Sunday Post – 2 February 2020 @kimbacaffeinate @readingreality @Tynga

Posted February 2, 2020 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Sunday Post / 43 Comments

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly  @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week, and showcase books and things we have received.

Stacking The Shelves is also a weekly meme hosted by  Tynga’s Reviews and Marlene from Reading Reality.  It’s all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Don’t forget to look at my giveaway on the right sidebar.

Last Sunday, I was on a tear to get things done. I was cooking steak tips in the crockpot to use in fajitas on Monday night.  There’s the usual laundry. My computer was misbehaving/ freezing so I didn’t get to much blog visiting. Instead I was running scans,  running defrags / tests, loading updates, etc.  Things were much improved by the end of the day. I did also manage to sand 7 crates for my daughter’s nightstand project, and my right hand was sore afterward, but fine the next day.

I forgot to mention last week that I had looked up Rubbermaid online to find a customer service number to see if I could get new lids for 5 or 6 totes where the lids had cracked or had holes in them.  I called and found out they sold that business to another company and they gave me their number. It turns out they have a lifetime warranty. They had me email them pictures of the broken lids and within a week they sent me new lids at no charge!!!  The lids aren’t the same color but I don’t care. The lids are blue and my totes were dark green. I’m just happy to have useable totes.

Monday was the long day in the car with classes and a medical appointment. I did get some groceries.  We are really loving the Aldi gluten-free (frozen) donuts which are available short-term.  My daughter had a paper due and I helped her with editing. It’s mostly a job of adding punctuation and crossing out the word that.  She is really enjoying her classes and learning things which are helpful.  Tuesday was another day in the car with 2 medical appointments.

Wednesday, we did the usual classes and errands run, then just stayed home. I tried to get some posts ready.   We didn’t go to quilting, because more house projects. And home work.   My daughter actually unpacked a box!  It was a pretty big box of craft supplies.

Thursday, we got back the dresser my dad bought in 1931 for $5, now refinished.  The repair guy came for a second time to fix the ice maker so we could get cubes, not just crushed ice.  We also worked on staining the crates for my daughter’s  nightstands.

Friday was her usual classes but no PT so it was great to get home earlier. I stopped at the library and when I left my car thought there was no remote and wouldn’t start!  Apparently the remote battery is dead. I swear I had a remote for locking / unlocking for my old mini-van, and opening the side sliding doors and trunk, and it worked for 12 years. It used a key for starting though.  I got the Volt started by putting the remote on a special key place but it was tense for a few moments.

Then I went into a panic because my Library Love challenge email wouldn’t send because it said there were too many subscribers and I needed to update to a paid plan.  The number includes my subscribers and those hosting with NoseGraze but the issue was the spam unconfirmed (1600+) subscribers, which Ashley removed, so then my email could go.  This email is a special subscription, a newsletter of sorts, for those participating in the challenge and not a blog post.

Saturday, I was happy to get right to work on things like writing reviews, updating challenges, laundry and of course, projects. I started to organize where to put art work and completed one wall. I hope to continue this work on Sunday. I also stripped the Christmas tree and packed the decorations.

It looks like a promising week! We only have 3 medical appointments, the weather will be warmer, and I have plenty of great books to read!


How do I do it?

Does anyone here use Mailchimp?  It seems to be the most likely option if I change from Mailpoet.  I can’t seem to figure out if it has a Email option like Mailpoet.  Mailpoet’s menu has these options: Emails, Forms, Subscribers, Lists, Settings.   Settings is for overall setup and choices.  Lists is to create different lists for different subscriptions.  I have two: Blog Posts and Library Love Monthly. Subscribers is to work with the subscriber lists. It shows confirmed, unconfirmed, bounced and so forth.  People may be on one list or both in my case.  Forms is where I create widgets to put on the blog to collect the email from the subscriber.  Emails is where you can create a newsletter or any format of email and schedule it. The first screen is like a little word processor / editor and the second screen deals with scheduling. This is an email and is not posted to the blog.

If you have any answers for me, please comment.


Things I Learned This Week:

OK  if I’m asking for help, I’m also going to share the cool things I learn. You may already know them but hopefully it will help someone.

I listen to audiobooks in the car when we are on the way to medical appointments or college classes.  I like to connect my phone up to Carplay to see the maps on the screen, but my daughter doesn’t like to hear the audiobooks.  I think I have finally figured out how to have the maps program up in Carplay and have my audio go to my Bluetooth earbuds.  I connected that way by accident and then I tried to figure out how to make it happen all the time.

It was easiest in Audible as they have a Connect to a device right underneath the slide bar of the minutes:seconds. I went in to all the other apps to see if they had something similar.  Libro fm does have a icon of a triangle with a circle of waves around it. You can see it in the upper right corner under the 70% battery left.  I looked in Overdrive, Itunes, Chirp, Rbdigital, Authors direct and Audiobooks.com but didn’t see it.  But I can swipe up or down on my phone screen and see a similar symbol and change it.  That took me longer to find.    On the right, is an iTunes screen which is where I load almost all of my audio ARCs.  The icon for choosing the device is on the bottom of its screen, just one from the right.

