Book Group! I will miss you.

I have been lucky to have the most amazing book groups at the library. One has been meeting for THREE years!  I will miss this phenomenal bunch of kids.  They are witty, smart and incredibly fun. Last Thursday we had an online chat with author Sarah Prineas  the author of the intriguing fantasy book The Magic Thief.  It was a cool experience.  She was very giving of her time, and answered questions with humor and honesty.  Thank you!

My Etsy finds of the month.

I love no season more than fall, and fall in New England is glorious.  But, there is a chill in the air- and my feet are frozen.  My nose is a chilly little ice cube and THIS is what I need!

Etsy is one of my favorite websites- it is a storefront for many many crafters and one can literally find anything they could ever want, or at least the person to make it for you.

Below are some October finds. Fall, Halloween, scarfs, sweaters and pumpkin flavored beer makes me one happy gal!

Stunning Halloween cards that are classy and rich with the deep colors of fall

My favorite colors are cozy - burnt orange and mustard yellow

I think this brooch would make my life a little brighter- and British!  All of her tweed bags are stunning as well.

And finally...why are all the really cute wearable things made for kids?
I would like to wear this dress is my size!

...and bicycles!

 
This week-end was bike-time for me, who, as in the past few months, partook in Critical Mass Friday evening.

      I rode around Brookline/Cambridge Saturday (And got my bike all tuned up - 99.9% by my colleague Art), then was one of 4000-5000 bikers to participate in Hub on Wheels Sunday.

    Some colleagues and I rode the 30 mile route (In about 2:30 hours...). Ready for RAGBRAI (Shout out to IA!!!).

Iowa: the 3 Fs

We went to Iowa the past week and had an absolutely wonderful time with friends, family and fair. My brother Kevin took us skydiving (YouTube clips can be seen here for Matthieu and here for Jackie). It was amazing! We got to go bowling, swimming, golfing. Of course the cultural highlight was experiencing the Iowa State Fair. I had not been in almost 6 years and this was Matthieu's first time. I was most entertained by watching my little brother eat his savings.  That to the left is a fried Snickers bar!

Matthieu enjoyed eating his first REAL corn dog. We saw the Butter Cow, the prizewinning giant Bull and Pig, watched the talent sprouts, went to the Kelly Clarkson concert (which was surprisingly amazing-we expected good), saw a demolition derby with a man named ROCKY HARDCORE who set himself on fire, 

rode the sky ride, and decided what cooking contests

we were going to enter next year.  

Jameo was crazy for Sebastian the family cat- or as he called him "Meow".

The amazing Sue and Pascal threw a classy and fun wedding at the Commandant's House in the Charlestown Navy Yard. Congratulations PK and Sue! We wish you many years of making witty commentary to one another.