Late Start to the Winter Reading Challenge

 

I’m a day late and a dollar short on Rebecca Jo’s Reading Challenge, but then I’m a day late and a dollar short on discovering audiobooks.  Prior to that discovery, I wasn’t reading … other than my quiet time.  Thanks to discovering audiobooks mid-January, I can devote myself to both my obsessions passions: reading and quilting. 

 

In the 3 1/2 weeks, I’ve “read” 5 audiobooks and am about a quarter way through my 6th.

 

        

I enjoyed The Racketeer, the story of a man caught up, unwittingly, in a money laundering scheme and imprisoned as a result … who has an ace up his sleeve for a quick release … and a windfall.  It was a classic Grisham book. 

 

I had forgotten that I’d read The Confession, the story of a lawyer who bolts from a prestigious law firm and winds up in an ambulance-chasing firm …and stumbles onto his true calling.  While it didn’t take long for me to remember the final outcome, I had forgotten all the action between the beginning and the ending and enjoyed rereading this.  Another Grisham classic. 

 

The Confession was another Grisham book that I’d previously read and didn’t realize it when I started … I finished it but didn’t enjoy it much better than I did the first time around. 

 

       

Along Came a Spider was as enjoyable as the movie … I’m not sure who narrated it, but if it wasn’t Morgan Freeman, it must have been his “voice double”.  There was one small scene in the book that I wish hadn’t been included … it certainly added nothing to the story line … and with an audiobook, I can’t skim past like I could in a book.  But even so, I’d like to read more of the Alex Cross series. 

 

Sarah’s Key was a bit of a mixed bag … there were times when it seemed to drag, but as the book advanced, I found myself drawn in, unable to put it down.  The narrrator didn’t help and jumping back and forth in time didn’t work as well in the audio version as it might have in the print version, but even so, I’d certainly recommend this book. 

 

I’m currently reading At Home in Mitford … it’s a little slow going right now … I’m really not able to make a connection to Father Tim or anyone else, but so many friends have read and recommended Jan Karon’s Mitford Series that I’m going to keep on reading. 

 

Reading anything interesting or looking for suggestions of good books to read?  Check out Rebecca Jo’s.

 

 

After over a week away from my needle and thread, I’m hoping to be able to get reacquainted with them this evening while watching the hockey game (and I’m hoping that my Blues get reacquainted to their winning ways tonight, too). 

 

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy! Have a great day!
Kathy

Busy, Busy, Busy

I can’t believe I haven’t posted since Tuesday … but it’s been busy here at Chez Nana, and it doesn’t look like things will slow down any the rest of this week.

For quite some time now, I’ve been determined to start labeling my quilts.  I know … I’ve been quilting for 30 years and haven’t labeled a single quilt.  I make quilts to be loved and used, and as the only quilter in my family, I am not worried about anyone wondering who made their quilt after I’m gone.    But I’ve always thought that a label adds a little personalization, and I’d like to remind the recipient that the quilt was made with love.  On one of my trips down a bloggy rabbit trail last week, I found a source for personalized quilting labels … mine arrived on Thursday.   

Now to borrow all the quilts I’ve made and get them labeled …
Edited to add:  I purchased the labels from http://www.modernyardage.com/shop/category/quilt-labels/ They were wonderful to work with and I would definitely recommend them.


I would have liked to have been able to report that we enjoyed the pleasant weather that moved through our area over the weekend, but we were indoors all weekend … on the pool deck from 7AM through 8PM (10PM Friday night).  It was a loooong meet … it takes a long time for 630 swimmers to swim all their events.  Thankfully with 3 swimmers to cheer for, there wasn’t too much time spent sitting and waiting … and we all had iPads and iPhones to keep us entertained during the slow times.

The Ts did quite well, especially considering that none of them were feeling their best (head colds).  T#3 made area time on his IM and 25 Breast, and they dropped time on their personal bests. 

Like I said, I’ve got a busy week coming up, which means that I won’t be getting in much time with my needle and thread again this week.    Nor will there be much time to unwind from a long, exhausting weekend (can someone explain to me why those of us who spectated all weekend are as exhausted as those who swam all weekend – ha!). 

