Grace Under Pressure by Julie Hyzy

When I go on vacation I take my Kindle in order to avoid overweight baggage fees from all the books I need/want to take along. I can't imagine anything worse than being stranded in an airport, on an airplane, or anywhere else without a book to pick up and read. (Side note: that's the only reason I got as far as page 203 in Atlas Shrugged--I was on a plane and had absolutely nothing else to read.)

I also take a paperback or two with me. What if, heaven forbid, something happened to my Kindle? Also I don't like to take my Kindle to the beach or other public water places. I have a couple shelves of used books that I consider disposable. Mostly mysteries, with a few novels thrown in there for good measure. When I finish them on vacation, I leave them there.

Grace Under Pressure was one of the paperbacks I took on this trip.  This is the first book in a new mystery series by Julie Hyzy (author of the White House Chef Mysteries, which I enjoy). I felt this book was as good as her others. It even held up to being read intermittently--only when I was on the deck of the cruise ship or on the beach. That's pretty good for me. I'm pretty much a one book at a time reader. (Maybe that's why I don't do more audio books.)

High Heels Mysteries by Gemma Halliday

I think I picked these up on a Kindle Daily Deal a while ago. They've been sitting on my Kindle for a very long time, just waiting for a vacation or other time to start reading.

I started them during my cruise. I read the first two, and a holiday short story. Parts were funny, but mostly they didn't really set me on fire.

After reading the first two, I decided I'm done with the series. I started the third and was bored, so I picked up another book.

Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

I'm still liking her books. I think so far that The Winter Sea is my favorite, then The Rose Garden, then Mariana. But I did like them all.

They all move back and forth from the present to the past, but each in a different way. They are all romantic. And I've learned about some English history along the way. All good reasons to read her books.

I found myself trying to slow down my reading because I wanted the book to last longer. And I catch myself thinking about the book still, even though I have read a few books since then. More reasons to read her books.

She has more books out, but I won't read them for a little bit. I think I'll save them for a special reading occasion. I'm sure hoping they all continue to entertain me like these last three have.

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

I just got back from a cruise--I got a lot of reading in, so I'm just getting started on some reviews.

I must say that I like Susanna Kearsley's books. When I read The Winter Sea, I was hopeful that I would like her other books as well. So far that's true.

Mariana goes back and forth between present time and the past. I just hate to give away too much. I like the characters, and I like the story line.

I also like how Kearsley's books are romantic without being an out and out romance novel.

February 2013 Report

So far this year has not fallen into place like I thought it would, but even so I'm kind of doing okay on getting things done. Let's just say I've gotten a lot done whether or not it was what I planned on doing.

1. First things first: This will be a life long effort. I did not get as much exercise in as I'd like. I sacrificed that to get some other things done. I'm hoping to hit a happy medium in this arena. I did pretty well eating. I cut back on sweets, and tried to eat more fruits and vegetables. Once again, a long term goal. I did pretty well with reading my scriptures and saying my prayers.

2. Photo labeling/scanning: Over 200 photos or pages of photos scanned this month. I will count that as a success.

3. Household organization: I chose the Master bedroom and bathroom. Does it count if I laid in bed every night and morning and thought about all the things I should be doing to get those rooms in order and clean? I think I'll start devoting some 30-30-30 time to working on household organization.

4. Project list: This month I wanted to get a binder put together with emergency information for my own family as well as my parents. I have the binder. I have most of the papers that need to go into it. It is not assembled.  I'll keep working on that next month.

Positive additions: I finished two quilt projects that I've had hanging around for a couple of years. This year Ray's sister Orva and I are trying to spend two days a month working together. One day on her projects, and one day on mine. This month we cleaned out my game closet. It was a disaster from my adorable grandchildren loving to play games but not loving to put them away properly. (I wonder where they get that from?) Orva and I took out every game (there are a lot) and sorted all the pieces and cards and put them in their proper games. Then we checked the contents of each game and noted if any pieces were missing. It took all day, but at the end of the day, all the games are still playable, even if they are missing a couple of things. That was good news! Last weekend the grandkids played some of  the games--one game at a time, and all pieces properly stowed away when done. Let's hope we can keep that up. I'm optimistic we can do it!

