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.
Don’t forget to look at my giveaways on the right sidebar. Last day to enter for Eclipse the Moon.
Sunday, I did the usual blog visiting. I got together the yarn and needles I need for the next project and reviewed the pattern a bit. I’ve also been thinking about planting green beans for the summer garden when it’s hot. Only the tomatoes and basil seem to love the heat. I finally pulled the remains of the broccoli and some of the lettuce. There will still be a fall garden in September. Late afternoon it clouded up and threated to rain which made it a bit cooler. So I did walk Lulu after dinner.
People keep trying to follow me through WordPress and many end up following my Northwomn blog from fanfiction days instead of Books of My Heart. So I did a post there with information and links to Books of My Heart. Then I tried to figure out how to create a WordPress button for Books of My Heart with WordPress. I couldn’t get it to work so I emailed Ashley at Nosegraze. I think because I host with her and it’s a multi-blog WordPress site it needed to be slightly different. Anyway, she created it for me, so that option is available now.
Monday, I didn’t get up early enough and I had lots of tasks I wanted to handle. While I worked every minute, it seems like I only got the basics finished and it was time to fix dinner. I did manage to wind the skeins of yarn for the fingerless gloves. I bought a few items at Chirp on deals, then a couple things from the Audible “shorts” sale. Then I made a quick menu plan because tomorrow I will do a grocery pickup. After dinner, I checked the fridge and freezer for ingredients to finalize the Food Lion order. It started raining! Yeah we need it and maybe now it will cool down a little. At least I won’t need to water tomorrow, it’s a downpour.
Tuesday, was a day on the run. Both my daughter and I stayed up way too late so we were tired too. My daughter had an appointment to try contact lenses. Lulu and I went to Home Depot for seeds for the midsummer planting. I ended up with green beans, carrots and swiss chard. It poured just as we got back in the car. Then we did the Food Lion pickup. Sadly they were out of a bunch of things. I was able to add a Sam’s Club order but for later. So I took my daughter and Lulu home and went back out over rush hour to pickup at Sam’s club. I got home in time to put everything away and then listen to the Zoom show of Ilona Andrews and Grace Draven. Then we had supper late.
Wednesday, another day in the upper 90s (36C). I didn’t get to Feedly yesterday or a bunch of phone calls. I worked on things but still didn’t get to many things. It rained hard in the late afternoon again so at least I don’t have to water. I made a batch of homemade ice cream (peppermint) while dinner was cooking. At least I caught up on Feedly. I spent a bunch of time researching information for when my daughter is going to a wedding in October. I called to see which places would be good for Lulu.
Thursday, I spent more time on research and made a couple of reservations which can be cancelled. I called the garden center I like to learn more of when they would have plants for fall, and which ones. I wrote a review and got some more things set up for the Read-along.. It’s been raining again late afternoon but it’s not helping cool down because it is so humid.
Friday, I got a good start on things with reviews written before errands. my daughter and I got our hair trimmed which I hadn’t done since 2017. I picked up an order at Harris Teeter. Then we went to pick up a used book for her fall classes. She’s taking her classes online again, English Research & Writing and Quantitative Methods (math!). I’m excited as I was a tutor for Quant Methods in college and LOVED it. She’s always been a whiz so I don’t think she will even need me. I did a bunch of work after dinner looking up gluten-free restaurants for the wedding trip.
Saturday, I fell asleep early last night and got a good start this morning. I went out to mow the lawn which is very tall and the battery wore out quickly and I hadn’t charged the other one. Silly me. The temperature is 90F / 32C with about 50% humidity and a north wind. Still it is 97F / 36C for the real feel. It’s also partly to mostly cloudy which helps. This is the coolest day this week which won’t be raining.
