Book Review: Light on Snow by Anita Shreve

Light on Snow by Anita Shreve follows the lives of Nicky and her father, Rob, Dillon. Nicky's mother and baby sister were killed in a traumatic car accident just days before Christmas two years before the story begins. Rob is still in the woes of depression over the accident and Nicky is trying to navigate the complex world of moving on with her life and remembering and treasuring the past.

Then one day as they take their afternoon walk, Nicky and her father stumble upon an abandoned baby who they save. Their lives are thrown into further turmoil a few days later when the baby's mother shows up.

Light on Snow is a beautifully written novel about love and forgiveness and acceptance. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and hope you do too.

Highly recommended.

Dissertation Progress

I have actually completed chapter 2 of my dissertation. It's the literature review and was a monster undertaking. I have sent my draft to my advisor and will hope for a favorable review next week.

Oh, and I think I finally decided what to do with the quilt bee quilt--I've been fussing and fuming for long enough, don't ya think!?!

Book Review: Bread Alone by Judith Ryan Hendricks

Bread Alone is about a woman, Wynter, who is going through a divorce from her executive advertising husband. Their marriage started out as one of mutual support and understanding and turned into one where she was erased in his glamorous career. When he tells her that they need to separate for a time, she honestly believes that he is simply going through a difficult time and waits for him to make the decision to take her back, despite all evidence that he is having an affair with a co-worker. The journey that Wynter must go through to discover her true passion (baking bread) makes up the plot of the novel and allows the reader to discover her own self and passions through Wynter’s struggles.

I liked the book quite a bit. I thought it was very well written and presented the reader with an interesting take of the tolls of divorce and the processes that one must go through to redefine herself after essentially being erased in a marriage that is about supporting the husband. Only through discovering her art was Wynter able to have something for herself worth standing up for and avoid making a similar mistake with a different man.

Recommended for all readers.

WW Update, Week 3

I lost 2.5 pounds this week. David stayed even. That takes me to 8 pounds total and him at 7.5. yay us!!!

Brown and Blue Tencel and Rayon Scarf

Very silky to the touch, very pretty to the eyes. AND it will keep the wind off of your neck. This is a lovely scarf, one of my favorites. It's made with tencel (wood pulp fiber long touted as the poor man's silk because it has the luster and feel of silk at a much cheaper price) and blue variegated rayon. Fringe is twisted. The scarf measures 7x70. It sells for $50.

Just two short months ago...

...I put up pictures of our earliest snowfall ever. Here we are today.

Book Review: A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

I started reading this book over a month ago. I thought maybe I wasn't getting into it because I was instead getting into my new video game...which kept me from wanting to read for weeks. How unlike me. Seriously. I don't have issues turning off my video game at night, and while I was really enjoying this one, I don't think it's the reason that I was not getting back to A Gate at the Stairs every single night.

I was avoiding it.

I decided to wean myself off of my video game, convinced that I'd become addicted, so I was going to read it 5% at a time (it's on Kindle, so no pages and can't really see the chapter ends, the thing that most annoys me about it despite all its other wonderful conveniences). I persevered, kept at it, for two days. I'd finally made it to 20% (having been dogged the first night and read two 5% sections in one evening). However, last night, I said to David as we were sitting down to read..."If this book hasn't grabbed my be 25% I'm going to move on."

Guess what, I made it to 21%. I just couldn't read one more word of this spoiled little college student who thinks she's just so much smarter and better than her family go on and on about her passive experience of the morose condition of the world. I imagine that the book does get better but since I'm on Kindle I can't easily flip forward and find out...so guess what? I'm quitting. Besides, the writing is so overdone that it takes paragraphs to make one statement about the lack of snow or ability to go ice fishing at Christmas time. I kept thinking in my head, "bla, bla, bla, cold stinks anyway."

I started reading Bread Alone by Judith Ryan Hendricks last night. I'm not addicted to my video game, I was just in the malaise of reading a bad book and doing a very good job of avoiding it. I am really enjoying my new book and expect to have a review up in just a few days.

