Blessed by Booksters

Henningsen Happenings is my spot to land and share my blessings - but as you can see I only had 3 to mention in 2010 and then even less in 2011 - - - I am a bad blogger it seems.  I do have many blessings.

Today in my first ever Dewey's Readathon I received a wonderful blessing!  Good to spend the day with my sister - as books have been a way we have always kept in touch through the years - but also today to meet some new people! 

Cheerleaders are awesome people - so sweet that they hang around and add encouraging words!

Booksters - as I will now call all 462 of you or so that signed up for today - are very intelligent folks!  Some of the challenges were a little above me - :) my knowledge of authors and their books is very limited!  So I was blessed today by being able to see inside the hearts of true readers!

Ready to try this again soon!

Happy Reading!

P.S.  I will be sharing about this readathon to my granddaughter Elaine - she loves to read also.  In fact the first place she wanted to go with me when I saw her last was Barnes and Noble - we had a great time!

Some more of what I learned . . .

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?  The Language of Flowers
2. How many books have you read so far?  4 but only finished 1
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?  The Language of Flowers.  Want to finish this book soon!
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?  Yes I did!  Prepared some food ahead - did some outside yard work - and bought some new yummy coffee beans!
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?  Only self-made naps - I set my alarm on my cell phone so I would wake back up and read!
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?  How fast the day went!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?   Nope!  It is great!
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?  Would invite my daughter to join me if possible!
9. Are you getting tired yet?  Yes I am tired - but I'm always tired :)
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?  I took a brief refreshing bicycle ride late afternoon for a quick break - he was helpful.

What I have learned so far . . .

I needed a better night's sleep to prepare for the readathon - but my other passion of watching my TV shows kept me up a little later last night.

I took a quick bike ride around our small town of 400 - didn't take long!  Got some fresh air and fed the dogs!  Now I am awake and ready to read on . . .

Thanks for commenting on my blog folks!  That is exciting! 

Now for the Four Golden Rules of Management: 
Rule #1 Trust and Leadership
Rule #2 Communication
Rule #3 Problem solving and decision making
Rule #4 Perseverance and Success

I shared earlier that one of my books for the day is "All I Know About Management I Learned From My Dog"  If you have done either - managed people or owned a half way useful and obedient dog - you can see the connections huh!

Up Early and Excited About It!

1)Where are you reading from today?   I am starting out my morning read with a devotion and Bible reading.  Then I have 7-8 books/magazines picked out and I added a book since I posted last night.  It is called The Worn-Out Woman!!  Oh - and I'm in North Central Kansas if that is what you mean!! :)

2)Three random facts about me…I love to ride my bike!  My sister is also participating today - Tami at Just One More Thing.   I have 2 grown kids and 5 grandkids!

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 6-8

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?   I am participating for 12 hours this time!  I plan to enjoy peace, quiet, coffee, and later - Taco Soup!

Ready to Read!

At the invitation of my sister, Tami, I am joining in on the Readathon challenge beginning tomorrow morning!  Tami said to gather myself a group of books - some snacks - and get ready to read!  I also noticed that she was canning tomatoes and I'm not sure what else?? in order to settle in guilt-free tomorrow to read a way! Ha!

So - I decided I had best get my Saturday "chore" list done tonight as well.  Lawn furniture is packed away for the winter.  Beautiful flowers are pulled up and thrown in the trash - kind of a sad thing.  I loved them so much!!  Which is the reason I was so thrilled when Tami chose "The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh as our T & T (sisters) Book Club selection for October!  It will be my primary focus tomorrow!  UNLIKE my sis - I am a slow reader - with my main problem being that I fall asleep way too quickly when I relax with a good book!  (But - I have a sleep study scheduled for Nov. 8 - so I hope to remedy that problem in the near future!)

This past summer I was blessed by a Digizine - It was recommended by a very dear friend.  It is http://www.kyria.com/ and I love it!  It is a monthly online magazine and contains article after article!  The magazine focuses on a different spiritual discipline each month.  This summer, very appropriately, the first issue was devoted to community - as our little church community is struggling greatly!  The next month it featured service - another great read!  I hope to get some of those articles read and tucked away in my mind for spiritual growth!   (P.S. I also subscribed to Newsweek from the neighborboy's magazine drive - - - I hope to become more intelligent in worldly matters :))

Nancy Leigh DeMoss was also introduced to me this summer - her book "A Place of Quiet Rest" is a great read.   It was on my shelf from a T & T Book Club Selection in March of 2005!!  So it's a re-read!

