Christmas Came Early

Top left: My sister, her husband, and my kids.
Middle: Me waiting for my sister coming down aisle,
my husband and I at reception, my sister and I in Station Square.
Bottom: Pittsburgh view from our hotel.

I know, you're shocked. I have two posts up in the same week! Maybe my schedule is making a turn for the better...reading is picking up and I have things to talk about! Yay!

Anyway, my sister got hitched the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It made for a busy week before and after (also because of the holiday), but it was an amazing weekend we spent in Pittsburgh together.

We spent Saturday hanging out with one of my sister's best friends, talking, eating, and walking our way around Station Square. She held her ceremony and reception at LeMont Restaurant in Mt Washington the next day. The view from the hall completely breathtaking, especially as evening set in and the city lit up. The restaurant itself, a 1920's Gatsby-esque decor, had been recently decked out in gold Christmas trees and decorations, which we hadn't known would happen. It was a welcome sight...totally lifted the atmosphere and spirits more than expected and made for great pictures. And in my sister's usual style, every piece of the wedding matched the setting...especially her dress. Among the most beautiful wedding dresses I've ever seen.

As a thank you my sister gave me a sweet card and a B&N gift card! It was totally unnecessary, I wouldn't have missed it all for anything, but very thoughtful of her. It only sat in my pocket a couple days before I found my way to B&N to spend it. The first item was a given, The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5). With every gift card I've received in the past year, I've first bought the next book in the series, even though I'm only on #3 right now. They are beautiful big books and will look amazing on my shelf when I have them all...that is, when I have any space on a shelf.

A number of other titles came to mind as I walked around, but the next item that caught my eye was a day-to-day 2016 calendar of book trivia for bookworms. Between questions and quotes, it looked like a great way to start every day, so to work it goes! My plan is to work a few good ones into my blog each month, either as #SundaySentence or a whole new posting.

Not far from the table of calendars was a table of "sophisticated" coloring books and supplies. I've been watching the coloring phenomenon from afar. I wasn't the best color-er as a kid, but it's always been a fun activity. I've gone through the selections the last couple visits to B&N and decided now was the time to give it a try. After circling the table a few times and flipping through ten different books, the one that stood out the most was Tropical World, by Millie Marotta. I picked it because it was the only book where I felt excited to color every page as I flipped through. Not having colored in awhile, I needed new pencils too! I bought a 24 pack of watercolor pencils, which came with a brush. I had never heard of them before, but apparently they can be used as regular colored pencils or, with a little water on a brush, made to look like watercolor on paper.

Thanks to Educator's Discount, I pretty much left within limit of my gift card, only had to pay $2.24. That's what I call a successful trip!

Anyone else get the chance to haul home bookish goodies recently?