more reading

More books??  Whaaat? Yep.  More books.  Yay!  And about a trillion more qued up to go.  Enjoy!  This round up was rather successful.  I recommend all of them!

 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - I listened to this one on audible and it is an experience that will change you.  It tells the true story of a man who was an extraordinary athlete who became lost at sea and then tortured and horribly mistreated as a prisoner of war in Japan during World War II. I don't know if it was because I was listening to it that made it so powerfully intense but I couldn't stop listening to it.  I had to hear what happened to him next, I had to see how he made it out of such a hellish nightmare.  This story is sad, it's graphic and violent and most importantly it's true and important and inspiring.  I had no idea war could be this horrible, and it really made me rethink some of my thoughts about it.  Mostly, why can't we all just be kind to each other?  Several times I found myself crying and then being incredibly thankful for all my many luxuries and conveniences.  It's an amazing story and I don't think I'm ever going to be able to see a soldier or especially a P.O.W. without bawling my eyes out.  I recommend this one a thousand percent.

 Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers by Alexander McCall Smith - if you don't already know, I'm a huge fan of Alexander McCall Smith.  He writes so well, with such a quiet grace and loveliness even when dealing with things that are unfair.  This series is about the occupants of an apartment building and how their lives intersect and progress.  In this book Bertie, the eternal 6 year old boy thwarted by an oppressive mother, finally turns 7! His story is my favorite to read, I feel such strong sympathy towards him! Several things happen in this story, Bertie goes camping, his mother Irene gets misplaced in Dubai and starts a book club, Big Lou becomes a foster mom, Matthew and Elspeth and their triplets move, and Angus and Dominica house their former neighbor and a nun with unextraordinary observations.  I love McCall Smith's writing because it inspires me to be kind and friendly and not to take hardships too heavily.  I would recommend starting this series at the beginning so you'll know everyone's history and back-story and can better understand their triumphs and victories. You can find 44 Scotland Street here.

Yes Please! By Amy Pohler - I LOOOOOVED this book.  It was thoughtful, touching, hilarious, and relatable.  I like Pohler's attitude and her outlook on our potential is pretty inspiring.  She's so funny, and I loved her telling of her childhood.  She shares wonderful stories and advice in a wonderful wise way.  I would absolutely recommend this one.  If you like anything she's worked on before then it's definitely required reading.  

Updated Etsy Shop

Hey folks!

I recently participated in my first ever craft market a couple weeks ago and it was so much fun!  I had incredible booth neighbors, and while I didn't make all the dollars I had a great time and learned so much.

I finally got my Etsy shop updated with everything left from the market so if you haven't had a chance to go see what's new, I'd love it if you'd go have a look! 

I'm really excited about some of the new things I've been working on, especially the dolls.  I'm working on finishing a boy version this afternoon that should be in the shop later this week. 

I'll be gone for Christmas and the shop will be closed between December 18th and January 5th so make sure you check out what you want before then so it will be there in time for Christmas! 

And all my blog readers get a special 20% off coupon "blog20" that will be good today through the entire month of January so be sure to check in often!

There will be lots of new things in January that you won't want to miss. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

And happy Black Friday and Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. You can get 17% off in my Etsy shop all weekend (through the 1st of December) with "thankful2014" so shop away!

I had a birthday this month (I'm 27 now).  And now I feel horribly old.  Here are some things I want to do before I'm 28.

- finish the books on my kindle app and all the books on my shelves and all the books on my audible app that I haven't finished yet. Or at least catch up a little more so I don't die buried under a pile of unread books and audio files.

-complete a whole 30, just to be able to prove to myself that I can.  I'm planning to knock this one out in January.  It's a horribly cold and boring month, so it might as well bring something good.

- run 5 miles without walking.  Maybe in a race, maybe not.  Either way, I'm determined to become a runner again.  But probably not until it gets warm enough to go outside. So, late April, early May? 

- make pretty things with courage and confidence and find people who want to buy them.  Etsy, craft markets, wherever.  Also learn new ways to make pretty things. I'm very excited about this. 

