Welcome, October!! Tea -n- Crumpets

October. I don't know why I love it so much. There's a chill in the air... birthdays looming on the horizon... chocolate miniatures everywhere... October.


A year ago, it was already raining:

 "It's chilly inside and out.  The rain has moved in to stay, it feels like."

I'm enjoying the comments for the Fang-n-Fur Giveaway on why everyone likes October. I'm thinking about pumpkin pie and baking... time to bring out the slow-cooker recipes again, right? Not to mention blankies to read books in!! I love reading all snuggled up with slippers & wraps.


Kind of like this... I was quoted recently, which is soooo exciting:

"The writing is like snuggling down into a huge pile of feathers and getting lost in the softness until you don't know which way's up."Colorimetry

The author quoted my review of The Palace of Stone... the author... as in Ms Squeetus herself!!  (Please *gasp* appropriately so I can nod like we're on the same page). I keep some authors on unrealistic pedestals and Shannon Hale is one of 'em.

Last year at this time I was thinking about blogging. I had already claimed "Burgandy Ice", but Twitter was still a confusing flock of obnoxious questions. (It's still confusing, but bigger, now, like a mountain range of birds.)  I suppose I shall have to 'fess up about my name. Maybe. Later.

I have so many grand ideas of what I'd like to do for my Bloggiversary. *rubs hands gleefully* It's a pity I can't dedicate umpteen hours a day to blogging as I did a year ago. Unintentionally, I chose a perfect empty space of time in my otherwise panicked rush of a life.


Which is good... Blogging requires TIME, especially at the beginning. Am I right?

For our visit today I've found a recipe for crumpets.

I know... you're welcome!!

The author suggests making these in the evening so you can have one for desert and breakfast the following morning. Genius.

trotski & ash

Every October I brainstorm ideas. This year I'm thinking of how to make a little side money. I'm not buying nearly as many books as I'd like to... not by half. Plus, there's always some little extra I want.

For example... Pick Pocket Molly is this weekend. It's a women's resale event in Clackamas, Oregon that gives 10% of the profits to women in need. I like to sell stuff in the sale, so I'm gathering some cute items I never wear. But mostly I like to buy. :-D

I'm going to start a regular feature called The Hub (I think. Takes me forever to pick names.) I started something similar last spring, but didn't keep it up. I want to buy stuff from people I know... or from people who know people I know... or from people who know people who know people I know... you know?

:-)

I'd like to figure out how to sell stuff, too. I've always wanted my own bookstore... maybe an online one? Only... all I can think of is buying books. Lol. I'm not sure I'd let anyone buy my books. (Mine!)

I have these great vacation resort rentals available... I don't know why I never thought of posting about them before. They're not exactly book-related... although I can recommend some great vacation reading!

Does anyone else have cool connections to great lil' businesses for my Hub?  

I'm gathering a list of who all I know on Etsy, 

so... send me links!!

Stirring the Cup - Grab something to drink, Pull up a chair and chat awhile!

Last week I asked for name ideas for chatting about not-so-much. I got some cool ideas. "Coffeehouse" sounds nice, actually. Although I went with... um... both the other suggestions today. (Thx MADD & Trish!)
I'm not indecisive, or anything.

You wanna know how long it took me to come up with Colorimetry? Lol. A long time. And then longer to make it book related. My favorite thing about the name is how it's hard to say. It gets stuck in the back of your throat, which cracks me up.


Don't even get me started on "Burgandy Ice". *snort* ;-)

It's just that some things require a lot of thought, you know? Pre-planning, trial -n- error. Blogging isn't easy. I mean, it's not "hard" as in get-a-four-year-degree-in-English-and-minor-in-computer-graphics hard. Although... that's a good idea! If you could get away with it, do try. Just explain to your parents or spouse that blogging will be profitable some day, so it's worth dumping a bunch of money into figuring out how to do it well.

I don't have the degree. Hence Bloggiesta. Phew!!  (Wait... it doesn't start 'til the 28th? You're kidding me. *drums fingers* But I already changed my banner!!)

I've been blogging almost a year and my husband is starting to get suspicious that blogging will never profit anything we can trade for food. He sees the packages coming in and hears my squeals as I get more books, but he doesn't always see how that's important for the entire family. Occasionally he's gone so far as to pat me on the back with a sort of "keep the wife happy" kind of smile.

Dangerous. Better pat a lion on the head than hint at dissin' my library.

*cough* No, I mean, I'm working on the profitable side. Don't I have an excessive amount of ads everywhere? Sure!  If someone wanted to buy something, I'm a hub.

Of course, I can't stop pushing other great things like this grant for my kids' school. Did you see it? We're seriously in the running to get some moolah for the PE dept!  I mean, Deep Creek has about 500 kids in the 6 grades. We're a itsy-bitsy town that used to be Boring!  (No, really... we used to be called Boring). I've always known we were an enthusiastic group, but this is pretty exciting. Doesn't that make you want to vote?!  The little school wins the big grant!!  I can see it now!! (Seriously. Vote!)