Week 2

I lost .5 pounds and David lost 2.5. Cumulative: Me: 5.5. him 7.

Down Home Boogie by Eugenie Rocherolle

Who knew:

Diet and exercise works. I lost 5 pounds, David 4.5.

Napkins and Towels

These napkins and towels are 100% cotton, made for my friend Tony for his new apartment. Hope he loves them!

Back to Weight Watchers Today

An embarrassing confession: We quit weight watchers because it was just wearing us down. I've gained all the weight I lost plus some...so now it's back to it. Hopefully for good this time. I don't know how to get over that desperate hump.

Good news: I've been exercising almost daily since the beginning of the year. I hope to actually start seeing some weight loss now that I'll also be watching what I eat.

Reminder to self: Take everything one day at a time...one doesn't move mountains in a day. Sometimes it's just a spoonful towards the goals, but that's a spoonful that wasn't there the day before.

New Computer...

...it isn't quite a love affair, but it's close. This new computer is great. It's so quiet I don't even know I have it on...who knew the other's constant grumbling was getting on my nerves.

It's fast. I can open web-pages without having to wait (and I thought it was our connection! ha!)

It's got all the new updates, and while I fight them in the beginning they are more efficient, thus convenient.

Plus my new monitor dresses everything up in a crisp new picture.

So, I concede. New eras are sometimes good things. You just have to get used to them.

Merry LATE Christmas to My Mama

These placemats are a Christmas gift for my mother. Four of them are from Alyssa and Elizabeth and the other 2 are early mother's day gifts from me. They are 100% cotton in gold, lavendar and a creamy yellow. The pattern is called an "M&W".

Book Review: The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kilogradis

The Borgia Bride follows the life of Sancha of Aragon, princess of Naples during the end of the 1400s. She is a strong willed fearless young woman who is prey to the poltical machinations of her family. Married against her will to an 11 year old, who happens to be the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander, she falls into a world of incest, political intrigue, and murder.

The book pretty much is a whole bunch of horrible accounts of the pope's household and how Sancha has to maneuver her way through it the best she can in the hopes that she'll be able to save herself and her brother. She fails at the latter, but does manage to save her brother's son and escape from the madness that was Rome in 1500.

I liked the book ok. It wasn't great, but it was well-written and did suck the reader into it. I got a little weary of all the horrible accounts...it felt rather repitious towards the end, and I was glad to be done with it.

Recommended.

The End of an Era (sort of)

The computer I've been using for the past four years is on its last legs. It grunts and groans every time I turn it on...it's slow to move around sometimes...it locks up...sometimes it just won't go.

So, it's being replaced, but I'm going to miss it. I don't want to move to a new Windows operating system. I like XP...why did they change it? At least I'm not going to Vista, but I just don't understand why they can't leave a good thing alone.

And I really don't like doing this in the midst of dissertation writing. I mean, so many things can distract me from my mission...and a new computer is certainly one of them.

But change must happen, and so it will. Sometime this weekend all files that I need will be transferred, and the new computer will be operational. The old one will be backed up and then put down (poor thing).

Book Review: Katherine by Anya Seton

Katherine by Anya Seton is a thoughtful, beautifully written book about the love shared between Katherine Swynfod and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. The two meet when Katherine is introduced at court after spending her life growing up in a convent. Katherine is quickly married off to Hugh Swynford and finds herself in a miserable life in a miserable "keep" with surly servants, unruly serfs and a crazy mother-in-law.

The love between Katherine and John grows slowly and following the deaths of both of their spouses evolves into an affair that astounds them both and puzzles many of their acquaintances. The book follows all these paths, both positive and negative, and traces the cosequences of such a love.

I liked the book. I thought it was very well researched and evoked the 14th century in amazing detail. You could feel the grit, dirt, and drafts; taste the food; feel the strife of living in a time when communication was so difficult; and find the transcending power of love throughout the whole. I look forward to reading the rest of Seton's repertoire.

