H is for Happy and Pine Tree Point Progress

Lots more reading going on.  I do not even think I took pictures of a few of them.  Enjoyed this one, though really weird it kept me turning the pages.  This first half was almost normal and then it took a turn which I expected.

I read this one for a facebook book club I am in.  Have not read John Saul since I was a teen.  Used to love him, but outgrew him.  This one was awful!  Other people in the group seem to have loved it.  I am a snob reader--seriously!

This one was really good!  Will need to read more by Collins.

This quilt top is my inspiration for the one I am making.  Mari is the one who sewed it and though I do not know her, I LOVE her quilt!

Two weekends ago I spent Saturday sewing with BJ (it had been a long while) and Ros joined us for a bit!  Super fun to get caught up with her and BJ both.  Then Sunday I was sewing with Barb but BJ's sewing partner was unable to sew with her so she joined us on cameral too.  During all of that I managed to finally get my trees into a top!  It already has another thin border on it and one cut and ready to go on.  Last I need to make the outer border.

Linking up with SoScrappy!

On Halloween we went over to Hannah and Jeremy's to see Hazel in her costume.  Cutest little ladybug ever.  This kiddo is signing and talking more everyday!  Yesterday new signs I saw were CEREAL, BLESS-YOU, HUSH, BALL, and HELP!  Today so far I saw ORANGE.  So much fun!

I read this LONG (over 800 pages) book a few chapters a day for the most part.  It was good but did not live up to the hype for me.  

Super fast true story I read in a day.

This one was another all day read.  I really liked it.

This one turned out to be really good and made me think afterward.  I had a hard time finding an author with the last name that starts with N (as mine does) for my cross off challenge.  I only have one left--one about a world leader.

                                                 

I finally go to working on Hazel's "H is for Happy" pair of doll quilts.  This is a Quiltville pattern and really fun to make the H's.  I wish I was better at getting the corners on so things came to size.  If I did it again, I would go ahead and oversize my triangles since I had to trim them all anyway.

See?  WONKY!  Oh well, Hazel with love them anyway.

Had the first one sewn up last weekend.

And yesterday during Hazel's nap I trimmed the second set and today during her nape I sewed them together (and am blogging this). Nice I do not need my own nap today like many days!

Currently reading this two books.  One is serious and older language and one is fun.

Jay(my youngest) sold one of his cars today (yay, parking is a hot mess especially in the winter) and it was stolen a few weeks ago and parts were taken...it was half painted, etc.  Not worth keeping.  He planned to sell it anyway so he just got less for it than he was hoping. He also finally found an apartment close to his work.  He has been staying with us and we do not have room so he has literally been sleeping on our oversize chair.  He works nights so this is super fun for him with me and Hazel in the living room.  He also has two cats.  This house is not really big enough for all that but we made do.

I finally saw a naturopath about my health.  She did a bunch of bloodwork and plans to do more.  She is treating me for Lyme (so she can test it after six weeks).  I have had headaches and neckaches and chills from the meds that are meant to show if I have it or not.  Really do not think I do, but I should not be reacting if I don't.  So we shall see.  Meanwhile turns out my thyroid finally shows signs of being jacked up so going on meds for that.  My liver enzymes are up so starting some natural stuff to help with that.  As always (since I have been sick) my white blood cell count is high.  Have not heard back yet on cortisol test but Celiac and Autoimmune testing was normal.  I am still super fatigued but have learned to pace so coping better.  

 

Reading, Tree Sewing and Hazel Turns One!

Hazel turned one last month.  She has been walking and signing and even talking a bit for the past few months.  Really so much fun!  She kept this little hat on for quite a long time during her party too.

I decided to do a blind date with a book.  I found Julia on Etsy (BookBestie) and ordered my first date.  Here is the lovely package I received.  Almost too pretty to open!

The book was "Song of Achilles" which was on my radar to read.  It was a good story and my date was successful!

So I decided I wanted a second date and ordered another one.  Plus I realized I should have ordered a Gramala bookmark!  So I ordered up a second date.

