Thanks, Book Elves!

Did you know that losing one's voice is a detriment to providing speech therapy? Yes siree bob, it is! Imagine the poor kids attempting to imitate my 'croakity croak croak'. Besides, it hurts!

Today, instead of therapy, I planned to knock a major dent in my Mount Everest high mountain of paperwork. Mind you, this is my main school not the Tuesday 'library workspace' school. In this classroom, there are absolutely no books to lead me to the darkside.

Until now...

A little book elf named Juanita left a treat on my desk with an tantalizing note: Good Read. To a compulsive reader like me, that's like waving a red flag. Like the Borg say, 'Resistance is futile'. But I'm so proud of myself because tough as it was, I resisted. Well, my eyes strayed occasionally and once I read the back cover, but that was all, I swear!!

Near final bell time, another book elf dropped off her latest cookbook acquisition for me to peruse at my leisure. Since I was on a roll, I had planned to continue working after school. As if!

Just too weak from resisting the lure of the Dean Koontz book all day. I caved...

Can you blame me? It was Pioneer Woman's cookbook. Who could resist that?!

If you aren't familiar with Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, you must visit her blog. http://thepioneerwoman.com/ She is the Oprah of the blogging world and her blog is absolutely spectacular!

Vegetarian city girl Ree accidently married Marlboro Man who proceeded to whisk her away to a life of ranching. Ree's anecdotal accounts of adapting to life on the ranch and all that entails are quirky, engaging, funny and completely entertaining. Imagine leaving a career life, Starbuck's, sushi, parties, plays, pedicures and pumps for jeans, boots, mud, manure, cooking for an army of ranch hands and homeschooling four beautiful kids. Actually, it sounds like a great trade-off to me. I'm a city girl to country girl transplant, myself! (yes, a man's doing in my case, as well)

Pioneer Woman's cookbook isn't a typical cookbook. It is similar to her blog: stories, beautiful photographs and recipes.

Thank you, Janet, for sharing your cookbook. I didn't dare bring it home to read for fear of accidently dropping it in the muddy swamp that is my yard. Instead, it is safely hidden in a desk drawer.

Can't wait to read some more tomorrow--- only during lunch and breaks, of course. Must continue knocking down that mountain of paperwork. Tomorrow's mantra: Must not open the drawer... Must not open the drawer...