOL

We started at the pool. Since some of us have a pass, I just paid for the other kids. My sisters came too and we had fun. We got out right before it closed and then went to Chic-Fil_A for dinner. We met up with my older nieces as well. Once dinner was over and we got back to my house, I let the kids play and they got out my tinker toys. I’ve had those things since Spencer was a tiny and they’ve been a good investment. About 8:30, I had them get in the pajamas and we made popcorn and settled down for a movie and treats. I rented some Pokémon movie and was bored stiff, but that’s ok. Eventually, I got them settled in bed and went up to bed myself. I told the older kids I didn’t care if they stayed awake or kept the tv on as long as they didn’t wake the twins. Evidently, they did stay up late and they did wake at least one of the twins. LOL I didn’t really hear them, but I did not sleep well. I just get weird anxiety when I’m not the only one in my house. So I ended up getting up early and took a shower and got ready for the day. I went downstairs a little before 8 to start breakfast and Rosie woke up first. Once one of them is up, there’s no way to stay quiet. 

We had breakfast and watched cartoons. I put on a few different 80’s cartoons because Katya loves watching 80s stuff. Then we got out the ancient game cube for an hour or so until Amy came to get the twins. They don’t all fit in my car for me to take home. I took the older kids home by way of Walmart for some birthday shopping and then In N Out for lunch. 

It was almost 2 when I got home to start cleaning. I got everything put away and got the floors vacuumed and swept and mopped. I started laundry and made my grocery list. I got home from shopping around 5 and just enjoyed the clean, quiet, calm of my home. I’ve been trying to make it cozy and I like how it feels. 

Then a little before 10 we had a thunderstorm. It was glorious. The rain just pelted down for a few minutes and I had puddles in my backyard on the lawn. It calmed down for a bit and then it started back up when I went to bed. I opened my window and enjoyed the cooler air and the sounds of rain and thunder. I do love a good storm. 

Today I’m finishing a bit of laundry, but otherwise taking it easy. After church, I plan on making the sweet corn chowder. I may throw in a small batch of biscuits as well. The sun is shining but the wind is blowing and it will still get hot. It’s been a good weekend though. 

Summer Storm

The part of summer that I hate came early this year. It’s been hot and dry (less than 10% humidity in the air) and windy and everything is on fire. Normally, this doesn’t hit us truly until later in the summer. Some of the fires are big and have forced evacuations. I’m just praying people stay safe and that they can get them out eventually. Most of the fires are further south, but even Salt Lake had one on the mountain above the hospital. And now people are upset because the governor finally did something and called for a statewide ban on fireworks. Personal fireworks. Municipalities can still have their shows and whatnot. I say yay. I’m a grinch when it comes to fireworks, and I know it. 

We did finally get some rain today. And that has been lovely. I woke up early and turned my fan off and a little bit later it started to rain. I just laid in bed and listened to it for a while. I’ve had my windows open and just been loving the cooler temps plus then general stormy atmosphere. I even just heard some thunder. While it’s coming and going I have decided to read in my library. Might as well enjoy it. Plenty of time for errands and chores later. 

Rainy Saturday

Last night when I went to bed, I heard a few raindrops and then they stopped and I really hoped that wasn’t all the storm we were getting. Luckily, it wasn’t. It started raining again sometime early this morning and didn’t stop until about noon. 

I wanted to get out of the house and my sister said she was heading to Valley Nursery for a cucumber or something so I said “pick me up!” We actually went for a drive up the canyon and over through Mountain Green and back down to Uintah first.  The mountains are stunning. Truly so beautiful. And we were driving in the low clouds and I just loved it. 

Then of course, being surrounded by plants and trees and flowers is always a good time. I had 2 plants that were either dead or dying and wanted to replace. I ended up with 3 houseplants. Ha! Two of them are succulents and they will probably die on me. But I do love having plants in my home. They make me happy. Just walking around the nursery is nice. We stopped in the rose greenhouse and just wandered. Roses are lovely, I just don’t want to grow them. 

The rain has stopped and the sun came out and now it’s cloudy again. I’m in for the rest of the day. I am doing a little cleaning, a little reading, a little laundry. I made black beans and rice for dinner and my house smells fantastic right now. I don’t even like when it smells like food but very excited to try this new recipe. 

I’m calling this week a win. I worked from home the entire week since there was an electrical project going on at the office. I did try and get out a bit every day so I didn’t get too stir crazy. I walked 3 miles and also went to water aerobics on Tuesday and Thursday. There were a few instances of rage at my job, but I handled it. There was also a problem that I solved and that felt good. So yeah, this week is a win. 

Conference Weekend

This weekend has been just what I needed: a break from the stress and worries I’ve been carrying. I decided that I actually needed to listen to conference a lot more than I did 6 months ago. I missed whole sessions of that one. 

