CHANGE & HOW IT AFFECTS US…

I am struggling. I know how to add the links to the images, but when I open the post and try to maneuver, the blocks leap around and make the task impossible. Except that sometimes it works. Sigh.

Meanwhile, however, I am thinking that links to my images are not as important as the links I apply to the book titles, etc. Right?

Has anyone else found the task insurmountable at times?

The simplest things are difficult. Like creating a “quote” of a paragraph. Finding the right block, but then discovering that it eludes me. Escapes me.

I am deciding what to focus on when I write a post. Can my images exist without links? Yes, I think they can.

As long as my book titles take us to the sites where our products are purchased and where readers can find our reviews.

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What do you think about the newest WordPress changes? Are they worth all the hassle?

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Check out Bookishly Boisterous to See What Others Are Chatting About.

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COFFEE CHAT: ANTICIPATING PUMPKIN DAY!

Welcome to another Coffee Chat, in which we share bookish and not so bookish thoughts.  Head on over to Bookishly Boisterous to add your link.

 

The great Pumpkin Day is coming!  Meanwhile, I have been enjoying various pumpkin desserts…and decor, just to get in practice for the Big Event.

This week has been a busy one, with errands, another dental appointment (the final bridge installation is on Monday!), and a better than normal reading week, since I’ve already zipped through two books.  When a week starts out like that, I am ready for fantastic numbers.  I loved Her Pretty Face, by Robyn Harding (click title for my review).

• Since I quickly flew through those pages, the next one was even faster, and I couldn’t put it down.  Three Days Missing, by Kimberly Belle, was fast-paced with lots of intensity. (Click for review)
• Currently I am reading Winter in Paradise, by Elin Hilderbrand…and continuing my slower read of What Happened, by HRC.
• After finishing Brothers & Sisters on Amazon Prime, I started on House of Cards, Season 6.  I have only watched four episodes so far.
• On Monday, my youngest grandson marched in the local Veterans’ Day Parade:  (Noah, Center)

• Since this week was pretty busy, I couldn’t stay asleep on Monday night…and woke up at 2:00 a.m. to read.  Because the book was impossible to put down, I kept going and never caught up on my sleep.  So Tuesday night, I went to bed even before This Is Us aired…and it’s a favorite!  (I’ll catch up on the DVR later). I woke up at 7 a.m., feeling rested…finally.
• Today’s mailbox brought the lovely Becoming, by Michelle Obama, and a new and very soft heating pad from Amazon.  So cozy!
• As I sip my coffee, I am feeling in tune with my books and my anticipation of the holidays.  And loving some of the election results!
• When I did my reading this week, I curled up in this reading chair in a corner of my bedroom.
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• I am looking forward to next week and some family/friends get-togethers.
• This week has been the first time that I needed the heater!  I like the coziness of it, curled up in the covers and feeling the warmth that doesn’t come from hot days.

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How is your week shaping up?  Are you eagerly anticipating the holidays ahead?

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COFFEE CHAT: WHAT A WEEK!

Welcome to another Coffee Chat, in which we share bookish and not so bookish thoughts.  Head on over to Bookishly Boisterous to add your link.

How is it Thursday already?  What a week!  Errands, voting, paying bills, and binge-watching Brothers & Sisters..still.  But I’m halfway through the final season.  I was lax on the reading front and finished my first book of the week last night…and then went to sleep before writing the review.  Which is why I woke up to write and post it first thing this morning. In Her Bones, by Kate Moretti (click for review) was fascinating…but sometimes tedious.  

• Right afterwards, I checked my emails and found a NetGalley review book waiting for me:  The Escape Room, by Megan Goldin.  I almost didn’t download it—it would be my sixth ARC still unread—but its release date is 8/6/19, so I’ll have plenty of time to get to it.
• I started reading The Island House, by Nancy Thayer, a book that has been waiting patiently on my Kindle for…TWO years!  I should have read it during the summer.  But I am intrigued, so I’m ready to dive in.  Why did I forget about it?  I love Thayer’s books.