Laid Back Boogie by Eugeni Rocherolle

Misty Night Blues by Martha Mier

I didn't think of the potential significance of playing a blues song on the Aggie's bowl game day while wearing my 12th man jersey, but we'll hope it's blue for Georgia and not for us! Lovely little song. Hope you enjoy it.

Three Scarves that were Gifts

Red and White Towels

The red and white towels are finally finished.  I don't know why this project seemed to take me forever...at any rate, I think they are worth it as they are probably my favorite towels yet.  I hope Grandma and Laura LOVE them!

Merry Christmas to all!

I wish everyone a merry Christmas and hope you get all the wonderful gifts you've been hankering for.  I know I did.  I always consider birthday to Christmas to be a "season" in and of itself.  This year I got my big present for my birthday--a beautiful key shaped necklace from Tiffany's.  My parents bought me some ramikens so that I can cook some of these interesing meals I've been wanting to try, some cookbooks, and a panini press.  My anniversary themed gifts were Ayala Bar earrings (google her if you're interested...LOVELY jewelry).  And my Christmas gifts are crafting inspired.  The daughters bought for me a reed holder for my weaving studio as well as a ski shuttle (which I'm very excited about).  And David bought me 4 cross stitch patterns and had them "kitted" so that I have all the material and yarns I'll need for each project.  And finally, David bought me some wonderful "in season" Ranier cherries to be sent in May/June when they are at the peak of ripeness.  I can hardly wait.

This Christmas season I have known the true joy of giving.  I bought for my mother a bread machine, and hearing her experiments every day has truly warmed my heart and brought me more joy than I thought it would.  I have the pleasure of seeing her try new things, have them turn out beautifully and then share them with her family and neighbors.  I feel like I have a little part in that extra-gifting and have honest joy in the knowledge that I "hit it" this year with her gift.  Enjoy for many years mama!

Angels for my house

Any of you who have visited, know that I stitch an angel to go above each of my doorways. I'm mostly finished with the angels needed for this house with these last two additions.  The angel with wine bottle is hanging in the kitchen and the anel cat is in my bedroom.

Christmas dinner

We are having dinner with the girls tonight...serving Christmas Pasta (Rachel Ray recipe, quite delicious), french bread (from my bread machine), salad, pecan pie, fudge. here is a picture of the pecan pie...more to come later.

a work in progress

I thought this one looked so pretty on the loom that I wanted to share before it's even finished. It will be 4 towels...2 for my Aunt Janice to give as a gift to my grandmother. The other 2? Up for grabs!

sharing

Book Review: Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden

I'm a little delayed in getting this book review uploaded. Not sure why but I've been running around like crazy accomplishing very little...so here goes.

Molly Fox's Birthday was a terrific book. I enjoyed it from start to finish. In fact it was one of those book that after spending about 10 minutes with I knew I would love it. The writing is impeccable and the main character's voice is very accessible.

The basic story line follows the first person narrator (whose name we never learn) in her ramblings--both mental and physical--on June 21st, Molly Fox's Birthday. Molly is an actress and close friend of the narrator who is a playwright. They two also share a mutual friend, Andrew, and the narrator's brother, Tom, plays an important role in both women's lives. Finally, Fergus, Molly's brother is a conduit between the two women as well.

And that's really it. The novel is about the relationships between this group of people, but it's so much more. Themes abound throughout the novel, including what it means to be an actress, the ramifications of parental neglect on children, country vs city ways of knowing the world, the ex-patriot's dilemma, and the relationship between humans and animals.

Recommended.

Place mats for my music teacher

This is one of eight placemats that I made for my music teacher, Jan Mesrobian. David saw them and said, "they look rustic." And I told him that that is exactly what I was striving for. They are 100% cotton "slub" yarn (thick and thin) and so so very soft.