Maybe everyone else knows this but figuring it out has made me very happy!

 

 

 


January Reading:  I had a marvelous reading month.  I managed to read 32 books! My projects continue to reduce my ebooks but the audio books helped. Some count for more than one challenge.  I listened to 22 audiobooks, read 12 library books,  19  COYER reads.  I also read 2 books which I already own. (And I finished number 3 yesterday! )

Here are my Library Love reads:  (I will do the savings chart quarterly)

All Library books (including ones not reviewed on the blog)  2020 Library Love Challenge

 


Bookish Resolutions update:   I’m a little behind because I would have hoped I had broken down my goals more into tasks. I’ve had a house guest the entire month and been working on many projects so it didn’t happen.   I did manage to read 2 books I own: The Mind Reader by Lori Brighton and A Steep Price by Robert Dugoni. I’m one behind on this since I wanted to read 3 a month. I read many library books I just wanted to read, however.  I created post shells as I got ARCs. I’m just getting started on the Library Love emails but it is interesting to do.


Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality.  These are the exciting ARCs I received this week (If you click on the cover, it will take you to the Goodreads entry):

Thanks so much to Tantor Audio!!

(If you click on the cover, it will take you to the Goodreads entry)

I’m a huge Charles Dickens fan, also narrator Gildart Jackson,  and when Chirp had a deal with one of my favorite narrators I couldn’t resist.

Now the really scary one. This is all the Kindle and Audible freebies I grabbed this past week. You can see why I need to do Thrifty Thursday to be sure I read a few at least one each month.

                 

               

 

I really meant to cut back on freebies BUT  they are free so I guess that won’t be happening.

 

I’m not including things like reviews posted or upcoming as they are always in the right sidebar. And, my challenge status is also there.

If you like this and want to see me do the Sunday post, as often as I can manage, leave me a comment and let me know.

Anne

 

 

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Posted February 2, 2020 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Sunday Post / 43 Comments


43 responses to “Sunday Post – 2 February 2020

  1. Oh man..I used to here mail chimp mentioned on podcast like Serial all the time. They were seriously marketing the crap out of that service. Lol, I need to find out a way to organize my subscriber list as well. Good luck. My approach to figuring out anything new is to ask on fb messenger, those individuals who are in the know…receive a few comments back that boarder on ‘How stupid are you…’ lol, and then after a few of those I usually resort to YouTube tutorials.

  2. wow, so may books read for January! That dresser looks cool, I like antiques.
    Enjoy your week ahead. I don’t have mailchimp advice, I don’t use it, but I’d say check youtube.

    • Thank you! Most of my real furniture is old family pieces. I’ve ended up as the collector of things from great-grandparents on down since I am willing to make the effort to keep them and care for them. I love the real wood. Plus if I can utilize something functionally, I hate to get rid of it. I’ve done a LOT more getting rid of things after moving since now I’m here to stay, but only a couple furniture pieces which were inexpensive things like a tv stand from Walmart and a bed frame which broke.

      Anne - Books of My Heart recently posted: Whiteout by Adriana Anders
  3. You had such a busy and productive week, Anne! Thanks for the Carplay tips. Haven’t had to use that yet but it will come in handy.

    I overlooked The Good Neighbor and now I want it? Interested in your feedback about Great Expectations as it was a fail for me in high school. I should try again now that I’m older.

    Have a wonderful week?

    Jonetta (Ejaygirl) | Blue Mood Café recently posted: Saturdays at the Café
  4. That’s so great that you were able to get replacement lids sent for free. Gotta love good customer service. 32 books in January is amazing. I typically average 8-10 books a month (physical/ebook and audio combined) so 32 seems astounding to me. My TBR would be a lot less overwhelming if I could read that fast. 🙂

    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books recently posted: The Sunday Post #193
  5. The dresser your father bought in 1931 is beautiful! I love old treasures, and they’re usually higher quality than the furniture out there today. Nice that you got your lids replaced for free!

    The Good Neighbor looks interesting. I’m off to enter your giveaway form Smoke Bitten! I can’t wait for it!! 🙂

  6. I have used mailchimp for years and have been happy with it. it takes a little time to get the hang of it, but once you understand their interface, its pretty simple. I find its helpful for sending out just the RSS feed. So, if I have 2 posts in one day, it doesn’t send out an email for each, just 1 email with both posts at 6:00 pm (you can pick the time).

    Samantha Carpenter recently posted: #SundayPost: Hello February
    • The weather has been helping me with energy; it’s been nice. I’m looking forward to getting the projects over, the boxes out and that way I can clean. The floors are dirty. I did some cleaning today after taking out the tree but I need to do more. It will be easier with stuff put away now.