• I have five more days before I return to the dentist and, hopefully, get my permanent bridge.  I am so tired of chewing on one side only!
• Halloween slipped right on by me this year.  No decorations and no Trick or Treaters.  That works for me.  The time changes, though, not so much.  But we may be able to have permanent Daylight Savings Time here in California, thanks to the election.
• I love my Mary Engelbreit calendars…and this November one cheers me up when I enter the kitchen.  It is now time to search for 2019 calendars.  I usually buy them at Barnes & Noble around the corner.

 

 

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How is November treating you so far?  Are you loving your books and your not-so-bookish events?

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COFFEE MORNING: BOOKISH/NOT SO BOOKISH THOUGHTS…

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Good morning, Blog World!  It’s time to share some of our Bookish/Not So Bookish Thoughts, along with Christine, at Bookishly Boisterous.

As the days slide by, I am making lists and planning the getaway next Friday-Sunday, (March 31-April 2) for my daughter’s wedding.

• Last night, my second son, who lives in LA, called and we chatted as he drove toward Phoenix, where he will be visiting his youngest son, a college freshman there.  I like these little chats, and he says they make the journey less tedious.
• He and his eldest son, Alec, who will be on spring break, will be coming to the wedding, so we had logistics to discuss.  They plan to stay Saturday night only.
• I am one of those people who has to start “getting ready” way too soon, and as a result, I have all the clothes I’m planning to take hanging together in the closet, and the luggage is next to my bed.  I always worry that I will forget something important, like iPhone charger, Kindle charger, etc.  Hence, the lists.
• When I used to travel more, getting ready to go was on auto pilot.  Not so much these days.
• Meanwhile, I’m doing some reading this week, and I’m on my third book:  Bridges:  A Daphne White Novel, by Maria Murnane.  I enjoyed her Waverly Bryson series, and I’m loving this one, too.

 

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• This week is Bloggiesta, and I’ve been having fun updating my various blogs, fixating mostly on my Rainy Days and Mondays site
• A few days ago, my coffee pot died…so I went off to buy another, bemoaning the fact that they don’t seem to last very long.  Perhaps because I keep buying Mr. Coffee…and should be trying something…better?  But I took the easy route, and hauled another Mr. Coffee home.

 

• I’m getting a lot of use out of my new blender (which I bought to replace the one my daughter borrowed…ten years ago?).  Smoothies, etc.

 

• Every night this week, I’ve been binge-watching Scandal, on Netflix.  I never watched the show on TV…and I started it here when I couldn’t find anything else on Netflix that grabbed me.  Some episodes were boring, but now in the third season, I’m hooked.
• I do want new seasons to come along for old favorites, though…but in the meantime, I’m good with this one.

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That’s my week so far….come on over and let’s chat.

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A SUNDAY COFFEE CHAT: PLANNING MY DAY….

Good morning, and welcome to a Sunday Coffee Chat.  My new header (above) came to me late last night, when I realized that I hadn’t changed it in a while.

Changing things up seems to be my default setting on my blogs…and in my life.

Conveying the theme of my site is what I hope to achieve, and doing so in a variety of ways makes me feel “fresh” and “new.”  This blog is all about reading, blogging, and writing…and my love of those activities.

As I grab another cup of coffee, I ponder the day ahead.  Yesterday was all about running errands and having a relaxing lunch.

 

 

Today I plan to read, watch some Netflix, and some of the movies on Amazon Prime Videos.  I also have some movies on my DVR.  Ordinary People is one I’ve been wanting to watch again, since Mary Tyler Moore gave an extraordinary performance in it.

 

Tonight my favorite thing will be watching Big Little Lies…and The Good Fight, streaming on CBS:  All Access, a recent acquisition.