Saturday I got up and did some cleaning, but made sure to be near where I could hear the tv. So some cleaning and laundry in the morning. My sister had a weird health issue pop up on Friday and so on Saturday after the 1st session of conference I went and picked up some prescriptions for her because she can’t drive yet. Then I took her twins with me to Hobby Lobby. I have made enough wreaths that I needed another wreath hanger. I got 2 just to be prepared. LOL Then we went to lunch and I had the kids out for the 2 hours between the sessions. I can’t do a lot for Amy and the kids like my mom did because I work full time, but I can periodically give her some alone time and space. It rained all day Saturday and I actually had fun getting out in the rain. 

By the time I got back home, conference had started so I did miss a lot of the first talk. But then I listened and started baking. Yesterday was pumpkin chocolate chip bread. After it cooled, I cut into it and it’s delicious. The recipe made 2 loaves so one is wrapped up in the freezer. By the evening session I was just finishing laundry and did the dishes and a puzzle. 

Last night it got cold! I don’t know what the temperature was but I was under my heavy blue jeans quilt for part of the night. I wasn’t really thinking I’d bake more today. Two loaves of pumpkin bread are plenty. But the cold got to me. I made a puffy pancake and homemade hot chocolate for breakfast. During the first session of conference I made up some no knead peasant bread dough to rise. And then….I made up a batch of mom’s chocolate chip cookies. Ha ha I do not need cookies or cookie dough but oh well. It will freeze and I can take it to neighbors or something later. My house has smelled heavenly all weekend. 

I’m really glad I cleaned on Saturday. That leaves Sunday free for rest. The only chore I had is dishes. During conference today I’ve been cross stitching. I do like it. I should get it out more often. I’m stitching pillow cases that mom had bought. I have 2 or 3 different ones. This one is straight cross stitch so nothing fancy and I almost finished it. I’m leaving it out for this week. If I put a movie on one night I can get it all the way done. 

As for what I learned in conference? I think the message I heard is to love everyone and treat them kindly and with respect. To serve where I can and to not forget my Savior and what he has already done for me and for the world. None of the crazy is a surprise to Him and the plan has been in motion since the beginning. I can take comfort in that. Basically, I need to show by my actions that I am a disciple of Christ. 

Let It Go

Grrrr, I’m so annoyed. Mostly with myself. Over the past 2 months I’ve had terrible pain in my teeth, jaw and side of my head. The only reason I chose to go to the dentist is because I wasn’t sick and didn’t have any sinus problems. And I don’t have allergies. They told me I probably needed a root canal and gave me a referral and then gave me a prescription for an antibiotic and said that would help with the pain in the meantime. And it did help. So yesterday when I went to the endodontist he said my tooth is fine. It’s not abscessed and I didn’t need a root canal. He also said if it was the tooth, then the antibiotic wouldn’t actually help. Which is fine. I didn’t want a root canal. But I have a hard time believing it’s only sinus when I have no other issues. And I still have a dull ache over that tooth. Ha ha I’m trying to let it go but I’m annoyed. I’ve decided this is just the next thing to ache in my ever more weird/changing peri-menopausal  body.  

To top it off, we had a major issue come up at work and I didn’t check back in after my appointment and crap really blew up. So I also didn’t know about a 6:30 am meeting and didn’t join. They have probably left me alone thinking I don’t feel well and I just didn’t want to jump into the middle of things that I don’t really know how to fix anyway. So I feel a little bit guilty. I mean my boss has been working on her vacation. And I feel a lot like I don’t care. 

Yep, I think I’m back in the being depressed and not caring about life cycle. At least in regards to work. I’m still doing stuff during my non-work life. And the family stuff I’m doing because I want to. The church stuff I’m doing because I said I would and can’t wait for it to be over. LOL yeah I’m kind of a mess. 

It’s been raining today though and I’m at home. I got to go eat school lunch with the twins and the rain has been good for my soul. My sister and I walked to the school with umbrellas and it was wonderful. So I’m going to let go of the annoyance and guilt and enjoy the rest of this perfectly wonderful rainy day.

Holidays

Ha ha ok so I put up my Christmas tree today. It’s the earliest I’ve ever done it but I was just feeling the vibe. My soul has been craving that cozy, old fashioned, childhood Christmas feeling. Peace on earth, goodwill to men seems really hard to find this year so I’m making it inside my house. I started with a new candle warmer that looks like it belongs in a Christmas village and went from there.

It’s been a drizzly, cloudy, lovely fall day. My mom and sister and I went to buy our poinsettias this morning. We get them from a place out near the freeway that I don’t know if many people know about. They sell them every year so I assume they make some money off of them. I hope so. Going into the greenhouse filled with poinsettias is one of my favorite things. It’s so hard to decide. So I basically don’t. I knew I wanted a big red one, but then I got 3 smaller ones in different colors as well. They just make me happy.  

When I got home and got my new plants in their place, I just made up my mind to decorate. I’ve still got the Fall/Thanksgiving decorations out (all 4 of them ha ha) and put out the Christmas stuff too. It just seemed like the perfect day with the drizzle outside. 

I’m still not quite ready for Christmas music, that can come later. But I’ve got some cozy going on now, at least. I also made lasagne soup for dinner and have a baked potato soup planned for tomorrow. What I really need now is the smell of wassail in my house. Pretty sure I have a wax melt that flavor. I’ll have to get it out. 