- get up earlier than everyone else.  I hate this one, but I have to admit that when I get up before everyone else in our small house and have a few minutes to get dressed and open my eyes for myself I'm a much nicer person.  

- get good at making pies, especially personal sized ones. And other baked things of course.  That's more of a life goal really.  I want it said at my funeral, even if I turn out to be a grumpy old lady, that I was an ace at baked goods.  And it will be true. 

- make seated family dinners frequent and mandatory.  Like a Liz Lemon party.  With good healthy food. Natural, organic, and local when possible. With non-paper plates and real napkins. 

- be a better more fearless friend. Give more, do more, and don't worry about interfering as much. Talk more, be there more.

- read all the Harry Potter books again.  My story lines are getting crossed.

- write more.  Stories, journal entries, blog entries, overheard conversations, made up back stories of random people in restaurants.  Just write more things. I'm letting that seed of a talent get too rusty.  

- brush my teeth.  I haaaaaate brushing my teeth.........hate it. Maybe I'm not ready to wash away all the delicious flavor from my dessert!!!!  Don't worry. I still do it. but I hate it! The struggle is real.

- don't buy clothes I could make for myself or my kids.  I have a great collection of patterns but not the wardrobe to back it up with.  I'm going to work on that.  

- be a more eager mother and wife.  Take opportunities, take moments, and be present for them.  Don't let my hang ups get in the way.  This should either be really great and exciting or super embarrassing.  Either way it'll make for some good memories. 

That's good for now.  I'll check in on these in a few months and let you  know how I'm doing. 

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! 

Autumn reading and lots of listening.

You can follow along on Instagram @ladyfacereads where I share all my reading adventures, at least some of the time.  And in the interest of full disclosure these are referral links to Amazon.com.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - I bought this one as a kindle book while I was looking for a new audiobook.  It was sooooo good!  I started it one evening, and finished it the following afternoon.  It was such a lovely well written story that just takes you along.  You don't have to do any work to become involved.  It's great. It's about a set of twins, one in particular, who are just starting out as Freshmen in college.  Cath is obsessed with a fictional world and writes fanfiction.  She has other quirks and lots to deal with at home and at school.  She meets a boy, and some other people, and has a very interesting fiction writing class.  I loved watching her progress.  Things come up that she doesn't know how to handle, or deal with, and it's interesting to watch her go through them.  I liked the ending, but I wish it had kept going!  I wasn't ready to say goodbye to them yet!  I think this book is geared more towards the YA audience, but I really enjoyed it.  A lovely little break into another world. 

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - I got this one as a recommendation from a great friend.  Actually, she loaned me her copy but I never started it and then she moved and I gave it back and became determined to read it.  I got the kindle version mainly because the whispersync option to add was relatively cheap.  And I was a little desperate for something new to listen to while I washed dishes.  I wasn't super intrigued by the description but was pleasantly surprised by the writing and the narrative.  I'll be looking into Kingsolver's other books.  This story is about a family who move to the Congo in the late 1950's early 1960's so the dad can bring Jesus to the descendants of Ham.  Ha. They're from Georgia.  I love how they talk, it's amusing and a whole different world of language. The story switches between the perspectives of the mother and her four daughters and spans many years after their mission in the Congo has ended.  The turns and twists the story takes each sister, and their mother through were surprising and unexpected and intense.  At first I wasn't fond of the narrators voice on the audible recording, I thought she sounded disinterested, but then she grew on me and it was fine.  I really enjoyed this story and am thrilled to have found a new author to read! I'd recommend this one for sure, especially if the 1950's life or anything related to Africa is intriguing to you.  

