Ride Like the Wind?

My very own four-wheeler. This is what I have been doing this past week. Learning to drive my four-wheeler.  I bought a green Honda Saturday.  We are going to take our four-wheelers to Arkansas next month with a few couples.  Our pastor has dubbed us the "Scorpions."  They decided to make tee shirts for us to wear.  We went last year to Mena.  This year we are going to Daisy State Park near Kirby, Arkansas.  We have some cabins reserved.  We are so looking forward to getting away with our friends.  We'll be trail riding and going out to eat at nights.  We had a great time last year except I didn't drive my own, I rode on the back with my husband.  We went on some very advanced rider trails.  We shouldn't have but we did make it through without getting hurt.  This time I will be driving my own Honda so we won't be doing anything advanced.  I am a complete novice.  That is why I am practicing these next few weeks.  I certainly don't want to get injured.  That would not be fun!  They say practice makes perfect, but my band director always said perfect practice makes perfect!  I had every confidence in my husband's driving abilities.  Now I am trying to build my confidence in my own.  

This is some of the most fun I have had in years!  White water rafting was the most fun I ever had in 2007.  Last year four-wheeling was the best.  My grown children probably wonder what mom and dad are doing now that they are gone!  We're having fun!  

Here is a little sample of my progress!  This hill doesn't look very high on the video but it was daunting to me at first.  And it is higher than it looks.  It's probably 20 feet tall.  I brought my tripod out for this shoot.  (ha ha)


Untitled from Junebug57 on Vimeo.

Ride like the wind!!  

And The Winners Are...

Winners of the book giveaway are:

about the author- won by Pamela at The Dust Will Wait

The Reader-  won by Allison at Allison Says

Hannah Coulter-  won by Pat at Back Porch Musings

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered.  I used the Random Integer Generator for the results.  So few numbers, but it worked.

Winners please e-mail me with your snail mail addresses so I can get these books to your door.  My e-mail address is:  junebug57 @ gmail dot com

I will have another book giveaway soon.

Book Giveaway!

I want to give away these three books.  To enter, just leave a comment choosing which book you would most like to receive.  There will be three winners, one book each.  I will draw names to choose the winners.  Let me tell you a little bit about each book.

Hannan Coulter by Wendell Berry:  

Hannah is a member of Port William, Kentucky. She is twice widowed, alone, and in her seventies when she recalls her childhood, young love and loss, and raising children. She has strong opinions (some of the author) about old ways and how they should remain. It is interesting to get the insight of an older generation. It gave me some understanding and good thoughts to remember.  I liked the grandmother the most of all the characters in the book.  I think you will too.  

about the author by John Colapinto:  

"Just how did Cal Cunningham-a twenty-five-year-old bookstore stockboy who is new to Manhattan and who has never written anything---publish a bestselling novel that sells to the movies for a million dollars?" "About the Author" is his first-person account of how he performed this remarkable feat." This was a very readable book.  I was satisfied with the ending.  It is pretty explicit, just so you know.  

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink:  

"When fifteen-year-old Michael Berg falls ill on his way home from school, he is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. In time she becomes his lover, enthralling him with her passion, but puzzling him with her odd silences. Then she disappears. Michael next sees Hanna when she is on trial for a hideous crime, refusing to defend herself. As he watches, he begins to realize that Hanna may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder." Sounds pretty interesting, right?  It was a good book, easy to read quickly.  I was not happy with the ending though.  Quite a few things made me wonder.  Sexually explicit.  The setting is Germany several years after WWII.  It involves a moral dilemma.  I hope to see the movie sometime in the future.

Please tell me in the comments which book you would like and I will set a deadline of next Monday evening.  

*Time's up.  I will post the winners tomorrow.  Thanks for entering.  

Fun Monday-The Foot Challenge

Fun Monday

Gattina at Writer's Cramp is the hostess with the mostest this week:

Please show us what you wear on your feet inside your home ! Do you wear slippers, flip flops, shoes or nothing ? just take a picture and show us your feet !

I wear my comfy house shoes most of the time in the winter or my UGGs.  Most of the spring and summer I go barefoot.