A christmas medley

Arrangement by Martha Meir: O Little Town of Bethlehem, Sing We Now of Christmas and Joy to the World. Enjoy!

a freak December snow "storm"

It snowed at a rate of about an inch per hour for a couple of hours last night. I was so fascinated that I couldn't sleep until it was over...and I lived through enough snow in Kentucky that I said I didn't care if I ever saw another snowflake in my life. But I have to say there's just something about snow in the south that makes it more magical--probably because you know it won't still be there by noon the next day. Here are the pictures I managed to take.

SO much better today...

...I can breathe now and was able to sleep most of the night last night and as a result I feel a whole lot better today. The challenge is to not do too much and get myself sick again...but there are errands that must be run, so I'm off to get them done. Then back home to more reading and relaxing.

Book Review: The Quilter’s Legacy by Jennifer Chiaverini

This 5th book in the Quilter’s Apprentice series focuses on the upcoming marriage of Slyvia and Andrew and Sylvia’s quest for her mother’s five “show-quilts.” Interspersed with Sylvia’s story is Eleanor’s, Sylvia’s mother.

I liked the structure of the book with one chapter that focuses on Sylvia and then the next chapter focused on Eleanor and her making the quilt that Sylvia is looking for. The chapter that focuses on Sylvia tells two basic stories: 1) Andrew’s children’s rejection of their decision to marry and 2) Sylvia’s search for her mother’s lost quilts.

I liked Eleanor’s stories the best. I felt that they were fleshed out better and had more plot and interest. Sylvia’s stories felt flat to me, mainly because I thought Andrew’s children’s reasons for rejecting the marriage didn’t make sense and their willingness to estrange themselves to their father because of it didn’t work for me.

After reading the book I think it fits the “tragic” genre. So many heartrending events take place that you feel rather depressed despite the somewhat happy ending. I did like that Sylvia was able to bond with her deceased mother through this search for her quilts, since the female bonding is one of those things that I’ve always liked about Chiaverini’s books. That said, it was a little late and not much could result from it.

Recommended if you like the Quilter’s Apprentice series. I have the 6th book already purchased but if I don’t like it much better than I did 4&5, I will quit reading the series.

Day 3 of feeling like crud...

...I think I may have turned the corner as my dinner tonight had some flavor. I also had enough energy to make some basil, parmesan and pine nut bread in my bread machine and what I could taste of it was wonderful...Also, every sneeze seems to be doing its job...and there are lots of them...here's hoping to feeling good enough to weave tomorrow (that's always me test. I'm not "well" until I can do my hobby...then the next day I go back to work). Alyssa said she's feeling better.

Welcome to December Everyone...

...I apparently caught a cold on my trip (Alyssa did too)...and I feel like crud today. Haven't done anything but sit in my chair and read. And while reading is nice, I'm bored. Hope I feel better enough tomorrow to weave. I also need to get to working on that dissertation! I have another deadline on Wednesday next week....oh, and David leaves town tomorrow for 5 days, so I'll be all alone with no one to feel sorry for me. boo!

Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I absolutely adored this book. It was part romance, part historical fiction, part women's relationship and a whole bunch about the love of reading.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is an epistolary novel written from many characters's perspectives about London and the Guernsey Island just after WWII. The society was formed as an explanation to the German police one night when several islanders were out after curfew because of a feast they prepared. Elizabeth makes up the society on the spot and then the islanders have to follow up with the idea to make sure no one gets in trouble.

I learned a lot about the German occupation of this small channel island while also loving and caring about the characters. The literary references are subtle but fun for a lover of literature. The plot is satisfying, and the writing is excellent.

My only problem with the novel is that it was slightly difficult at first to keep up with who was writing the letters, but that was minimal considering how much I loved reading this book.

Highly recommended for all readers.

Purple, blue and pink Alpaca Scarf

This scarf is made using one skein of a self-striping alpaca sock yarn called Alpaca Sox. It's light weight yet warm and so so soft. Using the yarn for both warp and weft allows for a plaid-like look (without all the trouble of plaid!). I love the colors and the variegations in this one.

It measures 7x65, has twisted fringe and sells for $50.