Is it spring yet?

'Cause if it's not spring yet……I'm going to continue to be a crab!  I am SICK of winter!!

Our normal temps for this time of year are high 30's - low 40s.  Right now, it's 10!  Yes, 10!  And all this week the reported high is only going to 17.  Not only that good news, but next week (March…in case no one knows)…..is only going to 20 for a high.  Everything here is coated in ice!  Usually by now, hubby and I have cooked outside at least a few times, but his year our grill is still buried in a snow drift!  And poor Toby……the little sweetie looks like a billy goat climbing the drifts to find a good place to pee.  I'm telling you, spring can't come soon enough!!!  

We did have two birthdays in the family last week though.  Hubby's and sweet great niece, Audrey.  I naturally had to send her books in special envelopes: 

Dummy me forgot to leave an uncolored area in the top space of the "A" snake for Audrey…..duh!  But, after I jazzed it up with 6 birthday candles, she figured out it was an "A" cake and loved it!  My little granddaughter, Arwen, age 4, is learning to read now too, so soon I will be sending her books!!  Every now and then I do send her something………….kids love to get mail.

I got two more "Lady" orders (#68 and #69), so I will be working on them this week, plus continuing to read my stacks of books that I bought.  Last week I finished:

    "Reconstructing Amelia"                      by                Kimberly McCreight
    "Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend"         by                Matthew Dicks
    "Dark Places"                                      by                Gillian Flynn
    "The Book of Secrets"                          by                Elizabeth Joy Arnold

"Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn was the best of the bunch and (in my opinion) was tons better than her popular "Gone Girl".   I really wasn't that crazy about that one at all.

So there you have it….another boring week!  I am enjoying every book though.  It's been too long since I immersed myself in reading………and my house is showing it.  The dust gets thicker!  lol  Have a good week, my friends.  Stay warm!

Another repeat….

Spoiler Alert……….I am boring lately, so if you are looking for inspiration, click me off now!!!

I feel like I'm in a fog lately.  Every week seems to be so much like the one before it.  Snow, cold, overcast skies….ugh!  Enough of winter already!!  The only fun I had this week, (besides sewing my lady orders….1 done and 1 in process), was having my neighbors over for dinner on Friday.  It's been ages since we've seen them and it was great catching up on life.  We both moved into our subdivision at the same time when it was brand new and we were having our homes built (25 years ago) so we've known each other a long time!! 

Then too, (naturally) I had to send out some Valentine envelopes this past week.  I should have made more……what was I thinking?  I have lots of friends and so many would have smiled……but I didn't think and only sent 3.  Bad me!

In between all that and the Olympics, I took a side trip to Target this week (just for some exercise) and naturally had to buy some books:

I've added them to my ever growing pile!  This week, I couldn't read as much being that I was sewing, but I did finish:
                                   "The Kept"                            by        James Scott
                                   "Big Numbers"                      by       Jack Getzke
and I started:               "Reconstructing Amelia"       by       Kimberly McGreight

So far, "Reconstructing Amelia" is by far, the best of the week.  This is another debut book, (and I love debut books), so I am enjoying it even more.  I'm half done and it's hard to put down, but it's 380 pages, so hard to finish in one or two sittings.

So, that's it!  Today we're meeting friends for lunch downtown at a well known rib place.  I hate ribs, but hubby and the friends are dying to go so what can I do?  I'm sure they have salads and burgers too, so I'll find something to order.   lol  At least it'll be a change!!  After that, I will be working on Lady #67.  I want to ship her out of here this week.

So, that's it again…….hope your life is more exciting than mine!  Stay warm!  Read a book!

Another boring week…..

Maybe one of these weeks I'll have something exciting to tell you……(we can only hope!!)  Actually, at my age, I have come to appreciate boring!  Who needs more aches, pains, flu bugs, or bad news?  Just give me snow and cold and curling up with a good book, or sending out already finished fun envelopes.  Those and humdrum household duties have become my mainstay lately (although I did work on two pincushions this week……amazingly!)  You have no idea how happy I am that I didn't get a puppy to train this winter…..whew!  It's been a dilly here!  Spring can't come soon enough!

Here are the few envelopes I sent off this week:

And then, Amazon continues to love me……..two deliveries this week!  E-gads!  I think I'm done ordering for awhile until I catch up!  I do have two "Lady" orders too so I won't be reading as fast.

