Mailbox Monday - Aug 3

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Welcome to August. Our month came in like a lion with storms and a tornado warning. Some areas had storm damage, but not as bad as it could have been. Looks like a sunny week with a few scattered thunderstorms.

Not a very productive week, but I did get some reading done and harvested a few vegetables. I have also been binge watching Fuller House.

We started a weekly Zoom Bible study on Sunday. I've missed attending church services. Many places are still holding online services. Facebook Live and Zoom are nice, but they aren't like seeing people. I pray we can get back to in-person services soon.

My physical mailbox held one treat this week.

I also grabbed these Kindle freebies.

What presents did your mailbox hold? What is one thing you've been missing during the pandemic? How are you coping?

Mailbox Monday - July 20

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

How is it Monday again? Oh, right. Every day seems the same now that we are pretty much trapped in our houses together. LOL! Sometimes you just have to make a joke to lighten the mood. We are blessed to be healthy, so that's a good thing.

After a rough week, I drove to visit my mother-in-law so that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law could have a break. She had been with them since March and they haven't gone anywhere considering the pandemic. I'm not sure I would want to camp in the middle of a heat wave, but I am sure the change of pace is good.

As for me, I'm enjoying my new Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Unlimited. I've even watched a movie or two. With the gift card from my birthday, I bought the following two cookbooks that arrived this week.

I scooped up these two Kindle freebies.

I promoted this book when it first came out, but never had a chance to read it for the tour.

These are the books I grabbed through Kindle Unlimited. The first one I grabbed for curiosity's sake. I have a three-month free trial. If I don't read anything off my list, then I will cancel before October.

I have two more books arriving this week. I'm in the middle of reading one that will take me a while, so I will probably need to break off and read the next book I have scheduled for review in August.

That's it from my neck of the woods. What did your mailbox hold? Anything good you would like to share?

Mailbox Monday - June 29

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

How can it possibly be the end of June? It's hard to believe we are heading into the seventh month of 2020. Maybe that's because so much of it has been a blur with the pandemic.

The beach is lovely this year. The temperature has been in the 90s. It should be a hair cooler today. We are enjoying the time away from home, but we miss the kitties. I hope it doesn't storm too much while we are away. They might be scared.

Not much in my mailbox last week, but I did see this one right before we left.

What did you receive last week? Are there any books I should be putting on my wish list?

Mailbox Monday - May 18

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Here we are at Monday again. Since I already posted about my emotionally draining week, I won't repeat myself. The weekend ended up with some nice weather and I managed to accomplish a few things beside showing houses. It almost feels odd going out to do that, especially since we have gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer everywhere we go. Oh, and can't forget the booties.

Nothing in my physical mailbox, but I had a credit for Great on Kindle and picked up this one.

I've never read anything by this author before, so I don't know what to expect. We will see what happens.

Hope you have a blessed week.

Task it Tuesday - Apr 20

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task it Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

The last Task It Tuesday I posted appeared on March 4. Part of me feels guilty. But, after the day I had, I honestly don't care.

How does one say goodbye to a man who has been more like a father than your biological one? How does one wait at home for the bad news while your father-in-law struggles to breathe simply because COVID-19 protocols say you only have one 30-minute visit before you have to leave your loved one behind to suffer alone? How do you keep the sadness and anger at bay so you can better support your husband and children in their time of need?

This is a strange and cruel world we live in right now. It takes all my faith and a mountain of prayer for me to go on about my day without throwing something at the wall. I never know when I will start crying.

So, for Task it Tuesday, I am giving myself only two tasks this week:

1. Spend more time in the Word.
2. Write my father-in-law's obituary.

Please hold your loved ones close. Don't miss a chance to tell them you love them. 

Mailbox Monday - Jan 13

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Welcome back to Monday! I hope you had a blessed week. My week went well, even if I didn't accomplish everything on my to-do list.

