The holidays are seriously celebrated in Nora’s house and this weekend was the first of her many busy prep weekends. She sent me this post tonshare with you all. ~Laura
We had a lot of discussion and plenty of love for libraries on the FB pages recently. And this weekend, I pined to curl up in my own, in front of the fire, with Lost Lake–I’m a big Sarah Addison Allen fan, and I’m loving this book.
However, it’s the week before Thanksgiving, and my to-do list is loooooong. Before I can indulge, I had to take a good whack at that list.
Most of my shopping is done, but that means I have what looks like an exploded department store in what we call the One More Room. (I convinced my carpenter husband some years ago I needed just One More Room!) So I organized gifts. And bagged–I’m determined to do more gift bagging than gift wrapping this year–the gifts for my annual quick get-away/shopping, celebration with good pals that’s coming up right after Thanksgiving. Also my out-of-town gifts. All ready to go!
And since time will get away from me very soon, I sat down and addressed my Christmas cards. Yay!
Today was also bread-baking day. I generally bake every two or three weeks, and I definitely need bread for the Thanksgiving feast. So I baked a couple rounds of sour dough bread, and while it was rising, made my grocery list for Turkey Day. BW will hunt and gather. I’ll cook.
Once the bread was baked, I rewarded myself with a glass of champagne. I earned it. 
Tonight, grandkids are coming for dinner, so I’m doing a roasted pork loin (a fave) and rosemary potatoes, carrots roasted in butter and thyme (they eat them like candy!) probably some cauliflower as my older grandson loves it. Go figure. And there’s the bread, pretty much fresh out of the oven which will especially please my oldest granddaughter.
I have more bagging and/or wrapping on the slate tomorrow, and a couple tubs of books to sign, but I’m going to make time, no matter what, to settle down in my pretty little library with Lost Lake. If you don’t make time to read, what’s the point in all the rest?
Monday it’s back to work. And Wednesday, it’s all about pies. Yes, I make them from scratch. So I’ll be in the kitchen A LOT starting mid-week. I’ll deserve that hour or two tomorrow in the library with a lovely book, a fire, some tea in one of my mother’s adorable old Fuller Brush cups. Just thinking about it has me letting out a long, happy sigh.
But first, I have to go make dinner.
I love that beautiful library. I would have a hard time leaving it.
As a Canadian, we celebrated Thanksgiving in October, but I have an Open House in early December, then Christmas dinner, Christmas dinner with friends on Boxing Day, and New Year’s dinner. I already havemade crab & cheese triangles, mini ham and cheese quiche – and several bags of Scramble (like nuts’n’bolts), which are all in the freezer. I will make some meatballs and Tex-Mex chicken bites next weekend to go in the freezer, also for the open house. I will make the Christmas cake (fruit cake) this weekend so it will mellow a bit. Everything else I can make the day before or the day of.
Happy cooking/baking this week and enjoy your Thanksgiving feast.
I love your library!!!! It’s so warm and inviting! Lovely place to sit and read. I especially love your picture over the fireplace! It reminds me of Bogey and Bacall. Is it? Such a great picture!!! Enjoy your reading time!
Actually, it’s an artist friend’s rendition of me and BW a la Bogart and Bergman in the airport scene from Casablanca.
it is beautiful…..love it! He is gifted for sure and what an gift for a lifetime and beyond!
That is so sweet!
Hi there 🙂
I’m sharing just for the fun of it – what happens when you turn the oven on at max for 3-4 minutes to warm a little and then leave the bread in it to rise… And you forget to turn it off because a NR/JD Robb book is waiting for you… That’s how I bake sometimes 🙂
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/319283_173079929434925_475064923_n.jpg?oh=da8ae54e1f538824054cb6cef335b99b&oe=55188D48&__gda__=1423291289_dfb3f08a6310794157e0ae0e090bad8f
OPPS!
Oh boy! That’s looks like a mess.
I need a One More room too. I have boxes all over my apartment, yikes! I can’t stand it – so I plan on tackling it all this week. No cooking for me, I am in charge of the bubbly for Thanksgiving – at my auntie’s house. Yay! Your library is lovely. With thanks for sharing.
P.S. all that you’re cooking made me so hungry! 😉
I love your library, Nora. Looks like a great place to relax and read a good book!
Nora- you make me feel lazy- and I bet you are a phenomenal cook!
The note she had Laura post made me feel like I was next to her baking bread and what she was making for dinner, and then in her gift room ( I would love to have a wrapping room) but best of all reading and sipping teas. She has a way of bring you right in to the story and making you feel like you are apart of it. Thank you Nora for all that you do and keep on writing.
That’s just not right. You have all of your Christmas shopping done already? You make the rest of us look like slackers. I would love a library like yours. It’s something I’ve always wished I had. Too many books in my house, I have book cases everywhere. One is filled with nothing but Nora Roberts/JD Robb.
What lovely busy to-do list. 🙂
It sounds as though you have a full and busy life. I am grateful you enjoy writing so well. I baked bread with my Grandma when I was a little girl and to hear about baking brings back many happy memories. I hope for you to have a wonderful holiday season.
Love your library! The cozy fire just completes it. So, that’s where Roarke’s gift room came from….
Oh believe me, my One More Room doesn’t come close to Roarke’s gift room. I can only wish!