 

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I am currently reading The Mother’s Promise, and I was drawn in by the alternating narrators immediately.  Each character’s perspective offers just enough to keep me turning those pages.  A single mom, a teenage daughter with severe social anxiety, and an illness that renders the mother unable to provide the buffer her daughter has always depended upon.

 

 

 

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So…that’s what I have planned.  What do you enjoy on a Sunday?

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COFFEE MORNING: SOME BOOKISH/NOT SO BOOKISH THOUGHTS…

Good morning, and welcome to another chat featuring our Bookish/Not So Bookish Thoughts, hosted by Christine, at Bookishly Boisterous.

Let’s grab some coffee and chat!

 

I can’t believe how late I slept today!  Eight o’clock!  That’s unheard of for me.  I must have needed the sleep.

• In my little office alcove pictured at the top of this post, I spend some cozy moments:  writing blog posts, visiting other blogs, and, yes, connecting a little bit on social media.
• That alcove has gone through a few changes over the years.  Once upon a time, it was a place for my extra bookshelves…

 

• When I started purging shelves, I didn’t need that space for books…and when I had house guests staying in the office/guestroom, I knew that I needed to render the space more comfortable for them.  Now I can easily unfold the sleeper sofa.  My desk area that took up a lot of space in the room has now been relocated to the alcove, but with a smaller desk…(See below for former home of the rolltop desk).

 

• Enough about my room changes!  After reading and reviewing THREE books so far this week, I am totally engaged in another NetGalley ARC:  Almost Missed You, by Jessica Strawser.  I like books that reel me in from the start, and this one definitely has done that.

 

“Almost Missed You is a skillful, insightful debut: a deft exploration of the mysteries of marriage, the price we pay for our secrets, and just how easy it is to make the worst choices imaginable.” —Chris Bohjalian, New York Times bestselling author of The Sandcastle Girls and Midwives…

• Has anyone else been watching Big Little Lies on HBO?  I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy it, since they changed the setting from Australia to Monterey, CA…but the cast makes up for that, IMO.
• This week has flown by…again!  But tomorrow I’m looking forward to a lunch with an old friend who has been through some health challenges recently.  We’re going to The Red Lobster, where I used to lunch a lot when I was working near there.
• Some time this weekend, I must start searching for my “mother of the bride” outfit…I can’t tell you how much I am NOT looking forward to the shopping, as it means I’ll probably need to go to the mall.  Can’t I order it on Amazon?  LOL
• I also have to get new shoes….Groan.
• I put the Uber app on Phoebe, my iPhone…as my daughter says there will be no parking at the home where they’ll be having the reception the next day, back here in our city.   I’m a little nervous about Uber...

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That’s my week so far…what does yours look like?

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COFFEE CHAT: TICK-TOCK, THE TIME IS FLYING….

Good morning, bloggers!  I’m having my first cup of coffee while chatting today…please join me, and also check out Christine’s Bookish (and Not So Bookish) Thoughts.

• A couple of weeks ago, I received a jury summons for this week.  I was annoyed, but I thought it would be the usual calling in at night and being told to call again the next evening.  Well, not so much.  I was supposed to appear at 8:30 yesterday!  And I had plans yesterday…and today.  So I stayed on the line and went through the menu…finding the one where I could postpone it for up to nine months.  So I did.  What a relief!
• I went ahead with my massage and hair styling yesterday at my daughter’s salon.  She put a little more of the silver on my hair, with the dark low lights.  She took a photo of the back when she was finished.   I was ready to change from being a redhead for all these years…

 

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• Today I sign my tax forms and the accountant files them.
• Yesterday I did some changes with my lamps.  I had a rather chunky lamp on my rolltop desk, in my office nook, and I decided (finally) that it was too big…so I switched things around, with that lamp ending out behind the sofa…

 

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• My smaller lamp now sits atop the desk….

