Baby Steps Quilt

I made this quilt for my "other daughter" Marilyn. She's my husband's cousin's daughter, but that sounds much too remote. Other daughter is a much more accurate description of our relationship. 

Marilyn and my Beth are very close in age (3 months apart), and are very good friends. Marilyn's baby girl (no name revealed yet) is due five days before Beth's baby Andrew is due. So fun!

The quilt

Darling Marilyn holding the quilt

Beth and Marilyn

Quilt finished: September 2011

Size: 40 inches by 50 inches

Pattern: Baby Steps by Mountain Valley Stitches

Fabric: Melodies for Exclusively Quilters

If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O by Sharyn McCrumb

I think I read about Sharyn McCrumb's latest book in this Ballad series on Goodreads.com, and thought I might like to explore her books. I'm always on the lookout for a new mystery writer.

I checked out the first book in the series from the library. It takes place in Eastern Tennessee in 1986. The story line is quite involved with the Vietnam war, and the life of vets 20 years later. I found that intriguing - my generation just barely missed the Vietnam war. Most people I know even just 5 years older than me have a much more present sense of the war.

The book was well written. It was a teeny bit scary. It shouldn't have been - but I scare easily. I won't be able to read several of her books in a row. Just once in a while. But I will definitely read more.

I liked the introduction by the author very much. She told about how she came to write the book, and some of the process she goes through while writing. I'm always interested in that, and it was fun to note while I was reading the book some of the things she had mentioned in the introduction.

Snow!

Just yesterday I was driving down the road in the rain, thinking how much I've enjoyed our extended summer this last month. Until two days ago, it has been in the mid to high 70's. Just how I like summer - not the usual 90's and 100's of July and August. In fact I've been thinking how incongruous the fall colors have been with those toasty temperatures.

Yesterday the temperature was in the low 50's, and we could see snow at the tops of the mountains. This morning I just looked out my window to see snow. Snow!

Yesterday morning I was moaning because I had to wear long pants. Now I suppose I'll need to put on a jacket too.

Good thing is, it won't last. It's already turning back into rain. Just a taste of what's to come.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

I read this book for my book group, and waited too long to start it. This sometimes happens because I don't like to have too large a gap between finishing a book and discussing it. My book group meets the last Thursday of the month, so last week I spent every moment reading that I could, and still had half the book left to read on Thursday.

It seemed everything conspired to take away reading time from me on Thursday. Finally at five minutes before I needed to go, I gave up (still had over 100 pages to go), and went to confirm where we were meeting.

Turns out we're not meeting until next week. There was a change, and I had forgotten.

So now I've got the book finished, in plenty of time before our discussion. I can't wait for the discussion. I want to hear what others felt about the book and the writing. I also still can't figure out what the title means. I'm hoping for some enlightenment on that too.

Briefly, the book takes place in 1799 and 1800 on a small island in Nagasaki harbor, Japan. There is an outpost of the Dutch East Indies Company on that island. A clerk for the company comes to the island to help audit the books of the company to help eliminate inside fraud and other cheating going on. We get to know the Dutch employees as well as various Japanese characters.

The writing is excellent. It was nice to read a book with such great writing. I liked the story. I'm not sure I loved the story, but I might like it better after discussion.

Bottom line, I think I'd like to try another book by David Mitchell. That says something.

I Won a Giveaway!

No, not the blog kind. Just the very kind person whom I didn't even know at the football game kind.

We have BYU football season tickets. Mostly because of me. I know Ray likes the games, but I'm really the one who loves to go. Last night as we were leaving the game, I noticed a woman had on some cute BYU earrings (see above). I asked her where she got them, and she said, "the BYU Bookstore". Then she asked me if I lived locally, and I replied, "Sandy" (the city where I live), thinking to myself - I'll have to get to the bookstore and get some of those earrings. Meanwhile she reached up, took them out of her ears, and gave them to me. She gave me a big hug and said, "I'll just pick up another pair for myself." and walked away.

I never even got her name, it all happened so quickly. I'll wear them to the next game. Maybe we'll meet again.

Stranger things have happened.

Meanwhile - thank you again kind stranger for a delightful gift. You made my day!

