Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott

I bought this book when I was at Orchard House last year. It's a series of sketches taken from the letters that Louisa May Alcott wrote home during her own experience of working in an Army hospital during the Civil War.

The book is only about 100 pages long and gives a good insight as to what life in that situation was like.

It's interesting for me to read a book meant for contemporaries at a much later date. Some of her references to people or literary characters are no longer familiar, but surely would have been familiar to the public during her lifetime. I find those references less prevalent in most of her more popular, more enduring classics.

I wonder what people will think in a hundred years about some current books that we feel are very well written. Will the references in them stand the test of time?

The book is available to read online. You can find it here.

Snuggle

Last night we came home from dinner and sat on the couch to visit with Audrey, Joseph and the boys. Matthew walked up to me with his blanket, crawled into my lap, pulled up his knees, and snuggled in. I wrapped the blanket around him, rubbed his back a few times, and he was out.

This is why we have grandchildren; to relive the glory days of motherhood.

Two Happy Grandmas

Madeleine and Diane with their G'ma and Grammy.

Jeanie has come and gone. It was much too fast. She spent several days here helping Debra with the girls. Luckily she'll be back in a few weeks for Randy's senior piano recital, and Diane's baby blessing. I can't wait to have her here again!

Out of the Mouth of Babes...

Tuesday night I was making soup for dinner. I had chopped the onions, and was cutting up the potatoes. As I scooped some potatoes into the pot, Austin asked, "G'ma, why are you cutting up food and cooking in Pa'a's pot?"

Hmm, good question. We all laughed. My grandchildren's impression is that Ray does all the cooking (he does a lot of it, that's for sure).

I used to cook dinner for my family. Once upon a time. Truly.

Ray's treasured, and well-used, le creuset 13+ quart dutch oven

(his cutting board also).

The one cup measuring cup is there for size reference.

Thursday Workday

It's fun to see so much progress being made so quickly on this quilt. Today we finished section 8, then put the sections together with sashing between the rows.

Section 8

The rows put together

The picture of the assembled quilt is not great - I didn't want to mess with trying to get a picture aligned better. I'll save that for the finished product. You can get an idea of what it looks like with this picture, bad as it is. Already the quilt measures 72 inches wide, and we still have three more borders to attach. It will be a very large, cozy quilt!

We are adjourned for a couple of weeks. I'm heading to the land of the sun (aka Hawaii) next week, and Trish is heading to Italy! for a couple of weeks.

It's a tough life, isn't it?

In search of a book for the beach

We leave for Hawaii next week. I will take my Kindle along, but I wanted to grab a couple of paperbacks to take along for reading on the beach.

In my bedroom I have three shelves of books that I have not yet read. Their priority changes depending on what I'm in the mood for or what I need to read (book group, library books) by a deadline.

Sometimes I focus on a book immediately, and choose it. Sometimes I glance over all the books, and my eyes wander for awhile until a particular book sticks out. Like choosing a pastry in a well-stocked bakery. Today as I started to browse for a beach book or two, my eyes glazed over. Those books were out of control. So in an effort to organize the books (read: in an effort to procrastinate other jobs I don't want to do today), I took them all down to figure the best way to establish some order.

Two of the shelves are more serious books: some church books, some biographies, some collections, some newer novels I have purchased. Lots of them are hardback, or I paid full price for them, which makes them not great beach books. I didn't mess with those books too much - I put one shelf alphabetically by author, and left the other shelf alone.

The third shelf (actually the middle shelf) was out of control. They are all used books I've picked up for a song here and there, or books my sister has handed down to me. In the past I've taken them when I travel, and just leave them behind as I go. Now that I have my Kindle, I don't have to take a big pile of books to see me through a vacation. But now and again, I need to take a couple along. Like next week. For the beach.

There are 50 books on that shelf (stacked double deep). Six books are regular fiction. Forty-four are mysteries. I had to laugh. Guess what kind of book I think makes a good travel book? Mysteries are easy to put down and pick up. Mysteries abound in used book stores. My sister likes mysteries too, and we trade them back and forth.

I arranged the books alphabetically by author. This makes it very clear which authors I enjoy; I have a lot of their books. Some are light, funny mysteries. Some are more serious. None are truly scary. I don't do scary. I do suspenseful, but not scary.