 

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• I am determined to make additional changes in my lifestyle, including more exercise.  I have that stationary bike for the days that are rainy…and I guess I can’t seriously believe that changing lamps and furniture around counts as exercise!  So move over Minnie, I’m coming in!

 

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• I’m reading two books right now, which is unusual for me:  one is a print book, and the other is on my Kindle:  The Best Awful, by Carrie Fisher; and Rainy Day Women (e-book), by Kay Kendall.

 

 

• I hope to read a lot today…until I have to leave to sign the tax forms, which can be late afternoon.
• It’s Thursday, and I love the lineup on nighttime TV!  TGIT!
• But why do the weeks fly by?  I really haven’t managed to accomplish a lot, although I have finished two books so far.  But seriously?
• In a little over a month (April 1), we’ll be headed to Cayucos for my daughter’s beach wedding…and before then, I have to find an outfit.  I hate clothes shopping…but I guess it must be done.
• At least I’ve reserved my hotel room for two nights.  We’ll head up on Friday, stay the night, and the wedding will be at 1:00 in the afternoon.  Then dinner, a bonfire on the beach, and the next day…home.  The reception will be back here, at my daughter’s new brother-in-law’s home.  Since it’s her second marriage, I have had little to do with the arrangements…and that’s fine by me.  I can be a guest and enjoy the party.   Plus, the in-laws have bigger houses…LOL.
• Speaking of time, we’ll be going to daylight savings in March!  When did it stop being in April?
• So…tick-tock.

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And these are my thoughts for this Thursday.  Enjoy the rest of the week…and come on by and chat!

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COFFEE CHAT: A MORNING OF BOOKS, TAXES, ETC.

Good morning, Bloggers!  It’s time to have another cup of coffee…and chat.

Today’s chat will be about my Bookish/Not So Bookish Thoughts, and I’m linking to Bookishly Boisterous, where others meet to share their thoughts.

I love my Happy mug (above).  There is a story to it, of course.  When I moved into this condo after living for several years in a bigger place in the foothills, I got rid of a lot of my old stuff.  I was going for the minimalist look.

But that’s not me…so slowly, but cautiously, I started adding a few things to fill in my new spaces.  I found this Baker’s Rack in a shop that was going out of business….I had always wanted one, so I thought:  why not?

 

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On display near the rack I had just purchased were assorted dishware, including these “happy” mugs, bowls, and saucers.  Of course I had to have them, and let me tell you how much joy they bring to my ordinary meals!  I love using colorful dinnerware, even when I am eating alone.  Maybe especially when I am enjoying a solitary meal.

 

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They mostly show up at breakfast, on my tray.

 

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Which brings us to my office, where I now am blogging away, chatting over another cup of coffee.

Today’s read is A Vanishing Year, by Kate Moretti, and I am loving it!  I’ve had my share of thrillers in the last few months, but this one is a bit different.  A “dark, twisty, edge-of-your-seat suspense” (Karen Robards), The Vanishing Year combines the classic sophistication of Ruth Rendell and A.S.A. Harrison with the thoroughly modern flair of Jessica Knoll. Told from the point-of-view of a heroine who is as relatable as she is enigmatic, The Vanishing Year is an unforgettable new novel by a rising star of the genre.

 

 

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Basically, it’s a story of a woman who fled her life in California, landing in New York with a new identity.  But can she put the past behind her?  Will the secrets she is keeping ruin the life she is building?  And will her wonderful new husband turn out to have a very dark side?

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I will finish it this morning, I hope.  But I do have an appointment with the accountant this afternoon, to deal with taxes.  My least favorite thing.  I always feel anxious, with knots in my stomach…ever since the year when I owed an additional $2,000.  I’ve taken steps to make sure that doesn’t happen again…but I am never secure about it until after the appointment.

 

 

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Next I hope to read The Best Awful….before starting a series of review books.  It is Carrie Fisher’s sequel to Postcards from the Edge.

