meet, greet, sign, reunion, spit-shine

Saturday, I was supposed to be getting ready for my family reunion. 
Instead, I snuck out of the house for just a little bit and made it to the Author's "meet, greet,  & sign" for Sherry Hartzler's book:  "Three Moons Over Sedona". 

It was wonderful.  Sherry did a reading from the book, then question and answer time!  Very interesting on how the book and storyline came about, why certain parts of the book were there, and character development.  Over 30 women took time from their days to make the trip and visit with Sherry.  Some people knew Sherry before the book was published, some knew her because of the book.  There were women of all ages, a couple of book clubs, and just a few relatives, so it was not a "stacked" group. 

That's Sherry
on the stage
sitting in front
of the
greenish doors.
Sherry is just as down to earth, pleasant and funny in person as her writing is.  I was able to grab a couple of signed copies of her books (yes, I paid for them)- one for a friend, one for a Christmas gift. 
 
And, NEWS FLASH!!:  Sherry is writing a new book now!!!!  She expects publication in Spring 2010!  Isn't that wonderful? I think I can wait that long!
The working title is "Island Passage".  She said it is about "reconnecting with an old friend, an old house and an old lover!".
Great interlude, back to reality.
So, I went back home and finished getting ready for my family reunion.  I made home made chicken and noodles.  Baked the chicken the night before, made the egg noodles that afternoon, sauteed some celery and carrots, added the broth and cooked them right before family arrived.  Also baked a delicious pumpkin pie cake.  It's definately a keeper recipe!  Sweeties' brother dropped off a dozen straw bales for us to use around the fire for the weiner roast.  The only thing I didn't get done was mopping the kitchen.  Author meet/greet instead of mopping. I think that was a good trade off, don't you?  And it didn't matter!  If anyone noticed they were kind enough not to say!  Family is nice that way.
So, a couple of pictures...
Here's a group shot of most of the folks that made it:

And I should have taken a picture of the dessert table when it was loaded. 
It was an 8 foot table in the back sun room.  The desserts were all wonderful and just covered the whole 8 foot length.  That in itself deserved a picture, 
but what cracked me up:  my sweetie set up the dessert table next to the treadmill!!!!!  

So I took
a picture
of the
"after table"
with crumbs
and all
and treadmill.


I know that having the treadmill there next to all of those desserts DID NOT deter me one eensey, teensey, teeny, tiny bit.  I still tried them all!  And by looking at all the near empty plates and dishes, I think that everyone else did the same.  Crumbs, just crumbs left!
It sure was nice to connect again with family we don't get to see regularly.  And my house got spit-shined like it does only a couple of times a year!

a good book and a quilt

Back to the book "I couldn't put down".....

Three Moons Over Sedona
by
Sherry Hartzler

As you can see,
this is where I spent
an evening...
curled up with a quilt
('cause I didn't want to get up and close the patio door and it was REALLY chillin' off!)
and with a really good book that I hated to put down!
And before I start getting lectures about how I lay down my book and break the spine and all that librarian stuff, it is my book and I will lay it open and dog-ear the pages and heaven forbid, even write notes in the margin (!!!) if I want, because, 1 - it is my book, and 2 -that just means I love it!

And no, I did not read it for a book club, or for any other reason other than pleasure.  And it was a pleasure.

"Three Moons" starts out that the main character, Georgia, who lives in central Ohio, has an "event" in her life.  She's driving on Polaris Parkway to go get some milk and ends up on Route 71, heading south, searching for something, anything, maybe answers.  There was great character developement and the plot was intriguing and it made you think about life and regrets and hope and, wait, this is sounding like a review!  Not my intention, to do a review, there would be rules to follow and all that stuff!  I just wanted to share about this great book.   

This is Sherry's first published book and it is definately worth the read.  She will be in Delaware, Ohio at the Beehive Book Store this Saturday, Sept. 12th at one o'clock to meet and greet and sign.  Worth the drive if you can make it.  Just google Three Moons Over Sedona Sherry Hartzler and it will bring up complete info about the event.  This is a book worth reading again and having in your library.  I'm thinking it would make great Christmas gifts! 

Speaking of Polaris Parkway: 
I was on Polaris Parkway near Route 71
and saw THIS:

and THIS:

That is Buckeye Fever!

Doesn't it make you smile?

Go Bucks!

Now back to quilting, and cleaning and prepping for my family reunion!

If you have the time to leave a note saying hi, I'd appreciate it.

Hope your day is great!

"I Have a Feeling"

Do you ever feel "run over"? I'm sure you know the equation:


"Run Down" and "Hung Over". Squish that together = "Run Over".


Only I don't think I'm run down and I don't drink, so I'm not hung over,

so maybe its just a mental feeling. Or maybe it's just the gloomy sky,

or the barometer, or the cycle of the moon or some such explanation.

So when we feel "run over" do we complete our projects or let them be until we're back to par?

And par: that brings golf into the situation! How the heck did golf get into this? (Why is par used in this context AND in golf?) The outcome of the project may have a better finish if completed under the better circumstances. You know, Feng Shui'd or something!

My hand stitching usually is a great relaxer, but even that isn't working today.

So, I'll wait to finish my latest project until when my "I Have a Feeling" feeling is a goner. Instead, I think I'll take a walk on the treadmill (it IS raining), maybe read more of the book I have trouble putting down (it's a GREAT book: "Three Moons Over Sedona" by Sherry Hartzler), and then make some homemade chicken and noodles for dinner. Homemade chicken and noodles always have a cathartic effect - we'll see if it works against "I've Got a Feeling".