Happy New Year 2021 Reading List #6 2020

 

1. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes takes place in Kentucky the late1930’s about the packhorse library delivering books to the back country also a love story.
2. The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear book #7 of Maisie Dobbs series.
3. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear book #8 of Maisie Dobbs. An eye opener for what was going on in Europe and Great Britain between WW 1 and 2.
4. The Beekeepers’s Promise by Fiona Valpy WW2 German occupation of France and contemporary story about a young woman recovering from a serious injury.
5. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion could have been the inspiration for The Big Bang Theory the story is set in Australia about a brilliant geneticist who is lacking in social skills has decided to start dating. Very funny.
6. Love Among the Recipes by Carol Cram middle aged woman travels to France alone to write a cookbook/ travel book.
7. The Lost Girl in Paris by Diney Costeloe Franco Prussian war 1871 about a young girl surviving the siege of Paris. A bit of history that I knew nothing about, interesting story but there are other books by this author that I enjoyed more.
8. Window on the Bay by Debbie Macomber romantic fluff
9. The Snow Bride by Debbie Macomber more romantic fluff
10. Whitethorn Woods by Marve Binchy a rather convoluted story about a new road going through a town and woods with a religious shrine. Some of the characters and their stories came full circle and connected others lacked a purpose in the grand scheme of the story.
11. The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes German occupation of France during WWI and a painting and contemporary story about finding the painting and who should have ownership.   Great story!
12. The Lottery and other stories by Shirley Jackson short stories 

73 books this year.  I read one more book than last year!  Time well spent. 

Happy New Year --Ann--

Jinxed

 Darling hubby goes to the wellness center to exercise a couple mornings a week and they bring treats for birthdays,  new babies and such life events.  He came home raving about the caramel rolls one lady brought. In his defense he probably hadn’t had one since Christmas 2019 but he raved about it not once but twice, they were so light, melt in your mouth, blah, blah,blah. Thus jinxing the baker in this house so when I made caramel rolls for Christmas morning.........they didn’t rise. Darling daughter said if 2020 were a caramel roll it would look like this but of course she said that after they were consumed so no digital proof.  They tasted good they just didn’t look good. Today he comes home from wellness raving again about that woman’s caramel rolls, it was her hubbies birthday, he brought one home for me, bless his heart. It was tasty and then the truth came out.......he said she uses frozen bread dough and not a name brand but the cheap store brand! No wonder it was light and fluffy like wonder bread. I have always held by the end product is only as good as the ingredients that go into it, I like simple easy to pronounce ingredients like butter, cream, sugar, flour, olive oil etc.  The crescent rolls I made for Christmas dinner were perfect and they did not come from a peal apart can. I am done baking for the year and hubby shouldn’t be eating that kind of stuff at wellness. Hope to leave all the jinxes in 2020. —Ann—

sweater

 

Progress on a sweater for me, last Christmas DD gave me a box of yarn for a sweater it was Kenzie by Hikoo in green, it was the most delicious yarn to knit and wear so I ordered more of the same yarn in blue.  The green sweater has not pilled anywhere. Some of my other sweaters I pick all the pills off like a cat grooming herself before I make and appearance for the day.  It still looks like it just came off the needles.  I love this yarn! A wonderful blend of merino wool, angora, nylon, alpaca, and silk.  I learned to knit a braided cable which is really no harder than a plain cable.  I had one sleeve 2/3rds finished and looked at what I had left for yarn either the ball were short on yardage or I knit tighter.  I tried it on and the sleeve was wider than necessary my arms are not that flabby!  Rip and start over on the sleeve and start decreasing immediately.  Good thing I love this yarn.  Hubby gave me a box of the same yarn in gray, classic gray, more cables to plan but I have to finish this one first. --Ann--

stocking caps

 

Christmas stocking caps for son, daughter-in-law, and hubby.  More snow in the forecast here.  --Ann--

BELIEVE

 

BELIEVE ...............................................Merry Christmas  --Ann--

believe

 believe................    and then the wind came with snow, it’s going to be a white Christmas—Ann—

Christmas tree

 

Merry Christmas

--Ann--

Forest and crumbs

 

No, I'm not writing about Hansel and Gretel but I do have a forest and of knitted trees and no one is lost.