 

 

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I think that was my last cup of coffee, so I’m off to read some more.  I also need to ponder cleaning up this place…but that can wait until tomorrow.  Right?

What are your random thoughts today?

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LET’S CHAT OVER COFFEE: FAMILY MOMENTS….

Good morning!  Grab some coffee, and let’s chat.  Welcome to my Interior World…and the occasional excursions into the Exterior World. 

Last summer, my granddaughter Fiona and I traveled to the Northernmost section of the state to beautiful surroundings.  I took lots of photos…but I can never have enough.

 

 

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Fiona’s dad, my youngest son, sent some more photos the other day, showing what it looks like in the winter season.  The water, below, looks ferocious, and the sea (above) looks sultry .

 

 

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I like this glimpse of the forest and the water…

 

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Meanwhile, back here in the city, Fiona posted this photo of one of her new looks.  I like her colorful array of garments, and the head scarf is covering her slowly growing hair.  On impulse, she shaved it a few months ago.  LOL.

 

 

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In this shot, she is looking rather sullen.  Or thoughtful.

 

 

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Auggie, a companion for my son and DIL…is an ever-present “person.”

 

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Last week, I did a “switcheroo” of some tables (see Weekend Potpourri:  A Switcheroo...)  The table, below, now taking up residence in my office, once sat behind the loveseat in my bedroom.

 

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In the bedroom, I replaced the cart with this small wicker shelf, which works better, I think.

 

 

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Then I rearranged a few of the objects on that wicker shelf…I’m never quite satisfied.  Small changes, with the Irish Coffee mug on the edge, with the leprechaun posed against it:

 

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As I said, never satisfied.  In the office, I moved the cart a little bit, and put some decorative boxes on the opposite side, so they are visible.

 

 

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I think that’s it for today….but maybe not.  Always changing, that’s me…and some of my changes include the header at Serendipity....

 

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And over at Rainy Days and Mondays:

 

 

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What did your week look like?  I am sharing this on West Metro Mommy Reads for Saturday Snapshots.

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COFFEE & FAMILY MOMENTS: SAVORING THEM…

Good morning, bloggers!  Do you have some coffee nearby?  Let’s lift those mugs and celebrate reading, coffee, mimosas…and special family memories.

Today I found some photos from the past…they are a bit blurry, but that’s okay.  Like the velveteen rabbit, they have been LOVED a lot.

First…

My second son, Brett, cuddling with his three kidlets, whom we called the A-Tots, back in the day.  L to R:  Aaron, Alec, and Aubrey.  Alec will be 22 in June; Aubrey will be 20 this month; and Aaron will reach 19 in June.

 

 

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In this photo, they are a little bit older:

 

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A photo of my eldest, Craig, and his lovely wife Gabi, when they were still living in Berlin.  This shot was snapped in 2010…so they weren’t yet married.  The wedding took place in 2013, and now they live in Prague.

 

 

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I found a more recent photo of Gabi:

 

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My youngest son and his wife (left and center) live in beautiful Crescent City, CA…and here they are, with a friend:

 

 

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Check out their beautiful surroundings:

 

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Back in the Central Valley, my granddaughter Fiona and her mom played with some face goop:

 

 

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In our nearby mountains, my youngest grandson is enjoying Nature…

 

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In a world that seems to have gone mad in recent days, I cling to the family moments…and hope that our lives (and our dreams) will survive.

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And I take pleasure in my books.  My current read:

The Bad Things (e-book), by Mary-Jane Riley, a darkly compelling psychological thriller, full of twists and turns, perfect for fans of THE WICKED GIRLS by Alex Marwood and THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT by Kate Hamer.

 

 

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I’m enjoying it so much, that last night I downloaded Book 2:  After She Fell.

 

 

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As you sip your coffee, reflect on your moments…and let’s share!

I’ll be linking to West Metro Mommy Reads, for Saturday Snapshots.

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