Sorry I didn't get back sooner. Thanks for all the suggestions. I was telling my husband that I had no ideas, and he said why don't you cook some of the halibut and salmon I just brought home? (he was on a fishing trip in Alaska last week) So I think that I'll cook in on the grill wrapped in foil with some olive oil and seasoning, then make a sauce with fresh tomatoes, marinated mushrooms and artichoke hearts, capers and lemon juice with angel hair pasta - this is something that I've been making for my husband and myself the past few months with salmon. I'm not sure how long I'll need to cook the fish though. I really hate overcooked fish!

Book clubs sound great; I'm sure you'll enjoy it. We have several at our library. One of my best friends belongs to one that chooses books that spark a lot of in-depth discussion. I would call them "difficult" books, although that doesn't quite describe it. Not necessarily difficult to read and understand, but difficult to enjoy--at least from my perspective. I do read for information sometimes, but mostly I read for fun. I can't imagine a book club discussing JD Robb's "In Death" series, for example, one of my favorites. How much can you say about it? LOL I belong to a writer's "club"--a group of five. We meet regularly to discuss each other's writing, which is useful to us, and usually enjoyable as well. Wine, beer, and snacks add to the fun.

Hi Lisa - I've been in a book group since 1995, so we have read over a hundred books. I do try to keep some ratings of the books we read, but I'm not always up to date. And not all the books we've read have been rated. But according to my records, here are some of our favorites - based on how much we enjoyed reading them and how discussable they were (not necessarily in any order): A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving Bean Trees - Barbara Kingsolver A Thousand Acres - Jane Smiley Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood A Yellow Raft in Blue Water - Michael Dorris The Girls - Lori Lansens Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks Some that haven't been rated but were group favorites were: Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner Because of Winn Dixie - Kate DiCamillo (a YA book) Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri Peace Like a River - Leif Enger To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee Also, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, received a perfect 5 out of 5 from all of those who read it. Much of this is pretty standard book club fare, which is what my book group seems to prefer. The above books were not necessarily my favorites, although I agreed with many of the ratings. If I were to list my faves, they would be (not in any order): Sarah Canary - Karen Joy Fowler (Surprise!) Cider House Rules - John Irving East of Eden - Steinbeck Smilla's Sense of Snow - Peter Hoeg Motherless Brooklyn - Jonathan Lethem House of Sand and Fog - Andre Dubus Montana 1948 - Larry Watson Life of Pi - Yann Martel (close to the top of my list) Each book group has it's own personality, just as individuals do. Over time, you will discover you group's personality and will learn the types of books that work and the type that don't work. Good luck ... and happy reading and discussing.

I got the bags at a local promotional products company (I happen to have a friend working there). They are canvas oilcloth and look a bit like the LL Bean totes but were much cheaper. It was cheaper to get one color silkscreen instead of many, and my friend matched the pantone color of the bag and went a bit darker for the screen, she also did the design. It's crazy how cheap you can get those boat totes wholesale!! Just for example, check out this link. Some of them are minimum orders of like, 50, but you can get as low as 12 as a minimum order. Update: In the end I decided not to stuff the bags as I didn't want to seem too extravagant. I gave them out last night and the ladies said they were really thrilled! One even started crying -- but she is 8 months pregnant ;)