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy! Have a great day!
Kathy

Snow, Super Bowl, and Sunday Deliveries

There was another big snowstorm here in the Midwest this past weekend.  Chicago and areas to the north got anywhere from 12-18” of the white stuff.  After all the snow was removed from our forecast, it was a pleasant surprise to look out Monday morning and see snow here, too.Unfortunately, as you can see, we didn’t get enough to amount to anything and by mid-morning, it was gone.  The meteorologists are all predicting measurable snow tomorrow … but we know how much stock to put into their prognostications … after all, they were promising us 2-3” or more for last Saturday … and we got nary a flake.



Another Super Bowl is under our belts.  I have to be honest and say that it was a fairly exciting game.  Initially I really didn’t care who won, but after a couple of exciting plays, I found myself rooting for the Seahawks, only to have my hopes dashed at the end.  I’m still not a fan of football … I just can’t get into any sport where it takes almost an hour to play the last 11 minutes of the game. 



Imagine my surprise when our mail man made a delivery Sunday afternoon.  I know that amazon.com promised a Sunday delivery, but still … I had to see it to believe it.  I ordered comic book boards for better organizing my tubs of stash … and a Kim Diehl book.  I recently discovered Kim’s wonderful quilt patterns, and last week while following bloggy rabbit trails, I came across delightful quilt from her Homestyle Quilts book … that led me to her publisher’s website where I saw
andI knew I just “had” to order the book and was pleased to see it still available on amazon.com. 

These quilts are now on my to-do list … in addition to the quilt kit I just ordered from craftsy.com. I’ve made so many blue and white quilts and had mentioned to Elaine over at http://brunosmom.blogspot.com/ that I loved red and white quilts, too and wanted to make one … she remembered that and sent me the link.  I’ve been wanting to make a quilt from Minick and Simpson’s Crazy for Red line.  I’m glad she sent me the link when she did … and that I didn’t hesitate … the price for the kit has gone up since the weekend.  Yes, I know I’m going to need to live to be 150 in order to make all the quilts I want to make. 



DH has been chomping at the bit to head somewhere warm this winter … and given my aversion to cold, I have to say that I wouldn’t object.  Swim season is in full swing, so we both thought our dreams were just that – dreams … until DH discovered Frontier Airline’s discounted airfare.  Alas, trying to line up discounted airfare, reasonable lodging rates and a block of time where we would be able to travel turned out to be impossible. 



I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy! Have a great day!
Kathy

Slow Finish to a Busy Weekend

I had plans of a slow start to the weekend, but as is often the case, my plans failed to materialize.  I got a call, early Friday morning, from DD asking if I could give her a bit of a break with the Ts … she wasn’t feeling too good and thought a day of peace and quiet (and a nap) might do the trick.  Of course, she didn’t have to twist my arm to get me to say “yes”.  Our first stop was the library in the adjoining town … a toy shop was hosting a homeschool event, bringing in toys for the kids to sample.  T#1 really was dreading the outing, but as is often the case, he was the one who enjoyed it the most.  Bonus:  I got a couple of gift ideas for his upcoming birthday. 


Afterwards we stopped at DQ for lunch – and ice cream – before heading to Nana’s house.  We had a couple of hours to kill before it was time to get ready for swim practice.  It was a long, but good day … but then any day spent with my Ts is a good day in my book!

They swam in another meet yesterday.  Unlike most meets that start at 8:00 (with warmups starting at 6:30), this meet began at 1:00.  That gave DH and me time to drop off my sewing machine for an annual tune-up and have a quick lunch before heading to the pool.  It was a small meet … 3 smaller teams, so it went fairly quickly … we were done by 5:30.  The Ts did well … all 3 finished 1st or 2nd in all their events (other than a DQ on T#3’s 50 free).  We all stopped for our usual post-meet meal at our usual post-meet establishment Five Guys. 


At least today is going to be a slower, more uneventful day.  There is, I hear tell, a big deal going on this afternoon. 

I’m not a football fan, nor am I fan of all the hype surrounding the Super Bowl, but our neighbors are hosting a Super Bowl party … and since we enjoy time spent with them, we’ll go.  And I’ll enjoy seeing the commercials. 