Share and Share Alike?

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman really strikes a chord with me. One of my favorite chapters is the very first one: "Marrying Libraries". Fadiman begins by telling us how long she and her husband have been together, yet they've never combined their libraries. The rest of the chapter tells delightfully how they finally married their libraries.

Ray and I have been married 31 years, but our libraries have never wed. This is my fault entirely. Ray does not care one whit about where his books are, or how they are ordered. Although I freely admit to reading all classes of books (high-bred down to trash), I shudder to think of putting his books among my own.

In our current home, we have a room that serves as a library. It houses my books. The adult fiction and non-fiction are arranged alphabetically by author on one wall with a short shelf of reference and cartoon books at the very end. The juvenile fiction (alphabetical by author) and picture books (randomly, sort of by size) are on another wall. There is also a small section that contains some Church books, arranged alphabetically by author.

Ray and I also have a tall bookshelf in our bedroom. The left side is mine, the right side is his. The top three shelves on my side have books I own that I have not yet read. They are arranged in a way that would make no sense to anyone else, but it's a system of prioritizing for me. The order shifts constantly. The bottom three shelves hold some reference books I keep thinking I might use someday, and our wedding photos. The right side (Ray's) has a bunch of books shoved on the shelves in no order whatsoever. He also has a bunch of books in his office (also in our home) and random piles of books on the top of our bed frame.

When I need a book I can usually locate it quickly. When Ray needs a book he just starts pulling books off his shelves until he finds the one he wants. Last week Ray wanted to loan some of his books to our nephew David. He found several and handed them to David. I didn't think anything of it at the time.

It's been a busy week. I've hardly had time to breathe, much less pay any attention to the house (and it shows). This morning I glanced at the bookshelf in our bedroom, and did a double take. My first thought was "who put those books on MY shelf?" There are five or six extra books in a pile on my top shelf. I glanced at Ray's shelves. Aha! there were gaps which would add up to those five or six books. Then I remembered the books he loaned to David. I'm sure he moved those books out of the way to find the books for David. Then he forgot to put them back. He probably thought it wouldn't matter to me if his books were on my shelf. It certainly wouldn't matter to him if my books were on his shelf.

I thought I was getting better about sharing. After all, I share chocolate with Ray now. But I still can't bring myself to share shelf space for our books. Maybe someday. Maybe not.

It does help that he's oblivious to the whole matter.

The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies by Susan Wittig Albert

I really like Susan Wittig Albert's books. I have enjoyed the China Bayles series for years. The Beatrix Potter series is fun. I liked the first book in this Darling Dahlias series.

But this one was just okay for me. I like the characters, but I felt I was getting just a little too much information on the Depression and way of life then. The story wasn't very plausible, and didn't move along very quickly. At sixty pages from the end I was wondering when the mystery was going to unfold. Or even be presented.

Maybe the next one will be back up to par.

Block of the Month Quilt 2011

This year's block of the month quilt didn't really set me on fire. I liked the blocks just fine, but couldn't find the energy to figure out a wonderful way to set all the blocks into a striking quilt. In fact, I had decided I wouldn't even finish it, and would save the time for sewing something I really wanted to sew.

Then I had an extended email conversation with Ray's cousin Kim. She had an idea of somehow using a quilt as an object lesson in church, illustrating how each individual with their own talents is a vital part of the world. Even though they are unique, they still are part of a beautiful whole. Well, we batted around several ideas, and I sent off photos of several quilts, and none really seemed to fit her idea exactly. Finally I said, I have these blocks, and could put them together... Well, from there a few more ideas came to mind, and we decided that was the best plan. 

Then I sent a photo with the blocks on my design wall. Did she want the blocks sewn directly together, or with a narrow sashing between? She chose the sashing, saying she would call that the Faith,  Hope, and Charity that we all share that binds us together as individuals. I have to tell you, she has some amazing ideas. I wish I could hear her lesson. 

I have a whole new appreciation for this quilt. It is simple, but now has some meaning for me. I will never look at it the same way again.

I guess we could carry that into the lesson - isn't that how it is when we get to know and love people? They may not have impressed us initially, but once we know who they truly are we see them through clearer eyes.