Winter reading

After the craft market it was really nice to take it easy for a while.  Or at least in between baking and present wrapping.  Lots of that time was book time.  Here's what I read recently:

Everything is Perfect When You're A Liar by Kelly Oxford - I loved this book!! It was hilarious, relatable, and fast! Minus lots of experiences with weed, I'd really want to be friends with this lady.  She is seriously entertaining, and a very bold person.  She reminds me of my 4 year old who will ask people why they did things that are mean, or compliment strangers clothing, and just treats everyone the same, with an outspoken inclusiveness that Oxford also has.  Except Kelly Oxford is not 4 and 1/2 so to read her stories is wildly amusing.  She's also done a ton of truly varied things! She has 3 kids, she's a Canadian and they just do things differently than Americans so that's always fun for me, she went to L.A. to find Leonardo DiCaprio in the days before Titanic, talked her way out of a ticket after already getting a ticket, and was a personal guest of a magician in Vegas.  It's inspiring how she takes opportunities and just goes for things, even though it's sometimes very reckless.  I hope she writes more, I love love loved this book.  It was light enough and funny enough and inspiring enough.  So much fun.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey - not your typical alien story, this follows a girl who has survived an alien invasion on our planet that has wiped out about 97% of the population. The Others, as she calls them, are crafty, and sent 4 waves of attack on Earth.  The story suddenly splits into narration between Cassie and a couple other characters and that's where I started to lose interest.  I liked Cassie's part the best and could've done without the others.  But it did give perspective that we wouldn't have seen otherwise.  It's clever but it didn't hook me as much as I'd hoped.  There is a unique twist that I didn't see coming, but it wasn't written in a very believable way, at least for me, so it didn't grab me as much as it was meant to.  Perhaps because I think it's a YA book? I'm not sure.  I'm usually really into end if the world stories.  There is a second book but I probably won't read it.  Don't get me wrong, this was interesting, just didn't compel me all the way through. 

Brilliance by Marcus Sakey - This is a fast paced story of an alternate future in which 1% of the population is made up of "Brilliants" or those with abnormal abilities.  Computer level pattern recognition, coding, body language reading, math skills so great they broke the stock market, etc.  The normal population has become very worried about the abnormals and because of a few dangerous ones, they have reason to be.  The story follows agent Cooper, who is a brilliant but also takes down other brilliants who pose a threat to the safety and security of the rest of the population.  I don't want to spoil it.  It's really interesting.  I did predict the twist, but it was still well done.  I bought the kindle book and then the whispersync addition (I find those are frequently cheaper than just buying the audiobook) and thought the performance was a little more perform-y than I personally like for people to be when they're reading to me, but the story was good.  There's a second Book that I've already started listening to.  

Have you been reading anything compelling lately??  Winter reading time is the BEST. 

Advent Activities

In december we usually have at least one advent calendar in the house.  This year we didn't do a chocolate one, but made our ornaments on a tiny tree one a little more special.

I came up with 24 activities, printed them out, and put them into these craft jewelry boxes.  I had Matthew write numbers 1-24 on them while Abby made sure each one had an ornament.  We piled them up under the now broken (a wrestling accident happened last week that took it out of commission) fake Christmas tree so each day they take turns finding the right box, opening it up, and since Matthew can read he reads the activity and Abby is in charge of the ornament.

So far most of the activities have been a success, and I made sure to include some of the scheduled things like our ward Christmas party with Santa in the right box.  For another example, we are going to see the Nutcracker on Thursday so when they open the box this Thursday that's what the paper will say.  Pretty clever foresight, huh!

We have made marshmallow snowmen, paper trees, read Christmas books, met Santa Claus, made presents for our friends, decorated treat bags, addressed and stuffed our Christmas cards, made cookies and decorated them, taken food to the food bank, small but hopefully somewhat exciting things.  A lot of the things I would've done anyway I turned into things we did together, which they always love.

It hasn't been seamless though, I had a couple snow activities in there which ended up getting opened on 55 degree days.  But it's been fun and I hope to modify it again to fit next year's schedule!  The kids love looking forward to it!

Do you do an advent calendar tradition in your home?

Two Charlie Dresses

I've been meaning to take the time to make these dresses for a while but finally made it happen this past week.

The pattern is the Charlie Dress by Mingo and Grace.  I made the size 5 and 18 months so they would last longer but in hindsight could've gotten away just fine with the size 4T and 12 months since the bodice is intentionally loose.  

I love this fabric, it's from Joann's but it's not as flimsy as I was expecting it to be.  I really want to go get more to make myself a top. 

I had one yard of the fabric for Abby's dress and had to piece the ruffle/flounce part but I don't think it's too obvious, even though I obviously cut that part differently than the top (to make it all fit!).  She loves that it spins, I just think she looks adorable! 

I cut the patterns one day last week while the kids were at school, then sewed them the next day in between making cookies and cake and more cookies.

They sewed up pretty quickly even though the bias taped edges drove me nuts, as usual. The dress closes with a simple loop and button, which is super fast and easy.  

Anyway, it's nice to have another pattern from my extensive collection actually turn into usable and adorable pieces of clothing!

New Dolls and Scarves

I use this lovely pattern from Charlaanne on Etsy to make these dolls.  From that pattern I modified the body and left out the yarn hair to make a boy doll this weekend.

He didn't have any clothes for a while but now he does.  His shirt, pants and socks are removable. The little man requested a boy doll so I have his brain to thank for making this little dude here come to life! He's really cute, don't you think?

I love this dolls hair. Sometimes they don't turn out, or the yarn doesn't stay where it's supposed to, but this one is doing really really well.  Her dress and socks are removable and her hair bow has been stitched and hot glued in place so she'll look pretty even during playtime!

I also finally found more of this red and black buffalo check flannel at JoAnn's.  It's like ALWAYS out of stock when I go so when I found some today I snatched up ALL the flannel they had, which wasn't a ton.  All said and done, I have enough for 3 of these scarves which you can find here in my shop! 

They are all listed in my Etsy shop here and will arrive in time for US Christmas delivery if ordered before December 16th.  

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!!!