Darling daughter was here over the weekend and baked the Swedish dream sugar cookies I had all the ingredients and more counter space, she baked I cleaned up.  Friday I baked biscotti the pineapple macadamia recipe sliced so nice and the spice with pecans sliced nice but the cranberry and pistachio.......crumbled.  I have a jar of crumbs to sprinkle on ice cream.  Baking is done. --Ann--

Christmas advice

 

"Maybe Christmas he thought doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more. " The Grinch 

Seems to be good advice for this year most of my shopping has been on line or from the grocery store and I certainly don't need more stuff.  

Merry Christmas

--Ann--

Santa and goose

                                                                                                       --Ann--

Stockings are hung

One more check off the list.......but then my list has been greatly abbreviated this year.  Hubby thought I should do the seam around the socks like his mother did on his sock little star sequins with a bead,  I told him I was going to finish them this year.  I think it took his mother 5 years to sew all those little stars on because the date on his sock is the year it was finished not the year he was born.  --Ann--

Continuing the tradition

My mother made Christmas stockings for my brothers and me and all my cousins on both sides of the family, then she made socks for the spouses and grandchildren. I made stockings for her last two grandkids, my two nieces     I made a stocking for daughter-in-law last Christmas and now I am making socks for my grandkids!!  I seem to put double exclamation marks at the end of sentences related to my twin grand daughters I have waited a long time to be a grandma!! And two at a time!!

My mother made the first sock in 1955 so I'm guessing the pages from the pattern book are at least that old.  She drew the grid on the pattern page then transfered the pattern to the brown paper pattern with a larger grid.  Does anyone know how to do that anymore?  You wanted to enlarge or shrink something you drew 2 grids then drew the lines to match what was inside each grid.

I'm slowly getting all the little emblishments sewn onto the wool felt. My fingers get soar from pushing, pulling and grabing the needle.  --Ann--

Babies

We got to see the twins over the weekend. They have grown!! Each over 5 pounds and they are still so tiny.   Ann
 

Advent the close up

Better pictures of paraments but only because I took a picture with my phone of the pictures on the computer.  Blogger is still not opening or uploading from the computer................  Anyway our pastor wanted a cross made with log cabin blocks and she wanted a transition of color from the void before creation to the separation of light and dark and water from land. Then to the "light" of the birth of Christ to the resurrection.  Almost all the fabrics were from my stash and I couldn't have cut it closer I had to find some near matches to finish the table runner for the communion table.  I machine quilted it with gold thread.  It is time to prepare for the coming.  --Ann--

Advent

 I was asked to make new paraments for the church. Maybe tomorrow I can show you a close up for some reason the computer is not letting me upload photos from the camera just my phone. --Ann--

Ever Present God, we find ourselves, once again, waiting, waiting for the celebration of the birth of the baby that saved the world, Jesus. Grant us your peace as we strive to be faithful in our ever-changing world. 

We got to meet the babies

They are out of the hospital and on their way home. They are so tiny and precious. —Ann—

Its a wrap

 

Do you ever finish some little project that isn't on your list and as soon as you are done you want to cross is off the list only it isn't on the list!  So you start a new list of recently completed projects or tasks just to feel like you have done something?  That was my weekend.  I finished a couple little things including these baby bath wraps.  My intentions were to make four 45 inch square bath wraps with a little hood.  Do you have any idea how big a 45 inch square of terry cloth is???? It was big!! the baby would have gotten lost.  I'll save those for when they are bigger and will be the perfect size for the lake.  So I cut one 45 inch square into quarters that looks like the perfect size for a new baby for 2 new babies.  My other little finishes are either not blog worthy or for another post.  --Ann--

Stash yarn

Just using some yarn from the stash. This was an inexpensive yarn from several years ago so I bought 2 skeins, first I knit socks, was not thrilled with the way the colors mixed or the pattern, I think I gave these to our mail carrier. I do like the way the colors stacked on the heels.

   Then I knit a pair of gloves and love the stripes on the fingers. 

I just finished a stocking cap and the colors behaved in a much different way or maybe it was the size of the needles and the number of cast on stitches.  All those variables.  The colors gradually climb up the ribbing like a road winding around a mountain.  Then when I changed to larger needles the road did a u turn to wind around the other direction and changed again as I started the decreases.  Just for future reference the color repeat was about 72 inches of yarn because I still have another ball of this yarn.  Its always interesting what the colors in the yarn will do.  Staying warm.  --Ann--

Do over

 