In the meantime, I plan to spend a few hours with my needle and thread … I didn’t get any quilting time Friday or Saturday and I’m anxious to get in a few stitches.  Besides, if I have to sit through a football game, I deserve a couple of hours quilting, don’t you think?  ha!

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy! Have a great day!
Kathy

I Hit the Jackpot!

 

Yesterday, I decided to take it easy another day … and spent the day in my recliner, quilting away on T#3’s quilt.  Mid-afternoon, I got a call from a friend from our old church, asking if I wanted to take a couple of quilt tops off her hands.  Did I?  Well, of course I did!

I love anything with stars, and this Lone Star variation is no exception.  Unfortunately, as you can see, it doesn’t lay flat, and the white fabric is awfully thin.  I’m hoping that I’ll be able to tame it with a good pressing. 

 

Isn’t this Flying Dutchman just a happy quilt.  While the white fabric isn’t LQS quality, it does seem to be a little better than the white in the Lone Star top, and it does lay nice and flat. 

 

The Lone Star was machine pieced, while the Flying Dutchman was hand pieced.  They’re both about the same size … I didn’t measure them when I had them laid out, but I think they’ll both finish as lap-sized. 

 

I’ll probably start with the Flying Dutchman … when I can get to it.  I’m in the middle of quilting T#3’s quilt, and I’ve got several other projects started.  But when I finish those other projects up, I’ll have a couple of quilts ready for quilting. 

 

 

I am about done with block #7 of T#3’s quilt. 

This when I moved the hoop to quilt block #6 … if you click on it, you can enlarge it and perhaps see a little of the quilting in the center. 

 

 

I was able to stay up later than usual last night … not that it made a bit of difference … I was up at 2:45 this morning.    In the past, I couldn’t fall asleep at night if I’d taken an afternoon nap (unless I was sick) … I’m wondering if that would be the case now with my whacked-up sleep cycle.  Today might be the day to give it a try.  Ha!

 

 

The Ts are swimming again tomorrow … it’s a one-day meet over in St. Charles (about an hour from here).  Warm-ups start at 12:00 (unusual!, especially for a one-day meet), so DH and I will plan an outing before.  We’ll drop off my sewing machine for its annual tune-up and grab lunch somewhere. 

 

 

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy ... have a great day!
Kathy

This and That on a Thursday

Things have quieted back down here at Chez Nana … which meant that I was able to spend plenty of time spent with needle and thread yesterday.  I thought about taking a picture to share my progress on T#3’s quilt, but it’s really not going to look a whole lot different than what I shared a couple of days ago:

I will report that I’m just about done with my 4th block … out of 63.  And of course, there are borders to be quilted as well.  It took me just over 5 weeks to quilt T#1’s quilt (same size, same quilting “design”) … we’ll see if I’m able to match that on this quilt.    No big deal … I enjoy hand quilting, so however long it takes, it won’t be time wasted in my books.



I’m stuck in another early-morning-get-up cycle.  I reported on Tuesday that I got up at 3:30 … I slept in Wednesday – all the way to 4:00 … and it was 3:30 again this morning.  What’s up with that?  There’s a hockey game on TV tonight … maybe I can make myself stay awake to watch at least part of it so I’ll be able to sleep until my usual 5:00-5:30 tomorrow.    You’d think that getting up early would mean that I’d get a jumpstart on my day, but it doesn’t … I’m not sure why.  I don’t blatantly waste time when I get up earlier … I have my online time like normal – reading/commenting on blogs, reading/answering emails, checking in on Facebook (family, friends, quilting groups) and I have my quiet time … the same things I do when I sleep in until my usual get-up time.  I’m not sure why I am not “up and at ‘em” sooner if I’m up an hour or more earlier. 



I took a day off from the Y yesterday … when I walked Monday evening and Tuesday morning, I went at a faster pace than Lois and I do when walking together … and I noticed midway through my walk Tuesday morning, that the abdominal pain intensified.  The day off really didn’t help the pain as much as I was hoping it would (although it did give my aching legs a bit of a break) … I guess it’ll be time to head back to the doctor if it continues through the weekend.  <sigh>  The day off was enough to get me out of the mood to exercise … I’m really going to have to kick my own behind to get myself up and to the Y this morning.




I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy ... have a great day!
Kathy