Thursday Book Review

3 Words for you

In August I attended the LDSBA convention in Salt Lake City, (LDS Book Sellers Association). Then I had to go back to work and school got really busy (2 more class periods then it is only internship!). Because of these things I never told you about all the wonderful things I saw and salivated over while there. And I had planned on doing a post that showed it all to you, but I think the first things I am going to show you deserve their own post.

Here we have the booth for The National Family Institute.

See the picture/advertisement behind them? That is what caught my eye. The 3 Word Journal.  I wanted to know how to do a full journal entry with just three words, because honestly? since I started blogging, I don't take as much time to journal anymore.  So I picked one up and started leafing through it while it was being explained to me.  It took me all of 5 seconds to realize that this was a valuable tool. A tool I could use in so many ways:

Personal journal

Blog post inspiration

Story ideas/prompts

Group counseling

Counseling of any kind

And I could go on. So I bought one and have absolutely loved it. My classmates loved it. My professor- a professional youth counselor- loved it. I bet you will love it to. Give it a try.

Here is an exercise from the front of the book:

Think of a time when you were very embarrassed... When you remember an embarrassing experience from your past, simply summarize it into three words. Here are a few hints about the three words you choose:

• 
  
  The words need not make up a phrase or a sentence.
• 
  
  If possible, always include a person, place or thing in your three word summary
• 
  
  Choose three words that refer uniquely to that particular experience.

Here is one embarrassing moment from my past that I have labeled:

Roger Fire Eraser

The author then goes on to describe the incident brought to mind by these three words. Later when he had the time, he wrote the memory down in a notebook. Your turn.

Another product they were showcasing was The Woman's Success Plannertm
This planner was created by a woman for women. Again, about 5 seconds to convince me that I just may need a planner. The planner comes in 4 spiral notebook type books.  Each  notebook spans a quarter of the year, (Jan. Feb. March- April, May, June- July Aug. Sept- Oct., Nov, Dec)  However you can purchase the entire year's worth of planners at the same time if you would rather.

Because I don't get paid in the summer and had just purchased the other journal, I couldn't get a set of planners, but they gave me an expired one so I could check out the extras, those things that are not time specific and then let you know about the planner.

What I like about the planner:
*It is small enough and skinny enough to carry in my purse
*At the beginning of each month is a list of things to do around the yard/car or inside the house- great help on maintainance for those of us that forget about needing to inspect spark plugs or change oil, or furnace filters.
*It also has a list of fruits and veggies that are in season- a great help with menu planning
*A place for a to do list
*Focus topic for that month and an inspirational quote to go along
*The month calendar page has the goal listed again with a different quote, a column with weekly ideas to accomplish the goal, a place for notes and day block big enough to write in
*There is a place to plan monthly goals in Spirituality/Values, Emotional Fitness, Educational, Service, etc and ideas to help you accomplish the goals.
*Weekly personal Goals and tasks, Every week tasks (clean out leftovers, change sheets, check tire pressure- I had no idea you should do this weekly!)
*A place for a weekly menu and shopping list
*Then we have the weekly calendar pages with large enough spaces to again, take notes
*A place to mark off how much water you drank that day, how many fruits, how many veggies, exercise and any other personal thing you want to keep track of.
*Then daily things to cross off- pick up clutter, empty trash, wash dishes etc (knew all the ones that are there so I would be filling in all of those circles)
*A page for an End of Week Review- What worked or didn't. What did I learn? That type of thing. Place for inspiration or blessings, personal notes, things you want to remember

I could just keep going I love this planner so much. I have used other planners but ended up wiping the dust off of them a few years later when I unearthed them from where I stashed them to get them out of my way. But this planner would stay in my purse and I would use it every day- to track my counseling hours for internship, ideas for internship, keep track of my water, food, exercise. And I promise that I will be using the every week and this month to do lists.

And the best part of this planner? Right now they are having a sale!! I can hardly wait to get my first set.


And the very last thing that caught my eye, and my heart, were these little bronze sculptures. 
I made the picture big so you could see them better.

These little sculptures are done by Mary Adams and are called Moments of Life. She does not have a website yet- I think that is coming soon, but until then you can reach her at mothera@gmail.com.

I fell in love with the little boy on the left side of the picture toward the front (Discovery). He is kneeling there with his little hands cupped as if he were holding something very precious.

But the one that stole my heart and cried "Take me home!" was the little girl turning a summersault. I would absolutely love to have her tumbling across my desk at work.

So now go check out the links I have provided, get you some journals and planners (maybe get a couple to use as Christmas gifts) and you can thank me later for helping you get your life in order.

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Indeed.

LDS Booksellers Convention

This post is all about LDS books, so if you are not a fan, you have been warned.

Karlene and I went up to LDS Booksellers Convention (LDSBA) yesterday. The first thing I noticed was how quiet it was. There were no big decorations or crowds of people or even signs to indicate which hall they were in.