Now the shelves are all neat and orderly. I chose a couple of beach books, and I'm ready to go. I should have taken a before and after picture of the shelves. But, like I said, I don't do scary. I'll just let you imagine three orderly shelves chock full of books. Please don't even try to imagine the other nine shelves on that book case. Those are a job for another day.

Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy

This is the third in the series of White House Chef mysteries. Just as fun as the first two.

The mystery of the quilted bag

I have quilt bag amnesia.

I remember buying the fabric (at Gathering Fabrics in Woodinville). I fell in love with these fabrics, and bought them - not knowing how I would use them. It was during my "quilted bag" stage. I made lots of bags. Then I finally learned how to make them where they keep their shape, empty or full. I really liked how they looked once I figured that all out.

I decided on this bag to showcase those fabrics. I spent a lot of time figuring out where each fabric should go, then on the stitching (you can't see it very well in this picture).

I made these three bags, and maybe one more like them. They are all exactly alike except for fabric placement. The fancy stitches are alike because it required too much imagination to figure out something different for each bag. I have the one with brown handles. I think Debby has the one with red handles. I know I gave away the green one, but I don't remember to whom. It is still my favorite bag I've ever made. I take it to church every week.

Yesterday I got a call from Debby. "Mom, do you have your red bag?" (I knew which one she was talking about.) She saw an identical bag at church and called me while she was looking at it. I was looking at my bag at home as we spoke. Then I wondered if I gave it to one of my sisters-in-law, and they left it there. I don't think I did give it to one of them. But I told Debby, "just look inside, and see if anyone's name is on anything in the bag." Just then the owner came up and claimed her bag. She said, "Oh, our bags are the same!" and walked away with the bag.

The woman is in Debby's ward at church. Debby is new in the ward, and doesn't really know the woman. She was too flustered at being caught looking in the bag (on the phone with me at the same time) to ask where she'd gotten her bag. This happened here in Utah. I made and gave away the bag in Washington.

We have come to the conclusion that I made that bag. I bought all the fabrics separately, and made the quilts with the exact same stitching on each bag. It was not a kit. I can not for the life of me remember the recipient of that bag. (I used to keep a quilt journal, and had a picture of the bags, but none of the details written in.) I made the bag five or six years ago. I'm dying to know who gave it away, and how this woman got the bag. It doesn't bother me in the least that it has made its way to a new owner. I'm just wishing I could figure out the connection. I guess it's a little like family history that way. It is fun to discover a cousin, and find out how the relationship works.

Debby is going to ask the woman about the bag the next time she sees her. I hope she got the bag from someone she knows that I also know. Then I'll have a new connection, and might remember more about the bag in the process.

Let this be a lesson to quilters everywhere, but especially to me: label your work!

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

As I was browsing at Barnes and Noble a couple of weeks ago, I happened upon this book in the Juvenile Fiction area. It looked intriguing (I am often caught by a cover). I picked it up glanced through it, and was all set to buy it. Then I decided I would check it out of the library instead, just in case (that whole don't judge a book by its cover adage).

It would have been a safe purchase. I really liked it. A lot. It caught and kept my interest for all 485 pages.

Four children are recruited to help in a dangerous mission that might save the world from possible ruin. Only children can do it, and these four have unusual talents that will help them along the way.

I understand there are two more books that follow this one. This one felt complete all by itself (thank you Mr. Stewart), and I think I will read the other two one of these days.

Double Dipping

My cute Rachel just can't get enough of her binkies!

Thursday workday

Trish and I had a shorter workday on Thursday. We quit at one o'clock so that I could run and pick up Jeanie at the airport. She's my c0-in-law, and fellow grandma, come to help out with baby Diane. We stopped at Orson Gygi on the way down to Orem, and picked up a couple of fun things there. I could spend time and a fortune in there so easily! I left her to spread fun and delight with my girl and her boy and our granddaughters.

Here's what we accomplished this week:

Section 6 (weird house, weird tree)

Section 12

We only have section 8 left to make, then it's time to start putting things together and add borders. That will take some time. I'm always amazed at how long that step takes.