Oh! One more thing. About 17 years ago Ray went to Portugal on a business trip. He brought back a couple of beautiful fruit bowls for me that I never use because they scratch up my counter. Last week I popped into Bed, Bath, & Beyond and asked if they had any of those protective felt things you can put on something like that. They did. I found exactly what I wanted (even better than felt), paid $3.99 + tax, and walked out the door in less than five minutes. It only took 17 years to get it done. But it is sure nice to have it done now!

Another Quilt Finish

I hope I can have many blog titles just like this one during this year. I'm really hoping to finish up some projects I have which are still sitting around. A few years ago I finished up all the UFOs I had at the time. Of course, that doesn't count projects lined up which haven't been started yet. Right now I only have two unfinished projects, but still a line-up of not-yet-started projects. Plus another line-up of ones I'd like to make that are still only ideas in my little brain. 

I made four of these Christmas tree skirts. I blogged about the other three in this post. This tree skirt has been finished, pinned, and all ready to quilt since then. Yes, that's right, 2011. Christmas of 2012 sailed right on by and this little baby was still hanging in my guest room closet. Well, now it's done.

Merry Christmas!

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig

Ivan Doig weaves a great story.

Told from the perspective of Paul, a twelve year old boy, we learn of life in rural Montana in the early 1900's. Most of the story takes place in the one room schoolhouse and the family home. I just don't want to give anything away by telling more than that. It is lovely in the telling, and kept me engrossed the whole time.

Well worth the read.

Mom's Last Quilt

My mom didn't start quilting until she was about 67 years old. She's been a seamstress for as long as she can remember. An excellent one, to be sure. She made my wedding dress, and my two sisters' wedding dresses as well. We all learned to sew from her, and she was an exacting teacher. We really learned how to do things right from her.

I started quilting over 20 years ago, but my mom never really even considered quilting until my parents moved to the Seattle area.  I told my mom I thought she'd really like quilting, and she decided to give it a try. She took to it like a duck to water, and was always meticulous in her work.

Mom never quite caught the concept of quilting just for quilting's sake, or the fact that you can never have enough quilts. She always wanted to have a reason for making a quilt. Several years ago I suggested she start making quilts for each of her grandchildren as wedding gifts--but begin making them immediately, as she might not still be sewing by the time the youngest got married. She did do that, and it's a good thing, because with her Alzheimer's she is no longer able to quilt. And three of her nine grandchildren are still not married.

For Christmas of 2010 Mom decided to make a quilt for each of her children. She finished three of the four quilts. She was still working on the fourth quilt (for my sister Cheryl) when they moved here to their assisted living place in January of 2011. She had most of the blocks made, and all the fabric for the quilt, but she was just no longer able to quilt. I told Cheryl I would finish the quilt for her. Two years later I finally finished the top. I actually didn't even start to finish it until a couple of weeks ago, so it's just been sitting in my sewing room this whole time. So embarrassing.

I had to resew a few parts of some of the blocks where Mom had turned things the wrong way, and I finished the few blocks that were only partially made. It was very interesting to look at those blocks. Mom had sewn over some seams several times, and ripped out other seams a few times--signs that she was no longer able to do the same work she used to be able to do. But in the end it all came together beautifully. I finished it on Saturday and ran it straight over to the quilter who's done a few of my quilts that I haven't quilted myself, and she's also done a few of my mom's quilts. She'll do a beautiful job.

Merry Christmas Cheryl! (only a couple of years late...)

The starting components

The finished top

The quilt is called Ocean Breeze, from The Quilter magazine, July 2007
It measures 72 inches by 86 inches.