      I hope you feel much better soon and with energy!

      Anne - Books of My Heart recently posted: Audio: Her Wild Hero by Paige Tyler
  7. Oh wow! What a fabulous reading month you had in January – I don’t know how you do it, as I’m aware you are also very busy with all sorts of other projects, too! I love that refurbished chest of drawers – it looks stunning:)). Have a great week, Anne:)

    • Thank you! Audiobooks are the best. I can listen while driving, running errands (shopping), cooking, hanging pictures, sanding furniture, taking the dog out, folding laundry and many other times. I did read one novella. It generally takes me about 2 days to read a book and 2 days to listen to an audiobook which ends up about 1 a day. Oh and I can listen while I quilt or sew too.

      I love all my old family furniture. The dresser has those interesting sections on the drawers. I don’t know what the wood is but it shows the grain and reminds me of another piece I had in my office which was birds eye maple.

      I was pleased with this week being very productive and I even cooked some really good meals.

      Anne - Books of My Heart recently posted: Whiteout by Adriana Anders
  8. I love that dresser!

    You read an amazing number of books…I don’t envision myself doing that, but I was glad to increase my levels.

    Enjoy your week and your projects.

  9. You are one busy lady! Reading 32 books on one month is amazing enough but with everything else you had going on…incredible. Also, I am impressed about the Rubbermaid lids and getting replacements. Good to know!

    Have a good week!

  10. Neat that you found a gluten-free donut to enjoy. Yay for getting the nightstand project well advanced, she got a box done, you got art sorted, and tree down. That car remote lock situation would have gotten my pulse racing, too. So much and also the blog and reading challenges looking good. Your dresser turned out great. I have an old one like that needing some care, but it will have to wait down low on the projects list. 🙂

    Way to go on your monthly reading numbers.

    Have a great week, Anne!

  11. That’s wonderful that you got new Rubbermaid (or whichever new company they are now) lids. I have to do the same with the Pyrex bowls I have. Great bowls, sucky lids!

    You certainly had a busy week – here’s hoping your upcoming week isn’t as busy or if it is, it’s still fun! I’m a little behind in my reading resolutions too, so hopefully I’ll be all caught up soon.

  12. We had fajitas during the Super Bowl. I love them and with all the veggies – YUM. 32 books! WOW! I’m jealous. And to think I had a good month with 12. Sadly, only one was a library book but I’m working on remedying that for the challenge. The year is still young right? That dresser is absolutely gorgeous! Hope you and your daughter have a great week and I want to see this nightstand project!

  13. Ash

    Wow a whole lot of info! Fajitas are amazing. I love your new dresser. I didn’t know you could get new lids when they broke, I just throw them away. Audio books save my life I swear. I read 31 books in January (My goal is one a day!) So that’s awesome. The Good Neighbor looks awesome.

    Have a good day!

    Ash @ JennReneeRead

  14. I think I saw another mention of The Good Neighbor – looks interesting! Sounds like you’ve had a very productive week! I know nothing about audio-books. We just check out the CDs of them from the library for long car trips. 🙂

    • Checking out CDs to listen in the car or on a boombox is how I started. Then I started checking out the digitial ones in Overdrive or RBdigital to listen on my iphone. It’s a progression. As I wanted to listen, I figured out more ways to incorporate them into my life. My next car doesn’t have a CD player, so if I got CDs I have to load them on my computer into itunes to listen on my phone. Thank you. It was a really good week. This one is shaping up also.

      Anne - Books of My Heart recently posted: Read-along & Giveaway: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
  15. Wow, it always impresses me how productive you are every week. I also think it’s fantastic that you were able to get replacement lids for those totes. I’m sure I’ve tossed out several over the years because of cracked lids.

    • I know. I have tossed out the no lid totes myself. I had about 6 now with cracked lids and I just got a wild idea about trying to buy replacement lids which turned out fantastic. It took me 2 weeks to get up the time/energy to call and ask, but so worth it in the end. I am the master at fitting tasks into small bits of time, only because I prepare so much and have a plan of what I would like to do. It shifts based on circumstances throughout the day, but having the options all ready to go saves time.

      Anne - Books of My Heart recently posted: February 2020 Library Love Challenge Link Up & Giveaway
  16. Computer troubles are the worst and always take some time to resolve. That’s neat you got those new lids for your totes for free from them. You got a good amount of books read in January :).

    I have some experience with Mailchimp, but not for sending out blog posts. It has most of those option. Although instead of lists they recommend you use tags instead to segment different groups. Subscribers they call audience instead, but if you have the same subscriber on two lists you pay for them twice, so it’s better to have one main list and then use tags for different groups. emails they call campaigns instead, but it’s basically the same as you describe here.

    I also would recommend Mailerlite as an alternative, I use that for my Lola’s Blog Tours newsletters and really like their service and find it easy to use. They also have all the functions you asked for and I think they are cheaper than Mailchimp too.