Then we went inside. And it was still quiet. There wasn't that rush and buzz of bodies and voices that I remember from the past. And a lot of the bigger booths were smaller this year. I am not sure if it is the economy or a statement on the state of books in general or what, but it made me a bit sad.

Here are a few of the pictures I took today.

This first picture is something I have never seen at the convention before. The floor was considerably smaller than before. Not as many booths as in years past.

Curtain used to shorten floor

Millennial Press

We used to share warehouse space with them

One Associated
They provided our pass into the convention

Stripling Warrior swords

I am thinking about getting one for Hunter

They are made of wood.

What do you think? Good idea for him?

Deseret Book

Their booth was one of those that was smaller this year

New Releases from Covenant

Does anyone notice any missing titles here?

David?

Ringmasters

They always go all out with their booth

This year's convention theme was Discovering Treasures

Their booth was a nice pirates lair full of new treasures

Karlene with Kae D. Jacobs

author of Beyond the Masque

Me with Kae D. Jacobs

Book synopsis from Granite Publishing here

She gave a book to Karlene and I. We will both do a review soon.

Cedar Fort

Another downsized booth

Tristi Pinkston, BJ Rowley, Candace Salima

The faces of Valor Publishing

All in all, though, it was good day spent seeing new products, seeing old friends and making new ones.

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Indeed.

Random stuff

Brandi and I had appointments at Evans Hairstyling College this morning. Brandi for braids, me for a cut and style. I have gone to Evans off and on for almost 25 years now. I used to make my appointment for 30 minutes to close so that Mr. Evans would cut my hair while the student watched. And I always ask for an advanced student. I forgot to do that for today's appointments. We got beginner students that have just barely finished class work and this is their first couple of weeks on the floor with real people.

I showed my stylist a couple of pictures of what I wanted done. I could tell by the look on her face that she had no clue. She got close, though. But I am glad that they have an instructor come check before we leave. The instructor showed her how to razor my hair to take some of the bulk out. I have A LOT of hair and if you don't thin it, it won't do the cute style but just lay in a heavy, droopy mess- as it was doing until the instructor fixed it. But even she didn't get the bangs right. Oh well, in about 6-8 weeks it will need shaped up and I will remember to ask for an advanced student.

Brandi's braids are not what I asked for either. I wanted a bunch of tiny braids all over her head. What she got was some thicker braids all over her head. Most of the braids should actually be 3-4 braids. And they used no elastics- at the top or at the ends. And the ends were all frizzy. I had to ask them to put the cream on that stops that. They should have been using it on each and every braid. And then when they were done, they should have gone back and trimmed all the pieces of hair that were sticking out of the braid. But they didn't. I put elastics in the ends when we got home and I will trim the braids tomorrow after we wash them. I really can't fault them, though. They are beginning students, and around here when braiding is taught, it is taught on white women and about white women's hair. But black hair is just different. I should suggest that they have a guest black woman come and teach about braids and black hair. (and next time, ask for an advanced student)

Soccer. Remember the e-mail I sent the coach asking about practice times? I got this reply:

We also want the girls to learn how to play soccer and to have fun. I will pass your comments on to Bryan and Chris about additional practices. I haven't seen a schedule of practices, so I'll see if I can email one out to everyone.

Please remember that the coaches are volunteers. Bryan and Chris are the coaches because the PG Rec called and asked them to do it. They are doing their best. If you would like to help them coach, I'm sure they would appreciate the extra help.

At the first practice, they decided to have a 30 minute practice prior to each game due to the often twice a week game schedule. It will also keep the skills fresh in their minds for the game. If that is not enought for Brandy, encourage her to practice kicking, running, and dribbling the soccer ball at home.

Well, I require at least 20 minutes a day of kicking, running and dribbling as well as juggling, but I don't see how that is going to help her learn to play as a team. I sent back an e-mail saying that even though I don't know anything about soccer, I would be willing to rotate with other parents in supervising at least one 1 hour practice/week.

When I talked to the rec center, I was told that they would talk to the coach and see what they could do, but that he really didn't want to coach, but the other coach had to drop out so they begged this one to help out. Maybe I should go get that Coaching Soccer for Dummies book after all.
There is a game today at noon, so we will see how that goes. (I got the e-mail reminder at midnight)

I am doing a Power Point presentation on Wed. night about paranoid schizophrenia. My team is using clips from A Beautiful Mind to help us. We have 30 minutes. In putting together my part, I had 35 minutes of clips I wanted to use. I finally got it cut down to 6:32 minutes about 12:30 this morning. Now I just need to write a diagnosis and treatment plan on someone else and get it turned in. I guess I should find someone to interview, huh?