From frumpy could hide a 12 pack and sneak it into a football game and no one would notice to fitted and flattering.  The trials of getting the gauge right with this yarn and pattern........second attempt smaller size pattern and smaller needles, that was going to be too small. Third and 4th attempt original size pattern 2 sizes smaller needles stitch width was right but stitch length was too short. Think think think what to do. If I knit more rows to fit the sleeve scythe is the sweater going to be too wide again? Think think think some more. Flip through the book find a sweater with the gauge that I am knitting, compare the numbers for the back, front and sleeves. This will work, move my bookmarks and continue knitting deviate from the pattern and do some decreases for the waist and increases for the hips. By golly I think I got it right. --Ann--

I’m a grandma 2

 

Twins  Olivia and Madeline sigh I can’t wait to meet them. —Ann—

I’m a grandma

Sewing labels, yes the babies have been born. Twin girls!! Olivia Marie and Madeline Jean they were early but they are breathing on their own just need to learn the suck and swallow thing. Everyone is doing fine. We probably won’t meet them until they get to go home from the hospital. —Ann—

flimsy done

 

Our snow melted and then the weather got warm, sit on the deck and read warm, change into shorts and enjoy the sun warm, take son's dog for long walks warm and then I needed to go downstairs to my sewing room to cool off.  The blocks and rows were finished.  At first I was thinking 5 by 6 rows but that was pretty small so I added a row to the length and then one to the width, so now it is 54 inches by 63 inches, a nice size throw.  A couple more warm days in the forecast to sit outside and read or knit and then we return to our regularly scheduled weather and back to the sewing room.  --Ann--

No frost on the pumpkins

 

There should have been frost on the pumpkins this morning but the pumpkins are still covered with snow. The trees were lightly frosted, the ice crystals just sparkled. Then they would sway in the breeze like a hundred little Italian lights that twinkle.  —Ann—

Reading list #5 2020

1. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson about the Chicago World’s Fair of 1892/1893 World’s Colombian Exposition celebrating 400 years since Columbus came to America and a serial killer.
2. Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear  more detective work with Maisie Dobbs book 4
3. The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan for book club WW2 German occupation of France just prior to D Day.
4. September by Rosamunde Pilcher takes place in Scotland about coming home. Very good
5. An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear book 5 of Maisie Dobbs series.
6. Knitting Yarns edited byAnn Hood various writers on knitting  I like to have a book of essays or short stories or even a cookbook on my kindle to read between books and especially when I read a real book so that I can keep my reading streak going.  119 weeks of reading 171 days of reading.
7. Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher another story that takes place in Scotland 
8. The Hard Way Home by Jean Grainger about a kinder transport Jewish girl to England then Ireland. After WW2 and schooling at Trinity college in Dublin, she travels to her birth place in Berlin for an international debate competition and is reunited with a childhood friend.
9. Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear book 6 of Maisie Dobbs series.
10. I’ll be Seeing You by Margaret Mayhew WW2 love story and search for birth father.
11. The Girl in the Glass by Susan Meissner another favorite author, about Florence, Italy, I want to go there again. 
12. The Faces of Change by Joan Ellison about the people in a small town in Minnesota and how they handled the new immigrants who work in the turkey prcessing plant.  For book club
    
    
    

I’ve travelled to England, France, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Chicago all without leaving home. Those beautiful warm days I sat on the deck for hours I even sunburned my knees. I pretended I was sitting near the beach but instead of watching the waves I was watching the tree branches in the wind.  Sometimes the branches and leaves waved like a royal or beauty queen in a parade other times they would grab for their hats and crowns. The wind would pick up and the branches would flail like a toddler throwing a tantrum.  The leaves have mostly fallen and shifted from piles under the trees to little herds somersaulting, cartwheeling and stampeding down the street.  Then we got snow the first day it was like sifted sugar and was gone by noon, the next day it fell without making a sound but it stayed all day.   In fact it stayed a couple days then snowed some more.  It might be a long long winter. —Ann—

December in October

 

Is 2020 in a hurry to get the year over with December coming in October??  

It looks and feels like December here. It’s still snowing. Fortunately it’s not blowing. Hunkering down for the winter.

—Ann—

Something new, something blue

 

And all from the stash.  I saw this at One Sister Designs last summer.  Last summer doesn't that seem like a long time ago!?! Its just a 9 patch with some 4 patches cut 3 1/2 inches and 2 inches. Couldn't be easier then the row are off set so the 4 patches run in diagonal rows.  I cut, I sewed, I pressed, I crawled on the floor putting up the last two rows of squares why didn't I reach a little higher when I put the first squares on the design wall??  That's what I did on my snow day.  --Ann--