In between yardwork, I’m writing reviews and drinking water. I got all the ingredients out for the soup I’m making tonight. The grass had gotten so tall it took both batteries to mow the backyard. I got my libraries set up in Libby since apparently Overdrive is going away in 2023. When I looked at Libby a couple years ago there were some things I really disliked in it but it seems fine now. I’ve gotten used to about 20 audio players over the last few years though. I also took apart the Dyson vaccuum and cleaned the canister and the filters. With lots of breaks, I did get the whole yard mowed and then a shower since I was sticky with grass stuck all over in my sweat. My daughter wants to try baked oatmeal so I guess I’m making that in the morning.
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Marlene at 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):
My sincere thanks to Minotaur Books, Kensington Books, and Atria Books.
(If you click on the cover, it will take you to the Goodreads entry)
I picked up these deals at Chirp for $2, $5, and $5.
I got these in the Audible “shorts” sale for $1 and $2.
I bought this one for 99¢ with a No Rush Rewards on Amazon.
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.
Anne
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
- 🎧 Red River Road by Anna Downes @whatannawrote @MaddyWithington @MinotaurBooks @MacmillanAudio #LoveAudiobooks - October 3, 2024
- A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara @MaxieDara @jaimebee @BerkleyPub @PRHAudio @sophiarose1816 #LoveAudiobooks - October 2, 2024
- 🎧 Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne @KevinHearne @luckylukeekul @DelReyBooks @PRHAudio#LoveAudiobooks - October 1, 2024
Our fruit and veg is just starting to crop – I need to look up some autumn and winter crops and think about planting them. The knitting looks great – I lack the hand/eye coordination and spatial awareness to knit so I am a little envious too! Lulu is as gorgeous as ever. Enjoy your books and have a great week.
Thank you Louise. I plan to get a few things planted even if it is too hot this week. Today is rainy and I’m doing a bit between showers. I’m barely started but it’s good to be doing a bit of knitting again. Lulu is our best girl. It’s too hot to wear her sweater so she’s sleeping with it.
I know all about batteries dying. I’m pretty fed up with buying chargers from Amazon and them not working, and then chasing down power codes and deciding which ones work. Amazing the day that apple finds a solution to all this. I’m glad you get to plant. Hope you get some dazzling garden.
Thank you! We are really enjoying planting and learning about gardening more in a different climate here.
Sounds like a pretty productive week. I’m trying to figure out what that wooden object is in the first photo and my brain is having trouble, lol. It looks like it’s floating in mid air! Have a good week Anne!
Thanks, Tammy. It’s been a surprisingly good week considering how hot it was. The wooden things is the swift that holds the yarn and to the left with the white piece with the little handle is the ball winder. When you turn the handle, the swift twirls as the yarn winds into a ball on top of the ball winder. I guess I should do a little vide. lol
I love that you have such success with your garden. Meanwhile, I get grow anything! Hahaha!
My grandma lived on a farm most of her life and was an amazing gardener, cook and also knitter, quilter, etc. I think I got my affinity from her because my mom was not. Also I grew up in Iowa and was in 4-H for 10 years. We’re enjoying figuring out the growth habits and plants best for this are. I love that some of the herbs like rosemary and sage are perennials, but sad rhubarb won’t grow here.
Wow! As always, you are a busy bee *smile* May I ask from which brand your mower is? I am looking for one that works with a battery or two instead of gass and yours sounds handy. Oh boy, fall is just around the corner … How time flies…
Thanks Vi. I often feel guilty I don’t do enough. But research and phone calls and planning take time, without output, but also make the things I do more successful. I bought a Greenworks 60V mower in 2019 and I love it. There may be better options now but that was the best at the time for my size lawn. If I were buying now I’d at least also want to know if ryobi had one. But I have had zero problems with my Greenworks. (And I remembered to switch the battery on the charger this morning so they will both be fully charged now). It starts to cool down in mid August in Minnesota but here I think it will be stupid hot until September.
My library went to Libby a few years ago and like you I wasn’t exactly happy with it, but I’ve gotten used to it for the most part. Hope you have a good week!
Oh yeah, and I meant to agree about how awesome Ashley at Nose Graze is! She helps me all the time since I moved to WordPress and have her hosting my blog.
yes, I’m sure I’ll get used to Libby even though I love Overdrive. Ashley has been a great help and that’s part of why I wanted to host with her so I didn’t have to load upgrades, etc or figure that part out. I try not to bother her too much with my crazy ideas.