This time I got "Wolf Hall" which is also on my radar and one I had not read!  I added it to my growing TBR to get to soon.  Super amazed that I did not get a book I had already read either time as I have read a lot.  I had a coupon for five dollars off that tipped me over into getting another one of these.  I also ordered a few more of the bookmarks (2 dollars each) for my best friend, my mom and Kathy.  They are cool and super sturdy.

Found energy one day to pull books off my shelf and dust and rearrange.  I ran out of ooomph before the bottom shelf which are kids books, buts still happy with it.  I put the books that were my grandparents or my Dad's on the top shelf.  They were previously in my living room.

Hazel is currently napping, but earlier today she played for almost forty minutes in the beans!  She is finally not trying to eat them (or the play-doh) which is nice!

I sewed yesterday and the day before for the first time in forever!  I was behind on my trees and am now all caught up.  Here is the lime version.

Here is the orange version.  BJ called me up out of the blue yesterday and so we facetimed and I was able to get these blocks done!  I have a total of ten blocks and realized that nine would complete this quilt so will play with layout and see what happens.

I have read all of these books since my last blog post.  Am suddenly reading a book every few days.  I am not done with "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" yet as I am reading two chapters of it every day and it is really long.  Also about half way through the CFS book as that is read in bites too.  The rest though are done.  Booktube helped me discover Elizabeth Gaskell and I read a few Victorian novels for Victober.  I enjoyed the N.K. Jemisin series and T.J Klune's whimsical books."Still Life with Rice" was a memoir about a Korean grandmother and I really enjoyed it.

Just got and finished "The Night She Disappeared" in my Once Upon a Book Club Box.  It was a page turner and I really enjoyed it even though the ending was a bit on the unbelievable side.

I have also been listening to audiobooks.  I get even more read this way!

 Hazel loves the bench Bumpa made her for her birthday.  Her mom plans to paint it or whitewash it.

I did some online subbing for ASU this past month too.  Learned how to teach on Zoom and do some online activities though Zoom.  Unfortunately my fatigue level went way up and I needed to sleep so much more.  It just was not sustainable which is too bad because I could have continued with it.  I am okay to sub here and there but ongoing cannot be done at this time. I was also asked to do online grading for ASL, but the position was twenty hours a week and I just cannot manage that.  It stinks because my disability is not yet approved and we could use the money from me working at least some, but I am not well enough to do much.  Too bad I cannot get an editing job because reading does not tire me near as much as interpreting or teaching!  

What are you reading?  Sewing?

A Whole Lot of Reading Going On

I recently discovered a whole world on youtube/booktube.  Been adding to my to be read list like crazy.  Read all of the above books (well, almost done with the top left one) as well as "Mexican Gothic," and "Billy Summers" which Jay gave me as a belated birthday present which did not make it in the picture.  I see "The Starless Sea" is not centered right either.  It is early, I have not started my coffee yet!  I have noticed most of the booktubers I have found are twentysomethings and I wish I could find some nearer my age.  

Hannah and Jeremy invited us over for dinner and game night last weekend.  She surprised us with a Grandparent's day card and gifts!  I love the new hot/cold cup and that it says GRAMALA!  Of course I love Hazel's tile picture but the card had all kinds of sweet stuff written in it appreciating us so that was the best!

We finally got a chance to play Deception:  Murder in Hong Kong and then we played Poor Choices.  

The only sewing I have done is a bunch of H's for H is for Happy for Hazel.  I am not sure I am going to get this done by her birthday as I just have not felt like sewing!  It will get done though.  I cut for two of them but only have H's made for one.  

Happy Fall!

It has been a month since I blogged and all I sewed since them was the aqua Rainbow Scrap Challenge block!  I am linking up behind schedule and better see what the next color is!  I did not see it posted yet but Angela has a sick kiddo and is a teacher, so no worries if she is behind schedule.  I may have missed it too so will check back.  Only four months left to go!

I read another book box and really enjoyed it.  I should really cancel this but I really LOVE them.  I resell almost all of them so I try to look at it as a small rental fee!