Still happy after all these years

February 14, 1980

It was a stormy day.

It was a stormy weekend.

It rained so much that some of the freeways in Los Angeles were closed.

We got stuck in water-flooded intersections twice trying to get from Ray's parents' home to my parents' home. We had to be towed out both times.

Many people couldn't make it to our reception.

We couldn't get to Big Bear for our honeymoon.

We couldn't get out of California to get back to Utah.

It was the best beginning to a marriage one could ever want - it had nowhere to go but up!

And that's exactly what it has done. Gotten better and sweeter every year. These first thirty years have flown by, and I hope to have thirty more that are even better and sweeter than these first thirty years.

I think that's what happens when you marry your very best friend.

Valentine's Day weekend

I'm a romantic at heart. But not always by action. That's where Ray fills in the gaps - he is the thoughtful one in our relationship.

Heart carved from ebony - Ray gave it to me when we were dating. It is smooth as satin - I remember him sanding it for hours.

This weekend I decided to be proactive in the thoughtful department. I stopped by Pirate O's this morning (the closest thing I've found to Trader Joe's here in Utah) and picked up a few items to help in celebrating the weekend.

Ritter Sports, in remembrance of treats he sent me while he was on his mission.

A new treat I discovered at Pirate O's - made locally, it's delicious!

Cakes de Fleur - a discovery made since we've moved here to Utah. I like chocolate with buttercream frosting the best. This is coconut - for Ray

Valentine's Day. It's our thirty year anniversary this year. Thirty wonderful, love-filled years.

Thank you Ray, for making my life so perfect!

Not a chance I'm ruining a surprise here - he doesn't read my blog.

Thursday workday

Another productive Thursday. We got three more sections (of 12) done. We have three to go, then all the parts of putting it together and finishing it. So we're moving right along.

Section 5

Section 7

Section 9

All set? Maybe.

I read this post by Travelinoma, and my little brain began to spin...

I'm re-thinking my strategy.

I have a bag packed with a few items we might need in an emergency. What if we have to evacuate for a few days, or heaven forbid, lose our house to fire or some other disaster? Included in the bag are clothes for a few days. These are all clothes that Ray and I no longer wear - cast-offs that I put into the bag instead of donating to a worthy cause (Goodwill, Deseret Industries, Salvation Army, etc.).

What if something really happens? Do I want to be stuck with old clothes I no longer like, and/or are fairly worn out? What if those are the only clothes I have left after the disaster? Yikes! I don't want that at all.

I'm adding to my 2010 resolutions: repack the bag! I'm going to include clothes that I like. Comfortable clothes that will make me feel better in a bad situation. After all, if that's all I've got for an undetermined amount of time, I want it to be the best it can be under the circumstances.

The Tale of Hawthorn House by Susan Wittig Albert

My reading choices are often dictated by which books I've requested that have come in at the library - they move to the top of the pile because there is a due date.

I enjoyed this book as much as the others in the series. But now I'm ready to put that series away for a little while and come back to it later.

I have three more library books stacked by the side of my bed.

Stay tuned.

Consider the Lily by Elizabeth Buchan

Boy meets girl.

Boy falls in love with girl.

Boy marries girl's cousin (for money).

Reader becomes disengaged with story and quits reading.

It has all the elements I like in a story: love, English countryside, a little bit of London social life, history, gardening (I like to read about it, not do it), etc.

I just couldn't stay hooked. I read half of the book and finally gave up after trying repeatedly to get back "into" it. I even glanced ahead in several spots to see if there was enough there to capture my interest and make it worth finishing. Not so.

I liked Revenge of the Middle-aged Woman by Elizabeth Buchan. This one just didn't do it for me.

Two dud books in a row. I'm off to a new book, and hope for better adventures.

Walking the Perfect Square by Reed Farrel Coleman

A list of favorite books on an NPR program caught my ear. I agreed with many of her choices, so when she suggested a great mystery book I got right on it. After all, I love a good mystery.

Luckily I requested it from the library. 20 pages into the book I put it down. F-bombs everywhere, it is a virtual mine field of profanity. Too much for me.

There are too many well-written books that don't abound in four letter words. I'll read them instead.