Reading list #5

Disclaimer the watercolor was done with an app from a photo.  Its so much easier.

1. The Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini most recent of the Elm Creek Quilt series. It’s been a long time since I read the series but all the characters came back to me.  Summer is working on her master’s degree and having a hard time writing her thesis so she returns to Elm Creek quilts looking for inspiration and becomes curator of a quilt exhibit at the historic Union Hall currently under restoration. Fun to read.
2. The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods book dealers, grad student researching a missing manuscript, young woman escaping an abusive husband, retired actress who lives next to where the bookshop should be……a bit of a mystery and a bit of fantasy. Just for fun and a break from reality.
3. The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray for book club I read this book early in 2023 it was as good the second time.
4. Little Souls by Sandra Dallas takes place in Colorado during Spanish flu. Good story.
5. The Magdalen Girls by V. S. Alexander sad depressing story takes place in Ireland in 1960’s about girls who end up at church run laundry service because of teenage hormones or someone lied.
6. Lilac Girls by Jean Grainger re read first book of the Knocknashee series 
7. Yesterday’s Paper by Jean Grainger book 2 of series more correspondence between Grace and Richard and a trip to America for Grace and a trip to Europe as a journalist for Richard. The story takes place during WW2. The story was very good but the ending was huh?? Have to wait for the third book in January.
8. The President’s Wife by Tracey Emerson Wood historically novel about Edith Wilson, second wife of President Woodrow Wilson very good.
9. The Christmas Book Hunt by Jenny Colgan just for fun a short book about a woman in London looking for a book from her great aunt’s childhood. 
10. The Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg a fun book to reread at Christmas time. A man with numerous health problems moves to the south from Chicago. He doesn’t think he has long to live but fresh air, real food at regular times, physical activity and new friends improves his health. I don’t want to spoil the story……feel good book.
11. The Answer is No by Fredrick Backman short story I will read this book again and again.

How many books do I have on my kindle for 2025?  I think it’s going to be a year of escaping reality into books…….. Ann

BELIEVE

 BELIEVE for unto us a child is born....................

Merry Christmas

Ann

yarn for the go bag

Freshly wound yarn for the go bag for the next week.   I have been knitting like a mad woman to finish  dolls clothes for Christmas and two sweaters for nieces.  One was done and I gave it to her Thanksgiving time.  I just finished the other and can now start something for me!!  My yarn from Ireland. I told my nieces, the two who went to Ireland with us that if they bought the yarn I would knit them each a sweater but they missed the upstairs floor in the one shop that had the packages of yarn in every color.  The other tourist shops had odd bits of yarn and never enough of the color they wanted.  They are both at the age of enjoying the power surges so an Aran weight sweater would be peeled of at regular intervals. The offer was still on when we returned so I suggested Berocco remix light for a nice 3 season sweater they both chose yellow just like mine.  My fingers are just itching to get started but I need to finish one more little dance wrap.  --Ann--

For the Dollie’s

I have been knitting like crazy more doll clothes for the little girls.  The pink and turquoise match their sweaters click. I got doll clothes for my Dollie’s for Christmas when I was little. My mom sewed them and many matched the clothes she sewed for me. I still have them but really didn’t feel like finding the box they are in and then I would have noticed they are probably wrinkled and would have needed washing and ironing and well one thing is going to lead to another…..I had such a wonderful childhood I only had two dolls. 

Merry Christmas

Ann

Santa‘s elf has been busy

 This elf has been busy………..just one more ballet wrap to knit and a giraffe tail……these were a challenge to knit mostly because knitting instructions are not standardized and the designer wrote a book with patterns for 12 animals the designer knew exactly how to assemble and finish the animals but did not explain it thoroughly enough for me, a few more pictures would have been nice.  Everything was knit flat and seamed if I had read the instructions more thoroughly I never would have purchased the book.  When I did go through the instructions line by line I decided I could knit most everything in the round thanks to what I learned from the bears and dolls I knit a couple years ago. They did turn out really cute!! Seven more sleeps before we meet the little girls.

Merry Christmas Ann

Cookie crumbles

 

Baking with the little girls today, sugar stamp cookies. They did a fantastic job rolling the dough into balls. The last time we made them they rolled the dough into snakes. Then they smashed the balls with the cookie stamps. And gramma cleaned up the floor again. However there were fewer crumbs than the biscotti I made earlier in the week  the crumbs will be good on ice cream. —Ann—

Preparations

“That was fun to play with the little girls last week.”                                                                                     “I wish they could have stayed longer.”                                                                                                     “Me too I was bored sitting on the bookshelf.”                                                                                               “ This will be cozy and warm while we hibernate”                                                                                 “Who can sleep with all these lights?”                                                                                                             “ I like the lights.”                                                                                                                                                   “ I can’t sleep can you move your knee out of my back?”                                                                               “ Hush it’s only for a month maybe she will read the story about the baby born in a manger. That’s what it’s all about remember?”                                                                                                                         “What about that other guy I mean other guys who took over the bookshelves.”                                       “He’s part of Christmas too but it all started with the baby in the manger”.       

Preparations for Advent:  hope, peace, love and joy —Ann—

December!!

 December is here!! The Thanksgiving turkey is gone.  The Christmas tree is up………time to make my list……..Ann