My Mom and Dad have been in Wisconsin this summer and they finally managed to have good enough health to get to Milwaukee a few weeks ago.  Hannah and Hazel joined us at the Sunflower farm and we took lots of pictures.  We were there for close to two hours and it was hotter than expected that day.  I really enjoyed it, but took about a week to recover from the heat and the walk/standing time which was a new record for me.  Hannah picked us each raspberries while I fed Hazel lunch in the car.  

Here is a better four generation photo.  So nice to have us all together.  Hazel took to her Nini and Papa after a bit of warming up!  She talks to them several times a week on FB with me but seeing them in person for the first time made them real.

Hazel signs about ten signs now---not sure this video will work, but it is her signing BOOK.  She loves books!  If you ask her to sign the various signs she knows she can actually do many of them (we discovered this last week) and it is so cute that she can communicate!  She also says Mama, Dada, Lala (for Gramala) and Bumpa as well as baba (bottle or milk) and up to be picked up.  She understands far more of course and I am really enjoying getting time with her every week.  I nap when she naps and we do alright.

In other news we had to put Lombardi down a few weeks ago.  He was an old guy and got a fast growing cancer.  Her was so good with Hazel and we really miss him.  Coincidently, my parents dog Kachina died a few days prior to that.  She too will be missed and I am glad we got to see her when we visited earlier this summer.  

I am planning to make Hazel and "H" is for Happy quilt which is a Bonnie Hunter pattern for her babydolls.  Her birthday is a few weeks away and I finally started cutting the fabric from my strips today.  Kathy is making her a two step stepstool for her bathroom (Hannah and Jeremy bought a new house and moved and sold their old house too).  Getting her a few other things that we will keep here for her.  I have spent much of the last few months watching Montessori at Home videos ( I LOVE the Hapa Family) on youtube.  I have set up our toys that way here and Hazel is already starting to pick up toys and with direction, put them on the shelf when done.  We introduced her to play-doh and dried beans sensory fun this week.  I have to sit right with her and redirect if she tries to eat any of it!  

 

Progress...Slow and Steady!

I really have not sewn much the past two weeks.  Before that I got all the blocks and half blocks ready for Winter Blues in Green.  I then realized I had a TON of sashing to cut and cornerstones.  Wind out of sails  I just did not feel like cutting all that!  There is so much cutting and subcutting in this one!  I am loving my new ruler for doing it but still.  I also am pretty sure that I want to do a yellow version of this and then combine the two colors for TWO Packer quilts instead of doing one green one.  So plenty more sewing and cutting to happen, but I put it away for a break.

I also quilted up the Kathleen Tracy Mystery Quilt.  Pretty happy with how it turned out.

I got out the Modern Maples quilt kit Kathy bought me several years ago.  I was thinking that would make a nice fall project.  I love the fabric and the pattern but for some reason just did not feel like getting going on it.  I admired it all, and put it all away again.  Not even sure I will make this one....may just mix the fabric in and use it elsewhere.  Where is the quilting mojo?

Still getting the Once Upon a Book Club boxes.  This one was a good read and I liked some of the gifts, but I have been reselling them and not keeping any of it...helps me justify the cost of it!  I read the book in one day.

 A few days ago I did finally cut and then the next day sew something!  I made these Tending the Garden blocks which were a bit of a challenge.  I really struggled with the flowers.  Sewed the wrong colors not once but twice!  One yellow part on each was not as big as the others, etc.  Oh well, like in nature, each flower is different.  I also accidently made the blue part of the can too large but decided it looked fine so I left it.  

Grey Trees and the Fourth of July

Since this month's color was blue again I decided to go with some greys.  I used my new aqua border sashing since I am low on the one I used for the first six blocks.  This one will blend in enough on the other six.  I am really enjoying the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!

I have also been working on Winter Blues (in greens) and finally got this awesome Stripology ruler which cuts so nicely!

We went up to the lake (Long Lake, Wisc) on July 4th so we could see the family.  Hannah and Jeremy and Hazel came out so everyone that was there finally met Hazel.  Here is our four generation photo.