365 Days of Reading

One year, 365 days of reading everyday on my kindle!! I wonder how many hours I have spent reading in the past year or how many pages I have read?  I could go through all those books and look at the pages of print listed or add the average reading hours for each book...... oh that involves a lot of math I think I would rather read.  And there has been a lot of time for that since travel is not happening.  Lots of mental vacations.  

1. Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb a love story takes place in southern France and Monaco in 1955/1956, about a perfume maker and a photographer connected by Grace Kelly, Princess Grace. Delightful story, now I need to watch some Grace Kelly movies. 
2. Last Port of Call by Jean Grainger Ireland 1912 about a mother and daughter very good story
3. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton another great story by this author. Mothers, daughters, sisters, relationships, a missing fiancé, a castle, WW 2, writers, several mysteries wrapped up in one story.
4. The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg about Buddy Threadgood of Fried Green Tomatoes fame which is the only Fannie Flagg book I haven’t read, I have watched the movie many times.
5. The Nature of Fragil Things by Susan Meissner this writer never disappoints. An Irish immigrant from Donaghadee, I have a cousin who lives there in a house overlooking  the harbor. Most of the story takes place in San Francisco in 1906 at the time of the earthquake and fires. Very good!
6. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier a classic after watching the recent movie remake I read it again.
7. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton another great story filled with twists and turns, I had to reread some chapters to be sure I had the details right. Oldest daughter is trying to unravel her mother’s life during and before WW2.
8. Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce a story about friendship. The plot seemed a little far fetched but was also humorous.
9. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah a story about friendship, family, mothers and daughters, and career the story begins in the 70's incudes bits of history and pop culture.
10. Sea of Memories by Fiona Valpy short book less than 300 pages about a grand daughter writing her grandmother’s story beginning before WW2.  Marriage, family, friendship, polio, autism and second chances. Story was slow to get started but very good.
11. Dark Sky by C.J. Box his most recent  book
12. The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan  Stradal strong independent midwestern women. Stradal is so gentle  describing our midwestern quirks, non midwestern writers exaggerate our quirks to the point of insulting.  I hope he writes many more books.
13. The Last Runaway  by Tracy Chevalier about two Quaker girls from England coming to America in 1850. Cultural shock, abolitionists, family, marriage and survival.
14. This is Chance by Jon Mooallam non fiction about Genie Chance, woman radio broadcaster and the 1964 Alaskan earthquake.
15. Distant Shores bu Kristin Hannah about midlife crisis following dreams and finding happiness 
16. The splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson about Churchill’s first year of WW2.This was especially interesting because I have been watching Atlantic Crossing on PBS  about Norwegian Crown Princess and President Roosevelt. I have also been watching The World on Fire on PBS also WW 2.
17. Anxious People  by Fredrik Backman, his observations about the human condition are funny, true, spot on accurate. It’s a complicated story with complex characters.  It’s a story I will read again.
18.  Start a new list  --Ann--

a lovely weekend

 A very lovely weekend even though the weather was cool, overcast and rainy at times.  The graduation party was lovely got to catch up with relatives. And I send another quilt out into the world, last view from the sunroom.  My kids came and went over the weekend, some visits were too short.  The babies have grown 6 months yesterday. Our SDSU Jackrabbits football team won on Saturday so will play in the championship game next weekend.  It was a great day to be a Jackrabbit. Hoping for a 4th generation of jackrabbits.  Daughter and hubby cooked dinner Sunday, oldest son and hubby cleaned up the kitchen.  After everyone went home I got to read and knit.  A lovely weekend  --Ann--

Ta dada done

 

 

Done with time to spare!  I'm calling this Flash Bang thanks to Ramona  at Rosebuds and Doodlebugs, she suggested the name for the quilt.  Those colors do come at you with a flash and then the black bang! Its finished  all I have left to do is sew on the label and drape it over the couch and enjoy it until I wrap it up on Saturday. link to the designer --Ann--            .....................................................................................

machine quilting

Just a little machine quilting progress.  It was sunny but the cold north wind was cancelling out any warmth from the sun so to the sewing room I did go.  The quilting shows up so much better in the direct sunlight.  I quilted from point to point on the batik fabrics and 4 echo type lines in the black not exactly how I planned it on tracing paper but funny how a better solution came to mind when I started sewing.  I need to get this done by Saturday.  --Ann--

blue sky

Four days in a row of blue sky and sunshine. It was glorious! I sat in the sun and read, I sat in the sun and knit, I sat in the sun with my coffee and watched my little world. The birds were busy in the trees, the spruce trees should be called the blackbird condos. Then I spied a rabbit under a locust tree, it wasn’t sitting or hunched ready to flee like rabbits usually sit, it was stretched out on its belly in the grass enjoying the day as much as me. I have never seen a rabbit lounging like that except at the fair. Four day of sunshine at home was almost as good as a real vacation.  —Ann—

Busy Day

 Busy day yesterday I added the border to this graduation quilt then I basted two quilts, today I put my foot on the pedal and machine quilt. Another chilly overcast day a good day to spend in the sewing room.  --Ann--

Design wall

The next graduation quilt...... this one for niece, she likes blue, but she is not going to the school that has the beautiful blue and yellow colors, the school she chose has brown and yellow for school colors  what kind of a school choses brown for a school color??? I thought I would do the same pattern as the helitrope and hollyhock quilt I finished earlier this year with the navy where the light squares were.  I do not like it.  There is not enough contrast so I moved the 4 patches.... they create a line of interest but still not working.  Its chaotic.  Flip through some books, look at it from across the room, glance at it while I flip the lights off and on. make a cup of coffee.  Rearrange the blocks into a double 4 patch that was boring so I rearranged the 9 patch block so the 4 patches are in the corners and the solid squares are in the sides. 

That is a big improvement.  I had the 4 patches all turned the same direction but like them better radiating from the center of each 9 patch.  That is what a design wall is for arrange the blocks on the wall not on the floor on my knees even though I was on my knees for the bottom row.  Then step back and look, squint my eyes and look.  I have two grays for sashing and a cream which is so close in value to the flannel  you can't tell the difference.  I'm leaning toward the gray but yardage will be the determining factor.  Maybe add a couple yellow cornerstones. Use it up and make do.  --Ann--