Today's blog is exactly as the title states--a messy jumble of a mix and match topics. Or, maybe I'm just blogging because it's 4:00pm on Sunday and I'm still in my pajamas and even though the inside of our house appears as though we have seven children and three indoor pets (none of which we have), I'm doing anything possible to avoid cleaning and laundry right now.
Since January is almost over, I figured it was finally time to put away the last of the Christmas decorations. The stockings were still hung with care, and as I took them down, I wished I could leave them up year-round because I absolutely love them and am very proud of them. I actually made them myself just before the holidays and they turned out just the way I wanted them. (Although there was a lot of cussing and seam ripping then re-stitching involved.)
Mom and I spent some time at the library and online last week, researching how to even begin this project. We aren't brave enough to attempt the full Double Wedding Ring pattern, which looks crazy-difficult, so we designed our own pattern. Yesterday we went to the quilt shop (yes, there's actually a quilt shop here!) and chose our materials. Then we went by my Grandma's house and actually got my great-grandma's wooden quilting frame. With a day off of work tomorrow, we may just be out of our minds enough to start on this thing. I'll keep you "posted." (Pun intended.)
Lastly, while Mom and I were antiquing yesterday, I got this awesome old oil stove. I don't know if it works, but it looks too cute in the kitchen corner for it's operation or purpose to matter!
Since January is almost over, I figured it was finally time to put away the last of the Christmas decorations. The stockings were still hung with care, and as I took them down, I wished I could leave them up year-round because I absolutely love them and am very proud of them. I actually made them myself just before the holidays and they turned out just the way I wanted them. (Although there was a lot of cussing and seam ripping then re-stitching involved.)
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“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” Groucho Marx.
I seem to be finding more time to read lately. I think it's because it's cold out, there was snow on the ground, Cliff and I have a semi-weekly date to the library, I'm putting my new glasses to use (more on that later), and we finally have the law offices in order and are on top of things, giving us more free time.
Over the past couple of months, I finished The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi. Thumbs up. Quick read.
Then I finished Scout, Atticus, and Boo: A Celebration of Fifty Years of To Kill A Mockingbird by Mary McDonagh Murphy. Thumbs to the side. Quick read. This is a series of interviews with other authors, civil rights activists, talk show hosts--read: Oprah, Harper Lee's sister, etc. Murphy's intro is just excerpts of the interviews, but the interviews themselves are mostly good. And it just reminded me how in love I am with To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout, Atticus, even Boo.
Most recently, I finished Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple. Thumbs mostly up. Fairly quick read, especially in large print. I'm speaking from experience...more on that later, too. My feelings about the characters vacillated often, but in the end they each had a place in my heart. In the end, I was also disappointed--I didn't really like the ending, but the rest of it was good.
Now I'm re-reading The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls because I want to read Half Broke Horses, but thought I better refresh my memory on the first book beforehand.
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Some insane part of me is taking on a new project now. Even though I have tons of other projects on my to-do list, and my Grandma's life story video still sitting in the closet, collecting dust, waiting to be edited and finalized. My mom and I are attempting a Double Wedding Ring pattern quilt for a family wedding gift. My great-grandmother was a quilting fool. She held quilting bees in her basement. I remember all the ladies going down there and sitting around a huge wooden frame which held the quilt tight, wearing their thimbles, and buzzing like worker bees. My great-grandma passed away two weeks short of turning 102, and she quilted until she was 90. She made the most beautiful quilts. I have three blocks of a double wedding ring quilt she made and it hangs proudly on my wall.
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Lastly, while Mom and I were antiquing yesterday, I got this awesome old oil stove. I don't know if it works, but it looks too cute in the kitchen corner for it's operation or purpose to matter!
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