Sunday Salon - November 11

Happy Sunday from chilly Omaha where today finds me planning to spend time curled up reading thanks to a very productive Saturday. Happy Veteran's Day and a big thank you to all who have served our country in military service.

Here's What I'm:

Listening To: Mumford and Sons with Emmy Lou Harris. I saw them performing on Palladia and had to see if I could find them online. Love both Emmy Lou and Mumford and Sons; throw in a Paul Simon song - happy me! While I was looking for this video, I also found one of Mumford and Sons doing Amazing Grace at Bonnaroo. I recommend it as well.




Watching: "The Voice" - The Big Guy, Miss H and I have all become big fans of the show. We like the fact that, just as in our house, this appears to be a musical competition show that appeals to more than just teen aged girls. Miss H's favorite is Cassadee Pope who was formerly with a band she's seen many times in concert.

We also saw a really interesting piece about video game addiction on "Rock Center" last week. Mini-him struggled with this when he was in high school - it really struck home to watch them interview a guy who was addicted to the very game Mini-him finally had to give up entirely.

Cooking: Steel-cut oats in a water bath in the slow cooker (thanks, Trish - it worked wonderfully!), chili (because while yesterday was so warm we had to turn on fans, today feels like winter), and homemade peanut butter. I need to tweak the peanut butter recipe to get the consistency I want but it tastes delicious.

Making: Christmas gifts but that's all I can tell you because some of my family actually read this blog.

Grateful for: Miss H for writing her first book review. She's not a big reader; I'm glad we were able to find a book that appealed to her. Fiction just does not work for my girl but she does enjoy biographies and memoirs.

Happy about: These past few gloriously warm and sunny days. We've had windows open, shorts on, and we've been able to finally get the rest of the outdoor things done for winter.

Looking forward to: Book club this week; although, I don't hold out much hope any more that any of the other members will have read the book. I was so disappointed last month to be the only person who had finished The Night Circus. At least I know I'm going to get to spend a few hours with a group of ladies I really enjoy spending time with!

I've got three reviews scheduled this week, Laura Moriarty's The Center of Everything, Joanne Harris' Peaches for Father Francis, and The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp. Right now I'm finishing Alyson Richman's The Lost Wife which is the Omaha Bookworms November selection then I'm going to pick up anther book for Fall Feasting. What are you reading this week? Any big plans?