Anyway I have all next week off work and I’m looking forward to it. Thanksgiving week is probably my most favorite time of the year. 

Perfect Morning

I’ve had what I consider to be the perfect morning. I woke up on my own with no alarm clock and got to lay in bed listening to it rain for a while. Then I got up to get ready for the day and started some laundry. I opened the windows a bit to let in some fresh air. I took my breakfast up to my library and sipped hot chocolate while I read a book. It’s a wet, drizzly, cloudy day and one of my favorite types of weather. I’m very tempted to go for a walk in it. I think I will. 

Happy New Year 2023 Style

Happy New Year indeed. I was only up at midnight last night because of fireworks going off in the street behind my house. I’ve been sick again and while I didn’t feel too terrible, I stayed home and tried to go to bed before midnight. Today is a lazy Sunday while I try to rest and get completely better. It’s raining/sleeting/snowing anyway so a nice day to be home. I’m actually sitting in my library with a blanket, hot drink, and stack of books which = rainy day perfection.

I’m not much of a goal setter and I never make new year’s resolutions but I do like feeling that a new year is a fresh start. I like the idea of Janus, the 2 faced god, looking both backwards and into the future, endings and beginnings. I also like making lists and crossing things off my lists. So here’s a (guilt-free) list of things I would like to do this year. 

• Get rid of the clutter piles; make a place for everything or donate/recycle/throw it out
• Finish the rag wreaths and tied blankets
• Take some trips and do things with my vacation days rather than stay home - I have ideas!!
• Get out of my book slump; try reading in genres I don’t normally to shake things up
• Play the piano more often
• Listen to podcasts on my drive home; there are so many I want to try
• Pay off my car loan
• Change my direct deposit so I’m saving a little more each month

 

Don’t Blink

How did September get half-way over already? I can’t believe it! We started out with a crazy heat wave so my sister and I took the twins and my mom back up to the Uintahs for Labor Day. 

It was such a great day. The weather up in the mountains dropped to the 70’s. I almost needed a jacket when the sun went behind the clouds. 

My mom and I hit the summer farmer’s market up for one last time and I also went to the Peach Days Parade. This year my niece was in it. I love spending time with my family. Work has been crazy busy and I’ve another busy week ahead of me. Then I talked my nephew into going to the FanX con with me later this month. I’ve never been so we’ll see how it is. I truly only want to check out the artist alley because some of my favorite webcomic artists will be there. 

Today I’m hanging out and doing things around the house. It’s raining so the weather is perfect and I’m just enjoying my day off. 

Great Rainy Weekend

 I took Friday off work and gave myself a 3 day weekend. It was so wonderful. I even got out of bed 15 minutes early this morning without being grumpy and got to leave for work without feeling super rushed.

I was going to do a lot of things on Friday but it was trying to rain so I slept in and then got up and ran some errands. Once the rain started for real, I made homemade applesauce and then went into my library and made myself comfortable with a book or two. I read all afternoon and it was so nice and relaxing.

On Saturday I went to the farmer’s market in the rain. I was dressed in layers with my waterproof hiking shoes and rain jacket. I was wet but it was so nice to have the water. My mom and I went to breakfast after the market and then I went home and spent the afternoon and evening cooking and reading.

The sun finally came out on Sunday and when the clouds left, I could see the tops of the mountains have a dusting of snow. My only real plan for the weekend was to enjoy October and I think I can say I did. Even if I wasn’t outside quite as much as I had planned, it was a great weekend.

Summer Rain

We had a wonderful rain storm on Saturday night. We had rain earlier in the week also which caused some flooding in places. It was too much in to short a time. But on Saturday, it felt like a typical summer thunderstorm. Exactly what I think of when I hear Vivaldi’s Summer. The thunder and lightening passed quickly and left us with a nice rain. I opened my windows upstairs and read in my library. It was perfect. I really hope the hot, hot days of summer are behind us. I’m ready for fall. Once again, I’m going to try and be present and live in the day and enjoy it. Time passes so quickly it will be gone before I know it.

I thought the drops on the window screen were cool in the light.

Hello April

I'm working from home today because of an early meeting so I'm sitting in my chair looking out the window, watching it snow. Yes, it's snowing. I actually love snow in April. For one thing, you know it will be gone soon after it stops. But also, it's so pretty. The grass is green and there are green buds on the trees and white flakes floating in the air.  It's not coming down in buckets, just lightly snowing and making the everything wet. We had a beautiful, sunny weekend and now we have have a beautiful, wet weekday. I love it!

Another Weekend at Home

I’m not complaining since it was raining or snowing all day Saturday and I loved just staying in. I did a lot of cooking (and dishes after cooking) and a little cleaning and reading. I also finished another puzzle. I am loving the Ravensburger cozy puzzle series. I might have bought myself another one (actually two) for my birthday.

 

On Sunday after lunch I pretty much got back into bed with blankets and pillows and books/webtoons. It was kind of fun to be in bed in the middle of the day. Later that evening my neighbor came over and we exchanged more puzzles and I sent her home with some homemade rolls along with the puzzles. It was a good weekend.