Now onto the chocolate. These are rich, so go slowly so you can enjoy the sugar rush when it hits your blood stream. You can get the actual recipe HERE or by clicking on the picture. Or rather, don't... and pass the cucumber slices.

I'm back on our no-sugar, almost-no-carb diet thing and craving "contraband" something fierce. Not that I need any reason to desire chocolate any given day.

I was chatting with my friend who doesn't live in Costa Rica at the moment, and she was describing a 6th taste sense (I may have forgotten the number. How many taste senses do we have? This is an extra one.) It sounded really cool... like an enjoyment of the dark and bitter, maybe. I am inspired to ask...

Do you like your tea super-strong? Or do you prefer the proper boiling water on tea leaves for a specific amount of time and no more?

Do you like your coffee black and dark? Or do you spend gobs of money to find the lightest, most delicate, smooth fresh cup?

It's possible my preference is clear in the question. *cough*  I am VERY particular about how long my tea sits and I go QUITE out of my way to find a light, smooth coffee. My friend actually prefers the thicker, darker stuff. PREFERS. Unbelievable. I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed for "fixing" my mother-in-law's tea all this time? Or conclude that this 6th sense is purely fictional and all you dark lovers are nuts.

(I don't think this applies to chocolate. I, like most of my readers, seem to have a taste for all sorts of chocolate.)

I must thank Pinterest for the recipe for that obscene looking desert. And also an ENTIRE STASH of gorgeous pictures of old books on Sylvia's Simple Life. (Did you vote, yet?)

It's not Monday - Chit Chat #3

Do you ever have a Tuesday that looks a lot like a leftover Monday?

At least the last Monday in August is not as oppressive as the first Monday in January. (First month, first big To-Do day!) The first Monday back at school rivals it, though... and lots of folks is feelin' that today. I mean, yesterday. 

Not me. School doesn't start for my fam 'til next Tuesday. So I have no excuse. For today feeling like yesterday.  Except...

I just have way too much stuff I put off. Procrastination'll do that to ya: lengthen days into weeks. When I'm trying to drag out my beautiful long summer days, procrastination backfires. The sun setting earlier every night doesn't help. Seriously... what's up with that?!

The best book news of this week (so far) is that I rescued some books from a sweet person I'd lent them to who wasn't gettin' 'round to 'em.  It felt like a small victory worth a classic inept hiney wiggle. (I'm not a dancer. But that doesn't stop me from puttin' on some moves.)

Having rescued Epic Fail, I had to read a bit. This is one of those books I won last fall from Jaded Little Girl - a sort of celebration for not achieving the NaNoWriMo word count. Ha!

Could this get more pathetic? I'm losing days, I can't dance and now I'm celebrating failure.

See what I mean about this Tuesday acting a lot like a Monday?!

My point is... Epic Fail is absolutely hilarious. I brought it to football practice last night and was cracking up on the field. Lol.

It cracks me up just thinking about it. I look like an obsessed mom watching my son practice football when most the other parents just drop their boys off. The few parents lingering stand around on the grass or lounge on the distant bleachers. Not me. I got my collapsible seat, at least two books, a sweat shirt for when the sun sets, and a drink or two (and maybe a snack.) I spread out and get comfy. And when the coach sidelines my son on a play, I'm right there seeing if he's injured. (Or whatever.)

Last night I was bursting out with random guffaws over Claire LaZebnik's writing. Looking around to see if anyone noticed. Lol. As if that was a concern.

The story is following Pride & Prejudice rather closely so far, if in a completely new context. The fun part is how well the author remembers important points to Jane Austen's incredible story. She's getting the nuances right with all the characters. Absolutely laugh-out-loud fun.

I have read P&P every summer for awhile now. Maybe this will satisfy my craving.

It's not just NOT Monday... it's also NOT the end of summer for me. I'm not done with all my plans for summer, so they're spilling over into September. I didn't read all the books I planned on, primarily.  Or write as much as I wanted. These are things I must tackle responsibly. It is my obligation. And I'm willing to sacrifice what I must to fulfill these important obligations. I am, after all, a reader of upstanding character.

I know I'm not the only one out there. Is there anyone else that will bravely make a stand and say, "I am willing to accomplish my summer reading goals even in September!"?  

It's ok if you feel somewhat intimidated. Grand goals like these are not upheld easily, otherwise everyone would do it. Bravely make a stand for your TBR pile. You're not alone.


Credits: Book covers click thru to Goodreads. Other art pulled off Pinterest. Content is original spam from my head. I don't know why I called this Chit Chat #3. It's the first one. Except maybe a previous attempt at Have a Cup of Tea...