Sweetheart Smoothie

Sweetheart Smoothie

Recipe from The Joy of Food by Kitchen Kimberley

Ingredients:

1 medium banana, cut into chunks

1 naval orange (see tips), peeled and sectioned

5 whole fresh strawberries, hulled

1 (8 oz.) container Hiland strawberry yogurt

1/2 c. Hiland orange juice

1/2 c. ice cubes

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in blender container.  Pulse, then blend until smooth.  Garnish with a whole fresh strawberry and share with your sweetheart!

Tips:

If you can find them, blood oranges would add extra tang and a nice, rich color to this smoothie.  Blood oranges are typically available around Valentine's Day.

For a variation, use light grape or cranberry juice in place of the orange juice.

Enjoy!

Fun Monday-Landmarks

Fun Monday is being hosted by Pamela of The Dust Will Wait.  She requests that we show her some landmarks of our hometown.  I have shown this landmark before so I will direct you to this post.  For more Fun Monday participants visit Pamela.

Wordless Wednesday-Tiffany

For more Wordless Wednesday go here.

Fun Monday-What Are You Reading?

AOJtheLurchers is the place to find all the Book Worms for Mon Funday. Clink the Link to find out who's reading what.

Here's the challenge: OK, I know that pretty much all of you out there are bookworms.

So for Fun Monday on 2nd February, firstly tell me what book you are reading now. What's it about? Are you enjoying it and why? If not, why not?

And secondly, if you were to be stranded on a desert island, what one book would you take with you.


I am reading a few books right now.
I am reading "Hannah Coulter" by Wendell Berry for a blog book club called Hannah Coulter Book Club for Copy Cats started by Lynn in Wi.  Hannah is a member of Port William, Kentucky.  She is twice widowed, alone, and in her seventies when she recalls her childhood, young love and loss, and raising children.  She has strong opinions (some of the author) about old ways and how they should remain.  It is interesting to get the insight of an older generation.  It gave me some understanding and good thoughts to remember.  


I am reading "About the Author" by John Colapinto for another blog book club called the PMS Book Club started by Holly of AFF.
I'll give you the back page:  "Just how did Cal Cunningham-a twenty-five-year-old bookstore stockboy who is new to Manhattan and who has never written anything---publish a bestselling novel that sells to the movies for a million dollars?"  "About the Author" is his first-person account of how he performed this remarkable feat."  It reminds me of the book "A Bear Went Over the Mountain."


I am reading "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink.  I thought the movie looked interesting, so I decided to read the book first.  Then I will go see the movie.  Again, I will give you the back of the book description:  "When fifteen-year-old Michael Berg falls ill on his way home from school, he is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age.  In time she becomes his lover, enthralling him with her passion, but puzzling him with her odd silences.  Then she disappears.  Michael next sees Hanna when she is on trial for a hideous crime, refusing to defend herself.  As he watches, he begins to realize that Hanna may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder."  Sounds pretty interesting, right?  


I am reading "Facing Your Giants" by Max Lucado for my Sunday School class.  I'm sure that everyone has heard of Max Lucado or even has had a yearly calendar with his quotes.  Here is the account from the book:  "David's life story is punctuated with nevertheless.  The runt of eight brothers, nevertheless, he was chosen to be the King of Israel.  Nicknamed "Twiggy" by his nine foot nine inch adversary, nevertheless, he slew Goliath with a strip of leather and a pebble.  As king, he committed the double crime of adultery and murder, nevertheless, he was called "a man after God's own heart."  Do you need a nevertheless to be written into your biography?  Fortunately, God has plenty to go around."
Also, if stranded on a desert island, I have to admit I would want the Bible with me.  Because I would be doing a lot of praying once there.  

For more Fun Monday participants, go here.

Operation Love Zimbabwe

Mozi Esmé

The day-to-day adventures of a 1-year-old American bebe growing up in Mozambique.
She and her mommy are having a two-week special on their blog so that more people will be aware of the things that are happening there. Please... go visit them and learn more about what is happening to the people of Zimbabwe.

I found this blog at Pamela's.  I think it is a wonderful thing.