More photos... one disaster, the other not too shabby!

this is the not too shabby -

I thought I'd put it first because it makes me feel better that way.

Remember a month ago when I despaired of ever having all the boxes out of the front room?

Well -- Christmas time (and a tree supposed to go where the table is standing) makes for the impetus to CLEAN UP.

Note - there are the tall bookcases behind... and in front are portable cases filled with the overflow.

Problem is... I still have TONS more books to go on the shelves.

I'm running out of space to put the portables and still be able to move!

This room is in an L shape - there's more room off to the right. With bookcases as well.

And a small upright piano.

Notice though -- NO BOXES!

(I cheated and moved one box of books that still needs to be put away).

Now, on to the disaster...

My work room. Notice the very well posed cat. She posed for free.

On the way to my desk.  I have two stacks of boxes by the door to the room, making it harder to get into.

Sigh.

This is NOT getting better as the year goes on.

I'm really trying to get through these boxes to free up space.

I LIKE space.

I like CLEAN.

I'd like to be cloned into 12 other mini me's so I can get some things done.

Tomorrow -- pictures of the SHOWER disater.

And after that (hopefully) pictures of Christmas foods... yum.

I've got the stollen  dough in the fridge for tonight or tomorrow,

AND

if I can swing it, I'm going to make a Buche de Noel

starting either today or tomorrow (it usually takes me two days to do it right)

After that, it's some cookies, etc. to give to friends...

We'll see -- great idea and all that...

Break's over... back to work

So I THOUGHT I'd be able to do it all -- you know, get ready for the fair, attend the fair, post on the website every day, keep updating my database and online listings... get all the Christmas shopping, baking, housecleaning, etc. done -- all at the same time.

Guess what?

I couldn't.

Which is why I haven't posted since the 4th of December.

I've got pictures to add to the site -- from my book fair booth, from my almost clean living room, from the shower / linoleum disaster that is my upstairs bathroom, even from the box filled cave that is my work room, but not today.

As with all of last week, today is another catch-up day.

I do need to blog about the fair at some point -- but I need to clear my head first. And I need to get some urgently done things DONE first.

In the mean time, I'm posting pictures of some of the books that went down to Pasadena with me (and unfortunately, came right back up again) which have now been ENTERED into my database.

Today it's War Fiction / Vietnam Fiction:

Made into a FUNNY, poignant Movie

A Classic

 Vietnam Fiction at its best

Signed by the author

 More War Fiction... this time World War II

Cough, Cough....

Yesterday's blog post was put off due to a case of coughing, a 102 temperature and me not really caring about anything but wishing I could just SIT and stare at a wall.

Not possible of course.  Yesterday was the Webelos regular den meeting (and since I'm the leader, I get to BE there.)

I too dragged myself off to the doctor -- making this the FOURTH visit in two weeks. But lo and behold, I just have a virus (so she says...personally, the gook coming with the cough makes ME think otherwise, but I'm not a doctor).  She even checked me for Swine Flu, but as I told her, I know the difference between flu and something other.   If I really did have the flu, I'd be laying on the sofa, staring at the wall, not dressed and sitting in the doctor's office waiting patiently.

 The temperature's mostly gone today, which is nice. The cough is still here (asthma has kicked in to replace the temp -- just because ) and my head is still apparently attached to my body.

I actually got a bit of work done today too.

Tomorrow, I need to take a bunch of pictures so I can keep winnowing down the boxes of books from September.

I'm down to FOUR boxes still stuck like a small pillar in the front room. After those boxes get re-pictured, all in the database (or checked to see if their updated in the database), then I'll actually feel like I've made some progress in getting things done.  Of course, the twenty boxes still sitting behind me in my work room have to be taken care of too, but that's asking a bit too much right at the moment.

And of course, since the four boxes left from the last book fair might get taken care of, I have ANOTHER book fair I want to do.

Which means, that in about a week, I should start piling NEW boxes of books in the front room to take to this fair. AND, the book cases I just finished putting back up and filling with books, will all have to be taken down and the books parked somewhere if not going with me). I have to decide by Friday if I'm going to take the plunge and go.  The fair is in Pasadena. Pasadena is a nice place in December -- it's warmer than Northern California.  It is a tad more expensive, but I'm finding good rates for hotels right now, so that's  a plus.  I worry that I don't have enough GOOD stock (my constant thought anyway) to take -- or more correctly, enough good stock that is DIFFERENT from the stock I took before, and the stock I took to Santa Monica, so that there's not too much cross-over (wouldn't want the customers to think I can't GET new stuff....)

BUT -- we'll be at my mother-in-law's house for Thanksgiving for four days about a week prior to this book fair.  That means two sets of long drives in a short span of time, nearly a week where I'll be gone and not able to add to my database right before the fair.  So, as you can tell, I'm still dithering.

I'll make up my mind by Friday.  (Yes, I will....maybe....please?)

Since I don't have much to SAY about the books I put in my database today, at least I can show a few pictures.

This is an early Little Golden Book WITH the dust jacket.

(the dust jacketed copies of Little Golden books are getting harder and harder to find)

And it happens to be another ABC book (see the post about abecedarians)

Paddington Bear.  What more can you say?

I LOVE Paddington.

This book is illustrated by Maud  and Miska Petersham. The illustrations are delicately done, but very colorful and they go along with the nursery rhymes beautifully.