I haven’t been able to make myself switch to Libby yet. I guess I’ll have to at some point!
yes, I was glad to see I had already loaded it on my phone and I have 4-5 months but figured I would try it out now.
I’ve read the Creed series and really enjoy it. Dogs and detectives/murders are a good combo. Once again I’m impressed by the amount of free books you manage to pick up. And I appreciate the variety of genres you read. I prefer to jump around with different genres as well and think it helps avoid the “every book is so formulaic” feeling if I mix them up. Enjoy your reading this week!
Terrie, you are spot on that I get less tired of a genre because I do read a bunch of different ones. I love romance but I particularly would have trouble reading only romance because I get bored if there is not a mystery or military battle or something other than the couple doesn’t talk or has a misunderstanding. I tend to prefer romance as a part of the overall story just like real life. Thank you for reading and visiting my blog. I also have a diverse reading team with me, my friends.
I really wish I had time to garden this year – I enjoy having pretty flowers and/or fresh veggies so much. I just haven’t had the bandwidth for even one more thing, even though container gardening is much simpler than in ground and I have the containers already and everything. Maybe next year… hopefully we’ll be gardening in a house next year. Sounds like a very productive week!
Thank you. I was pretty happy with what I accomplished but always want to do more. I rely on a lot of perennials which I planted a year or two ago, so they require some weeding and watering, but mostly they just bloom. Many herbs are perennial too so it’s just the food we plant each year.
You have had a busy week. I love seeing LuLu! I need to mow my yard this week, but waiting for a break in the rain. Have a great week Anne.
Thank you Wendy. It can be a challenge to find a time to mow when it is not too hot or too wet but Lulu is always up for supervising.
In spite of the heat, looks like you got quite a bit done organizing your trip, shopping stops, and gardening. I was thrilled when the cucumbers started coming in this week and the tomatoes are nearly there. The peppers are behind and I have to re-start the beans since the pumpkin vines squished them (rookie mistake of planting too close). Your glove project looks like its off to a good start. I got Nemesis, too. I had no idea Overdrive was going away and I wasn’t too impressed when Libby first rolled out, but I suppose I better suck it up and get used to it.
Have a good week, Anne!
Thanks Sophia. I’m still learning the timing for the seasons here. I should have planted the green beans 2 weeks ago I think. I am getting the old versions of the Marple audiobooks mostly rather than the new productions. I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who didn’t think much of Libby initially.
We’re finally starting to get some tomatoes. They’ve been growing very slowly. Looks like you’ve been hot too. We’re having such an unseasonably mild summer here (it’s usually a lot hotter/ more humid) that I feel bad for everyone in the heatwaves!
Anyway hope you’re having a nice weekend! 🙂
Thank you Greg. I am just happy to say I got the green beans planted and they can take the heat. I’ve had a few tomatoes and now am getting a few more. The chard is making a valiant effort to produce more leaves. I keep thinking it’s done and I should pull it up but no it keeps growing. I planted that chard last September! We’ve figured many more ways to eat chard now too.
I don’t think I’ve ever had chard! But then I was a pretty late convert to kale too. 🙂
I like kale but I don’t know if my daughter does so we haven’t planted it. She has said she will try it and maybe we will plant it this fall or next year. Lulu likes cooked kale.
I was surprised how much I like it!
I’m so glad you figured out the WordPress button. I think it’s a little harder for self-hosted sites instead of free WordPress.com sites. It took me a bit to get mine working, but I finally got it. Ashley at NoseGraze is so awesome and sweet. I love her so much. I don’t host with her, but I own some of her plugins and she’s great at answering questions and helping when there’s a problem.
I hope you have a great week! 😀
Thank you. I’m just glad to keep improving things bit by bit.