Have you heard of "Made to Crave"?   Satisfying your deepest desire with God, not food.  Lysa Terkeurst is the author from Proverbs 31 Ministries.   This may or MAY NOT get a look tomorrow depending on my mood!  And then lastly, "All I Know About Management I Learned from My Dog" by Martin P. Levin.  A little more lighthearted - but useful to me in my venture to "manage" 10 women.

Good luck to all readers! Join you in the morning with a great cup of coffee and ready to rumble . . . I mean read! :)

Is There Any Sweeter Sound?

"Just a minute - - - I'm telling grandma what kind of birthday cake I want", said my granddaughter Elaine tonight while we were talking on the phone.  Is there any sweeter name than to be called "grandma"??? 

I'm forcing myself to blog tonight - this is where I am to share my blessings - - - but some days - it's hard to do - - - for instance - how can a person be so excited on a Friday to take off with your favorite person - your granddaughter (oops sorry Casey - I know that is your spot too) pack your bags, jump on the plane and in 3 hours be with family in Texas!  It's fun - it's exciting - and I have all this energy to make the trip.  Then two short days later - - - I pack up with - still my favorite little person - and head back to the airport - but it's the "drive of doom" in my heart - - - time went too fast!!!  We are saying good bye again!  Not only do I have to say goodbye to my son and his family - - - I watch them say goodbye to their littlest girl too - - - and then when landing in Kansas - I say goodbye to my granddaughter and the trip is done.  I have sooooo much to be thankful for with this awesome family of mine - - - but I will still fight back tears as I drive back to my quiet, little house, where it's just me, grandpa, and the two dogs.

Now this may sound a little bleak - so - let me snap out of my doldrums and praise the Lord who gives me the capability to spend time with family like we do.  I have a job that allows me time off - I have the health to travel - I have been given the opportunity to work for the funds to travel occasionally - My husband will go with me - or will let me go alone if he is working - and I have been kept safe (and see my first post if you have any doubts!)  

It's not that I ever planned on my two children staying close to home after college - we are very proud of them both for being college graduates - Go Tigers!  Go Hornets! - - - and we have enjoyed so many warm family times sight-seeing, moving them, holidays, concerts, movies, the beach, the ocean, and just hanging out.  BUT I still miss them all.

I have a favorite line from the movie "The Bridges of Madison County" - - - Meryl Streep is the mother of two teenagers and she begins to feel as if they don't need her anymore - she explains it to Clint Eastwood in this way . . . "When a woman decides to marry and have children, in one way her life begins, but in another way her life stops . . . and she just stays steady so her children can grow around her and build for her a life of details . . . and then when they grow up, they leave, taking your life of details with them, and you don't know what you want because it has been so long since anybody even asked you . . . "    I think that is absolutely beautiful and so true for us moms.  I passed this along to both my sisters, and they are now finding it out for themselves.  My "details" have grown up and are now parents themselves and I have "new details" with in-laws, and grandchildren, etc. 

This is life - and I am very thankful to be living it each day - even if some days I get the blues and want to wrap them all up and bring them home to stay again - The next day I'm living and loving my life, my friends, my hobbies, my work, and I realize once again that my "details" never go way - they just relocate - and every once in a while - they call up or come home - or I pick up the phone and hear "Hi Grandma!" and I'm back to counting every blessing!

Walk 4 Life - My Life!

Today was our local pregnancy crisis center's fundraiser called Walk/Run 4 Life.  This was my first year to help.  I registered online and asked for supporters to fund me in this very important event.  This organization really interests me - mostly because I have a great friend who is the director of this center.  What a ministry it is to young men and women from our area.  The event was a great success!  But one of the things that hit me while I was helping with registration was that all of these people that were there to walk a 5K or run a 5K ugghh or bicycle a 16K had incorporated exercise into their lifestyles.  From ages 6 and up I saw kids running - walking - and biking!  Which just called me to task on my lifelong battle with weight - - - a subject I have studied, researched, read about, bought books about, attended class for, and talked and talked and talked about . . . and what's that old addage, from Dr. Phil . . . "Why do you keep doing what you have always done and expect a different result?"    I still have the weight!  Although two summers ago I did get on an exercise kick - lost 18 pounds - bicycled up to 20 miles even in one day!  It was great and I felt great!  But it was a phase - not a lifestyle change!  Today I was once again challenged by these "athletes" at the Walk/Run 4 Life - - - exercise and eating right - getting enough rest - - - has to become a disciplined way of life - second nature - by taking one tiny step after another - doing the "next right thing" until these improvements become the "norm".   So for all of you who have listened to me for 25 years - - - say a prayer for me - - - for strength - - - as I try once again to live healthier - and if you have a great success story - please feel free to share!   Heart Choices Walk/Run 4 Life was my blessing for today!