Love your library AND Sarah Addison Allen!
Fabulous library… so jealous! I read several authors, but Nora is the only one I collect and re read over and over! My family is scattered now so it’s usually just my daughter and myself for Christmas so my frantic baking is a thing of the past and I do miss doing it! Gave up wrapping in favor of gift bags years ago when the dollar stores started selling them for so cheap and it is a great way to recycle too. They get passed around and reused many times! Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas to Nora, Laura and all of Nora’s fans!
I have found that listening to Audible books is very relaxing and you don’t have stop to begin cooking or cleaning or writing Christmas cards. Try it and see how much you can get done while relaxing with a good book. I have purchased every In Death book and novella on Audible and listen to them frequently.
What a beautiful library. I would stay there all day. Your bread looks amazing. I could almost smell it. Enjoy your wrapping and reading.
Oh I wish I had your One More Room, my Christmas shopping is done all I have to do is bag it but then I have to hide the bags because my cat Minnie thinks that it is fun to sit besides the bag and chew all down the side until there are little loose pieces she can pull on to play with them which usually ends up with me buying all new gift bags on Christmas Eve to replace the ones she chewed. I will be baking a pumpkin pie and two apple pies with lattice crust because my oldest granddaughter loves apple pie but will be spending Thanksgiving with her other grandparents so I have to make one for her plus I’m making an apple crumble. I am determined to find time to read, just started a new cozy mystery series by Mary McNear about Butternut Lake so it will be a busy but joyful week for me as well. Enjoy the cooking and baking and time with family and let us know how that Lake series turns out – I love to read authors you recommend so I may have to check this one out.
Hi,
thank you for sharing, have much joy reading. It sounds like your having busy and joyfull days. Underful. Thats what life is about.
Love your libraryphoto and the painting above the open fireplace. Reminds me of a scene from the romantic film Casablanca. Just lovely. I have not started yet to write my Christmascards, but I will soon. That´s great joy. And this year we all (well lets say nearly all) in the family decided only to buy presents to the children of our family. I tryed to convince them I am still one, but they did not believe me. Pity. I love presents. Me and my husband always give eatch other at least one present, so I will not be without anyway 🙂
Here in the middle of Sweden we have no snow yet but it will come gradually. We usually have white Christmases here. That´s very beautiful and important to gain the real Christmasspirit I believe.
Think we are a little bit spoild in that way.
Wish you a very nice day and look forward to hear from you soon.
Best of luck,
Evelyn
(And as always I beg you forgive my bad english)
I would so love to be invited over for Thanksgiving dinner. The menu sounds wonderful! I’d have to steal a minute or two in that library, too ;-)))
Happy Thanksgiving!
*blissful sigh* Nora, that library looks exactly how I would want one in my home to be. Thank you for sharing, and Happy Thanksgiving.
Love the library, Nora. This weekend is being spent finishing a quilt for a Christmas present…only have the binding to finish. It’s being done in short burst. I’m 2/3 of the way through chemo so the energy is short lived. Will spend Thanksgiving with our daughter, son-in-law and their kids…..need some cautious “sugar” from the Grandkids. You know kids are little Petri dishes and this year Nanny has to be careful about germs. But they will be the best medicine in the world. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones, Nora.
That’s the Library of a true book lover! I want one! I’ve always lived in apartments, for various reasons, but until recently, I always had one room that was my library, with floor to ceiling bookcases, that were a Christmas present about 32years ago. A burst water pipe ruined the bottom shelves and damaged all the books on those shelves. Once the contractor left, my son-in-law had to finish the cleanup and mold had growm, so bookcases and another row of books were discarded. Now I have 2 bookcases in my bedroom, 1 in LR, and 3 in my office. Not the same as one cozy room, even though fire was false, it had the ambiance. Enjoy Nora! You deserve it! My wrapping paper just arrived so will start wrapping and bagging on Tuesday, in between shopping and starting cooking. I split with my daughter, so not too bad.
Nora,
Your library is where I’d love to be about now. I just finish a long day at work and it is raining here. A nice library with a great book or two curled up in a chair would be the perfect mental health get-a-way. 🙂
Only fitting a writer would have a fabulous library and, Nora, if I had a beautiful library like that, I’d put two dead bolts on the door (if there is a door, that is) and never come out. Love the painting/photo? above the fireplace. You and your hubby, doppelgangers for Ilsa & Rick from Casablanca, perhaps? Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas!!
It’s so nice to have these insights into Nora’s life and I am in LOVE with that library! Someday I will have a room for all of my books instead of having them scattered in piles all over the house 🙂
Warning. Even with the lovely space, there are books in piles around the house.
Absolutely love your style, all round. Having a champagne reward after baking bread is just ice!!! 😉
These insights are a lot of fun, thank you.
Nora, Thank you for sharing! My memories of bread and tea is from the 70’s when I worked in Eastern Oregon at the Dale Ranger Station. During the summer, people were hired to live at the look-out towers watching for fires and one of the men working there invited my girlfriend and I to visit and he shared homemade bread (and the recipe) and my first cup of Jasmine Tea. I adore both and of course, I have
those “stacks” of books around the house with bookcases in every room, except my husband’s “man cave”. I am an avid reader and read books over and over, including all of yours. Thank you for your gift!