I’m always envious of your fresh from the garden produce. How great to have that. Hooray for the rain last week. We had a couple storms too and I loved it. Just seeing Quantitative Methods makes me panic. lol I am so math-phobic. I need to switch over to Libby, too. Every time I log on to OverDrive I see the reminder about it.
Right now the garden is mostly chard, tomatoes and herbs. I really should have planted green beans earlier and will do next year if it works out. Broccoli and lettuce just don’t do well once it’s hot in July. Somehow the chard keeps going. I’m going to try lettuce in a raised mobile bed that we can move into shade in July next year. So we will see. Maybe I can move it into the garage in the winter with brief stints out on sunny days. We are getting a bit of rain each day but I still do some watering. Math along with science are my favorite!
Oh wow no hair trim since 2017? They must have been so long!
It was getting to where we could sit on our hair.
Busy week! Nice to see you started a new knitting project. And I love baked oatmeal. Hope yours was delicious!
Thank you! It felt great to start something finally. Now if I can just get to some sewing projects too. I liked the baked oatmeal ok but would prefer it with raisins and nuts but my daughter probably wouldn’t go for the nuts. I like regular oatmeal that way just as well.
Glad Ashley was able to get a WordPress button set up for you. Sounds complicated!
I think it was easy for her. If I had a regular WordPress site rather than the multi-site I maybe could have done it with reading stuff on Google. I appreciate having her help.
I’ve tried plating a few things in pots because we don’t have a garden area to plant anything here but they all die. lol My brother can plant stuff and it grows but it might be too hot here.
Heat is definitely an issue here in July and August but tomatoes, green beans and basil love it. But at least we have 2 cool crop seasons March-June and September-December. Each season is as long as the May – Sept season I had in Minnesota.
Sounds like you had a busy week, too. At least you got some rain. We had some sprinkles today but it wasn’t enough that I didn’t have to water. I need to see what I can plant for a fall garden. I’d love to have some carrots and such. I need to check out that Catherine Cowels. I liked her.
Well this week seems hotter and less rain so last week was better. I am getting excited for the fall season of crops.
Wet and hot! We have just had the driest July since records began in 1830-something, apparently. Though at least the temperature is mostly in the low to mid 70s right now, so it’s bearable without any aircon. It is a tricky business figuring out how to do exactly what you want with WordPress at times – their site is increasingly counter-intuitive, I think. Though I am now very comfortable with the block format. Have a great week, Anne:).
Thank you Sarah. Because I used the Ultimate Book Blogger I have not had much work with the block editor.
Sweet, sweet Lulu💜 Is she supposed to be snuggled up with your knitting🥰
Wow, nice haul this week, Anne! I keep seeing Red Queen pop up so I’m looking forward to seeing what you think. Glad to see you also took advantage of that $1 -$5 Audible sale, too. FYI, I started a subscription with Libro.fm and might be pausing my Audible membership for awhile.
Have a great week!
Thank you Jonetta. Yes it’s too hot to wear her sweater so she is sleeping with it. I don’t know about Libro although I get Harper audios there, but I also love Chirp.
awwwwww freebies
I always seem to find too many freebies.
Sounds like a busy week!
Your new ARCs look wonderful!
Oh, and Last Breath looks so good. I hope you love it!
Take care and have a wonderful week ahead!
Thank you Sara. I think I did as much as I could with the hot weather.
I got that notice about Overdrive going away too. I’m hoping Libby is better now because I wasn’t the biggest fan when it first came out either. Hope you have a great week!
Thank you Suzanne. I didn’t like it when I tried it before either. I’ve been trying it with one of my current listens this week and had no issues. It is weird to use it to checkout and return books though on the phone. I haven’t quite tried all of that and I’m so comfortable with Overdrive. Will Overdrive stay on the PC platform? I haven’t even heard of Libby on laptops only the app. Just another one of those things where I go down the rabbit hole and lose a couple hours in a day.
I miss my garden. I love all the fresh veg, but it’s too much work! I hope you have a great week.
It can be a lot of work but it does get me out in the yard more. It’s also a great puzzle for my mind on figuring out what to plant where and when. It also changes each year has different weather.