• Daily Bible reading. DONE
• Log food in Lose it! daily. DONE
• Maintain planner daily. (Nope, but started this week off strong.)
• Writing group Monday. DONE
• Coaching call Monday. DONE
• Visit upcoming listing Tuesday. (Happening today instead)
• Geofarming webinar Wednesday. DONE
• Write business plan Wednesday. DONE
• Grocery shop Thursday and meal plan. (Didn't happen, but this week is all set.)
• Finish extra material for A Christmas Kindness. (Made progress, but not quite done.)
• Exercise Friday and Saturday. (Every day I am striving for 5,000 steps. (I average 3,100 steps a day. Plus I took down all the Christmas stuff so I got some good exercise.)
• Take health assessment for insurance. (No, but probably this Thursday.)

As for my mailbox, I received a book I don't remember ordering. I think I won it in a giveaway. Sometimes I just can't keep track of things.

I have a busy day of appointments, so I might not check in with you until later. I hope you share some of your mailbox with me. 

Have a blessed week!

Mailbox Monday - Jan 5

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Welcome to my first mailbox of 2020. I've shared a lot of what the holiday and year brought over the last few days, so I won't rehash it. Let's get right into my new books.

Santa delivered these two. Now, I have the entire set. I need to read the third book before starting in on these. I had already bought the Christmas book for myself.

I also picked up these Kindle freebies. 

I haven't read much the past couple of weeks, but I plan to get back on track in the next few days. 

If you participated in First Book, have you started reading it yet? Did you receive any great book gifts over the holidays? 

Task It Tuesday - Dec 17

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task It Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

We have a snow day today, so I'm trying to clean the bonus room. I'm not sure how far I will get. The rest of the week is a blur of things to do and then we leave on Sunday for NYC. God willing, all that needs to get done will happen.

Here is what I had planned for this week:

1. Read a chapter from the Gospel of Luke each day 
2. Exercise twice
3. Get 6 hours of sleep at least 5 nights  
4. Finish decorating
5. Wrap gifts
6. Write Christmas letter
7. Keep editing the new manuscript
8. Blog 
9. Complete four more pages of additional content for A Christmas Kindness (kind of stuck on this right now)
10. Write a chapter of Amelia's Mission 
11. Continue 2020 Business Plan
12. Submit Clever Tom and another idea to my publisher 

That is it from my neck of the woods. What is on your list this week?

Mailbox Monday - Dec 16

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Happy Monday, everyone! The countdown to Christmas has definitely begun. I finished shopping yesterday. Hope to wrap everything before we leave for NYC this weekend. Decorations are slowly going up. Cards aren't done yet, but the family needs to come first.

Maybe with the tree skirt placed under the tree, the kittens will stay out of the branches. Someone sent me this funny picture. This is a truly tempting idea. Travis jumped up and almost knocked the wreath off our wall the other day.

I haven't requested any printed books lately since Santa and his elves might gift me one or two. Instead, I picked up these two e-books for my Kindle.

Pelican Book Group is running a Countdown to Christmas sale. Some titles are on sale for 99 cents. 

This book was also on sale, but since I had a promotional credit it didn't cost me anything. 

That is it for me. I hope you have a blessed week.

Mailbox Monday - Dec 9

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Only a few more weeks until Christmas and my trees aren't even decorated. The kittens might have something to do with that.

The lights are now up, but they bit a bulb off last night and wound up locked in the crate until we found it.

This is the first thing that happens when I enter my bathroom each morning.

I can honestly say we have never had cats like these.

In the mailbox this week an Amish fiction collection arrived.

I also borrowed these two from the library. Not that I have had time to crack them open.

That's it from me. The work and personal schedule will get hectic by Wednesday, so we will see how much reading I get done. Hope you have a great week.

Task it Tuesday - Dec 3

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task It Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

Welcome back to Tuesday. By the time this posts, I hope most of the snow is done. We had about six inches Sunday afternoon into Monday morning, and then a break until Monday evening when it started up again. We already have the two to three inches more they said we would probably get, so it can stop any time now.