This week I read:         "A Week in Winter"                    by  Maeve Binchy
                                     "The Light Between Oceans"     by  M L Stedman
                                     " Me Before You"                       by  JoJo Moyes

All of them were good, but I enjoyed "Me Before You" the most.  It was a real tear jerker!!  Just this afternoon I started "The Kept" by James Scott.  It's one of the few hardcover I bought, mainly because it is a debut book and I LOVE debuts.  So far, I'm not real impressed and the story seems a bit "dark" so we'll see.

So that's it!  Another boring, but comforting week.  I finished my pincushion for the pincushion swap, got two lady orders, and have been thinking about the QT swap "house" mini quilt that I must have done by the end of March.  I'll probably be sewing again this next week!  Too bad I never thought about audio books, huh?  I probably could use them this week.  I just might have to take a swing to the library!!  Ummmm…..!!  Have a great week, my friends!  Stay warm!

Lady #64 - Sue from New Zealand, Envies and More Books

Say, "Happy Birthday" to Sue from New Zealand…..our last lady from 2013.  She was #64.  Her friend, Jenny, commissioned me to do her fabric portrait way back in November, or was it October….(I don't remember) as a birthday gift to her.  How generous, huh!  Anyway, I'm thrilled to finally introduce you to her:

And this is the picture Jenny sent me of Sue.  I think she looks pretty much like her, don't you?

I continue to send out fun envelopes.  Thankfully, I have a bunch made and waiting to go, so I can just grab one at will now whenever the mood strikes.  It has become a habit for my sweet little niece though…apparently, she knows her days of the week now, so knows when there will be a surprise waiting for her after school.

Amazon is more than thrilled with me lately!  These books came and there are more on their way with an additional 7 in my cart just waiting to check out!  Ugh!  I wish I could read as fast as I can order!  I thank you all for your marvelous suggestions (and Amazon and Target are too).  I have a list!!!  A LONG LIST!!!  I signed up with Goodreads. com just so I could keep track of everything!  It's fun rating them there too.

This week, I finished:   "This is Where I Leave You"    by Jonathan Tropper
                                      "Wild"                                       by Cheryl Strayed
                                      "Cover of Snow"                       by Jenny Milchman
                                      "This One is Mine"                    by Maria Semple

The best one (by far) of the four, was "Wild" by Cheryl Stayed.  It's a true story of her solo 100 day hike on the Pacific Coast Trail when she was only 26 years old after the loss of her mother and her marriage.  You might like it too.  (Available at Target in case you're interested.)

So, that's it!  Another snowy, cold week here in Wisconsin!  Winter is a beast this year.  Thankfully, it's fun to pass the time again with a good book.  I didn't realize how much I missed it!  Stay warm and happy reading!!

Swap Stuff, "Envies", and Books

This winter sucks!  What else can I say?  I can't remember a worse January in my life!  (And that's saying a lot because I'm no spring chicken!)  Usually I hate February because it seems by then that winter is so long......but this year, January by far takes the cake!  I so envy all of you who live in warmer places!!  Our temps are supposed to be -46 degrees on Monday and Tuesday with the wind chill factor.  Schools are already called off.  E-gads!  

Good thing we had a swap to keep me thinking of winter, huh?  The theme was "Snow".....(like I need more of that????)  Anyway, here is what I sent to my partner.  It ended up at approximately 8x11 inches: 

Then, in return, I got this darling quilt from, "Fun & Comfort Quilts".  You can't see it well, but she quilted snowflakes in the background.  So cute!  Thank you, Karen, I love it!

Naturally, I continue to send out envelopes.....although not as many lately.  I really should come up with another "Walter/Barbara" saga, I suppose.  That might be fun to pass the winter!  Believe it or not, I have several drawn, but not a story in my head yet.  I should think about that!  My dear niece continues to get weekly books. 

And lastly, I continue to read.....and I must admit, I truly am enjoying every minute.  It's been years since I've read this much and I guess I must have missed it!  Out of the last group of books that I showed you on the last post, I finished reading, "Morning Glory" plus the new ones shown below.  

Out of the four, by far the best one was "Orphan Train".  I loved every word and wish I could find another just like it!  Little did I know that there really were orphan trains in the US years ago.  Wow!  I got it at Target...but read the reviews on Amazon for yourself.  You might love it too!

That's it for today!  Stay warm and do something fun!  Until next time..............