Sewing room is 1/2 way mucked out so all my sewing/craft stuff should be able to go back in there by Tuesday evening and then I can start on the food storage room. I better hurry if I want it done by the end of summer, because I got my letter from the school today saying first day of work is the 18th and band camp for the boys is all next week, so no help from them)

Next week is LDSBA, my favorite event of the year. I get to go check out all the new releases from publishers. Any publisher/author you want me to check in particular?

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Indeed.

Convention time

I used to work for a publisher. I think it was one of my favorite jobs ever. I was filing for divorce, I needed a job, I needed to be mom, I wanted to be mom, I needed to pay bills. I was praying to find a job that would let me do both. I went to Relief Society and one of the sisters stood up and told us that she needed an assistant in her business. I went, I applied, I was hired and thus began one of the best friendships I have ever known. But that whole story will have to wait for another time, this story is about a publishing convention of sorts.

The company I worked for published LDS publications- mostly in the self-help genre. The LDS publishing industry has an association that LDS publishers can belong to if they so desire. This company did. The association is called LDS Booksellers association (LDSBA). Each year, in August, LDSBA holds a big convention where all of the publishing companies can show off their new releases and what is coming down the line to all of the buyers for LDS bookstores around the world. I went to my first LDSB after working for this company for 1 week. Didn't have a clue what I was doing or what I was talking about, but I listened and learned.

The next year I was able better to talk about our books and authors and I loved it. After that I looked forward to LDSBA all year. In January the LDSBA head commitee would announce the theme for that year's convention and I would start planning for decorations for our booth for the convention. My excitement for convention would grow the closer the time came. At times I felt almost like a kid on Christmas Eve. I loved LDSBA. I made friends and each year looked forward to seeing the buyers from around the world. Knowing these people also made it easier when I had to talk to them on the phone throughout the year. (a little side note, one year a buyer would not talk to the owner, but asked for me instead Now that felt good).

I loved working with our authors. I loved getting to know them as people. I loved helping them with what they needed during signings. I loved when we would get a shipment of books brand new from the printer. I loved the smell of the new ink. The best part? Opening the first carton of books and opening that first book. It was always a thrill to call the author and let them know that their books had arrived. If I was the one that got the privilege of opening the box and calling the author, I would call the author and open the first box while I was on the phone with them. I loved that.

I loved going to convention and seeing and meeting everyone. I met a lot of authors and artists over the 6 conventions that I attended as an employee. Some of them are like most "celebrities" that one meets, "Hi, how are you? Nice to meet you. Thanks for liking my work." that kind of stuff. I don't think they would even remember me now. Some of them I made a bigger connection with and we still keep in touch. Some in a Christmas card sort of way and others with e-mails.

Two years ago the company I worked for went out of business and I moved on into working in the education field. I knew that convention would be what I missed the most. Last year the owner of that company attended, just not as a vendor and she took me with her. This year she was able to get tickets and she took me with her again. I loved that I was able to be there and see old friends again, meet new ones, see who wasn't there, who was new, talk to authors and all that jazz again. I told you she was a good friend, didn't I?

When we got there, we walked around, took some pictures for another friend that couldn't make it but needed pictures for her blog. By the time we got to Deseret Book's booth and looked at their author signing schedule, we realized that we had missed J. Scott Savage. Bummer.

Then we turned the corner and he was still there signing copies of Farworld! Yay!
Karlene grabbed a copy of Farworld since Jeff was talking to customers right then. We looked through the book at the illustrations and I sneaked a couple pictures.

Here is the map of Farworld

Here is the illustration at the beginning of Part 2 of the book.

Karlene, J. Scott Savage, Me

I swear I looked better when I left the house this morning. What can I say, I don't photograph well. I usually pay a photographer lots of money to make me look good. But I got my picture with J. Scott Savage, so it is all good, right?

We walked around some more. Talked to more people. Got some free stuff. Walked around some more. I was kinda bummed because my favorite author, David G. Woolley, had his book signing yesterday. Oh well. Then Karlene noticed on the schedule that he had changed spots with someone and would actually be there today. I think I did a good job of containing my high school girl hoping to meet her favorite star enthusiasm. How'd I do Karlene?

The down side of that, though, is that his publisher, Covenant, gives out tickets to buyers to come by and pick up a free copy of the book, which means that I still have to wait until the end of September for my copy. But I will be first in line that morning to get my copy. I stood in the line anyway.

David talking to buyers as he signs their copy of the book. Lucky people.

I'll try to curb my jealousy of their having a copy and not me.

My name tag is not in it's holder because I had David sign it since I didn't get a copy of his new masterpiece.

We were laughing because I had just told him that I couldn't give him a hint about something I know that he wants to know.

David, I am going to chance it and hope she doesn't get too mad, but I am going to give you a hint anyway...

Her initials are not "LY"

So all in all, it was a good day. Free books, offers to blog about some cool stuff later (details coming on that, but you will love them), old frieds, pictures with authors, and the surprise of meeting your favorite author. Happy times.

Indeed.

LDSBA 09

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Indeed.