With this being the last month of the year, I'm working on reviewing goals and finishing up what I can. I haven't felt much like working, but bills need to be paid so I'm forcing myself to stay on track. Here is what this week looks like:

1. Read a chapter from the Gospel of Luke each day 
2. Exercise twice 
3. Get 6 hours of sleep at least 5 nights  
4. Make 150 copies of Christmas ornament craft for charity event
5. Keep editing the new manuscript
6. Blog
7. Complete four more pages of additional content for A Christmas Kindness 
8. Write a chapter of Amelia's Mission
9. Start 2020 Business Plan
10. Submit Clever Tom and another idea to my publisher

That's it for this week. I have a variety of meetings for work and a holiday event to attend at the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday with my husband. I've been shopping a bit, so hopefully there won't be a mad dash at the end for Christmas preparations. The kittens are still attacking the tree multiple times a day, so we haven't decorated it yet. Not sure if the tree will have anything else but lights this year. Oh, well. 

Hope you're having a productive week.

Mailbox Monday - Dec 2

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Happy Monday! It is a wet and white one around here. The first snowstorm of the season has arrived. It started Sunday afternoon and is supposed to go through Tuesday morning. Doesn't that sound like fun? At least it is pretty when it comes down.

We celebrated a nice Thanksgiving on Thursday with family. On Saturday, we took in a Springfield Thunderbirds game. Then Sunday, we went and saw one of our church family play at the Festival of Trees.

Sunday morning, we decided to test out how the kittens would treat the Christmas tree. A few hours later ...

I may end up with a tree that only has lights this year.

My physical mailbox didn't contain any goodies, but I picked up this Kindle freebie Friday.

Now, if I could just find my Kindle Fire. I am sure it is here somewhere. See what happens when you clean. 

What was in your mailbox? Did you celebrate Thanksgiving? Is your tree up yet? 

Task it Tuesday - Nov 19

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task It Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

Last week and this week have been productive. I'm committed to ending the year strong.

Here is this week's task list:

1. Daily Bible reading - not quite
2. Exercise twice - not even close 
3. Get 6 hours of sleep at least 5 nights - maybe 3 nights
4. Start editing a new manuscript - not yet
5. Blog - yep
6. Complete two pages of additional content for A Christmas Kindness - yes
7. Prepare for a closing - yes, closed today

One project that wasn't on the list was cleaning my office closet and organizing all my books. That took a while, but it's done.

This week's list:

1. Daily Bible reading. I'm two days behind. (Hear me sighing now.)
2. Exercise twice (Want to bet on this one?)
3. Get 6 hours of sleep a night - not on Sunday or Monday
4. Start editing a new manuscript - should happen
5. Blog - definitely
6. Complete two pages of additional content for A Christmas Kindness - already done and have done two more. Only 14 more pages to go.

What are you hoping to accomplish this week?

Mailbox Monday - Nov 18

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Well, we are 10 days away from Thanksgiving. I think I'll play host this year. Last year we were away at my brother-in-law's place. I'm eager for turkey and all the fixings. How about you?

Last week was filled with appointments and I was elected as an officer of the REALTOR® Association of Pioneer Valley. I also sat on a panel with other longtime members to speak to a group of new REALTORs.

Photo credit: RAPV

What an exciting career choice this has turned out to be. I never expected to be so in love with what I do, and becoming part of the leadership team has brought with it so many rewards.

With a clean office, I feel more productive. I spent the weekend showing a house or two, mailing out marketing packets, and holding an open house.

The more exciting part of the weekend was the Fall Dance Show at Wilbraham and Monson Academy. The Lil' Princess has been on the dance team since last year. This group of talented teens always puts on an amazing show. During dress rehearsal, one of the team captains injured her ankle, which meant these kids had to learn new parts a day before the show. If the teacher hadn't told us, we never would have known.

 Photo credit: Bill Wells, WMA 

Lil' Princess on right doing splits

In my reading world, I'm trying to catch up on the dozen or so books I still owe reviews on. In my mailbox, I found this little gem to help bring me into the new year and the goals I am setting for myself.

What was in your mailbox? Any seasonal titles this week?