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham - OK, don't get mad here, to each his own, and this one I didn't like at all.  It's difficult to review a book about someone's life, because then it feels like you're "judging them" and while I'm not doing that here, I was so confused about the stories she picked to share.....Anyway.  I read this one because everyone's been recommending it since it became available, and it was only $5 in the Kindle store.  While I'm all for female empowerment, gender equality, and women's rights as I believe Lena Dunham is known for, I didn't enjoy this one as much as I had hoped.  I love hearing the stories behind the people who have "made it" in film and television and comedy, it's just interesting to me.  However, I'm always nervous that these stories will be a list of beds slept in, and who with, on the way to success.  I don't think that is or should be what defines your life story and don't like reading about other people's sexual mishaps and regrets.  I don't think that's brave or courageous unless it has some direct relationship to the lesson to be mentioned, or directed your life in some specific way.  I felt like this was a let down, a deceptive title, and the majority of the book was one bad sexual encounter after another.  It left me a little frustrated at Miss Dunham for not having better judgement and not learning from her previous mistakes.  She seemed careless and then regretful, and then careless again and if that was the intended tone then it didn't do much for me at all.  She consciously omitted the happy and healthy relationship she is currently in, which leaves us to wonder why the heck she told us all those gross stories.  Her childhood stories were interesting, but left me feeling sorry for her rather than oh wow, look how much she's gotten past that, how great for her!  It felt more like a cake you want to be done right now, and aren't willing to let it cool all the way before it gets frosted and turns out not as great as it could be.  I wouldn't recommend this one.  **A tip, if you buy a kindle book you have a few days to return it if you're not satisfied or bought it by accident so rest assured, this was returned.

Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch - Ugh, I wanted so badly to like this one.  After reading The Dinner and loving it especially for it's unique style, narration, and creepiness, I was excited to read everything else Koch has done.  This story is about a doctor who may or may not have murdered someone, and the investigation that is done on the case.  The story is told from his perspective and is very creepy.  I got the kindle with whispersync (with audio so you could read along while you listen, but I just end up listening), and the voice was really bad for me.  It was just too creepy, the performer made it too much for me and I didn't make it that far before I returned it.  Not everything can be a winner!

What have you been reading lately?

Lately...

...things have been a bit nuts, because I've been going nuts and we've just been pretty busy.

Soccer ended last week and we went to get pumpkins at one of my favorite places in all of idaho.

I've been sewing a little and blogging even less, but only because I haven't taken pictures of what I've made yet.  

I signed up for a craft market in November here in Pocatello, and have been frantically making list after list trying to figure out what all goes into having a booth at a fair...which I've never done before.

We went to Logan over the weekend to visit friends who moved earlier this year and get family pictures taken by another friend who does great work.  It was a fun adventure and we can't wait to go back.  

Sorry for the absence, this space is easy the first to be forgotten when things get hectic.  What have you been doing lately?! 

WIP Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  Hope things are productive in your house today, it's felt a little slow over here recently.

I've been working on these two projects for a while now and have been trying to pick up speed this month.

I'm hand quilting this shoo fly quilt that I put together maybe two years ago.  ugh, that's shameful!!  I really love this one, it'll be fantastic once it's finished.  It's ginormous and has already been approved as nap-quality.

I started this cross stitch project (purchased here - her patterns are so incredible, I want to buy them all and maybe one day I will) also a really long time ago.  I bought this pattern with Abby in mind and want to frame it and hang it in her room when it's done.  She really loves it and keeps asking if it's done yet.  And then asking me why it's taking so long, ha!  Darling filter-free child.

What are you working on this month?

Linked up to WIP Wednesday this time! Check out the other posts by people making wonderful things.

An outfit for Sam

I made this outfit for Sam a couple weekends ago.  Apologies for the less than stellar shots, this little monkey is getting fast, and ugh...it keeps getting dark quicker every night. And sometimes I just have to take the picture or it doesn't happen, you know?  Le sigh.

Anyway! It is a simple leggings and shirt combo that I looooove on her cute baby tushy.  

I used The Nessie Top from CINO (buy yours here), and Figgy's Sunki leggings (you can find that one here).

Both of the fabrics are from Wanderlust Fabrics, and that stripe is soooo squoshy I love it.  I'm using up every last piece.  

Happy Tuesday guys! Have a great week!