Needle & thREAD

 

 

Good morning! Today, I'm so grateful to have Aimee from Living, Learning, and Loving Simply to share some sewing and good books with you. I'm up to my eyeballs in Nutcraker tutus. Look for the Nutcracker version of needle & thREAD next Friday (since Thursday is Thanksgiving). Many thanks to Aimee for a pretty great Christmas present idea!

I belong to a bi-monthly Food Swap where a group of about 30 of us get together and trade homemade, homegrown, or foraged foods.  In November, our swap included crafts!  As I thought about what I wanted to make, I found a wonderful tutorial for handmade drying mats. Perfect for those dishes that come out of the dishwasher still damp or a pretty place for the hand-washing to dry. When Edie said that these are her "go-to" Christmas gift, I figured that these were worth making!

 

I bought two coordinating fabrics for each mat at JoAnn Fabrics and Hobby Lobby.  The reverse side is white terry cloth.  I had no idea that terry was so expensive!  9.99/yard at JoAnn, but it was Veteran's Day and I found a 60% off coupon! {That is one of the NICE parts of an iPhone...standing in line at a craft store and googling their site for a coupon and VOILA: they scan your phone and you save money!}

 

These were very simple to cut and sew. They are so pretty and nice that I ended up not swapping them, but keeping them to give as Christmas presents.

 

On the reading front, I love to keep a fiction and a non-fiction book going at the same time.  After months of fiction duds, I finally read one that I really enjoyed.  What could be better than a theme of brokenness and redemption, mentions of homeschooling, gardening and also a midwife?!  Stories where Love conquers rejection and pain and isolation are always a winner. I found A Language of Flowers at our library but had to wait a short time on a waiting list to receive it. I devoured it in two days.

 

 

 

For non-fiction, I am slowly savoring A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman.  If you haven't watched the darling trailer for it, you must! After reading the first two chapters, I started texting several local friends to see if they wanted to spend our upcoming January discussing this book together and what it will mean for each of us practically. From the back cover:

 

You were born to make art. You were made to live art. You might not see yourself

as an artist, but you are--in so many unexpected ways. In what you create, whether

poetry or pie, sculpture or sand castle, calligraphy or conversation. It's time to uncover

the shape of your soul, turn down the voice of the inner critic, and move into the world

with the courage to be who you most deeply are.

Creating a life of meaning is not about finding that one great thing you were made

to do, it's about knowing the one great God you were made to glorify--

in a million little ways.

 

 

 

What have you been sewing lately? Or are you embroidering? Pulling a needle with thread through lovely fabric to make life more beautiful somehow? Would you share with us just a single photo and a brief description of what you're up to? Would you talk sewing and books with us? I'd love that so much.

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needle & thREAD

I welcome you to needle and thREAD. What have you been sewing lately? Or are you embroidering? Pulling a needle with thread through lovely fabric to make life more beautiful somehow? Would you share with us just a single photo and a brief description of what you're up to? Would you talk sewing and books with us? I'd love that so much. Tell me about it in the contents or leave a link to your blog. I'll be happy to come by and visit!

You can get your own needle & thREAD button here in your choice of several happy colors.

Not much to show this week. I got up ridiculously early (3:30) yesterday morning, so I could sew a little. I realized that I need more fabric for my intended project. So, I put that aside. I pulled out some always inspiring Anna Maria Horner voile to make a couple more of those light and airy (but pretty warm) scarves. I have acquired quite the collection and they make fabulous Christmas presents. I think that so far it's the only successful sewing I've done for myself. But, who needs anything else? These scarves take jeans and a T-shirt into the presentable, put together realm. And they make a simple black dress look all grown up and fancy. 

So there you go. A picture of beautiful fabric.

And another picture.

Because this is as far as I got. Some life and death things happened yesterday and the sewing machine sat silent.

I intended to read for two hours straight at soccer practice last night. Those hours in the car are usually my writing hours, but I was too tired to put three words together coherently. In the end, I read a little bit and then took a nap. There's a first for everything I suppose. I think this was my first parking lot nap! I'm reading To School Through the Fields. It's a sweet, light memoir of a childhood in rural Ireland back when life was simple. Perfect for the not-so-simple day that was yesterday. 

So tell us all about your reading and stitching!

Knit or Read, Read or Knit (and some great quotes for marriage)

Seems like a good day to join Ginny for a Yarn Along. I haven't done that in a very long while. I'm a woefully slow knitter. I don't have much new to show from week to week. For nearly a month, I've been working along on a Honey Cowl in Opaline Pashmina. Beautiful yarn, it's a pleasure to knit. But goodness, I hope I have it finished before the winter is over!

My great dilemma these days has been whether to knit or to read (or to sew, but that's tomorrow). I know there are people who can do both simultaneously. I am most definitely not one of them. Beth recommended Breath of Peace to me a couple weeks ago. I mistakenly had Amazon ship it to Christian's house instead of mine. I picked it up Saturday night when I dropped him off, then I finished the book Sunday -- all in one day. I'm kind of a binge reader like that. One of the biggest draws in homeschooling for me was the ability to give my children permission to do nothing but read some days. Very rarely do they request such a day. Somehow, I've not raised the voracious readers that I am. Come to think of it, I do have some accumulated Audible credit. I could listen to a book read to me and knit at the same time. Do you have some favorite fiction read aloud to recommend?

Back to the book. Very, very thoughtful. And thought-provoking. It's the story of an ex-monk in the 1300s who marries at midlife. I'm not sure the plot is even plausible and I do not want to debate the theology, but the messages woven into the fabric of the compelling story are well worth willful suspension of disbelief. I almost abandoned it in the beginning because I couldn't bear to read the dialogue between the man and his wife. Do people really talk to their husbands that way? I can't even imagine it. Late in the book, we hear the wife's thought process and maybe I better understand her. Still, I can't imagine even thinking so much snarkiness. I didn't really identify with either the woman or her husband exactly. I understood his ghosts well enough, but was astonsihed at her lack of compassion. Still, page after page, I was intrigued by their story. And the lessons here are excellent ones. None of us might be quite as extreme as these two, but all of us could work on our communication skills and our understanding of the history we bring to our marriages. And it seems it's possible that a married couple could learn a great deal from a community of monks who live mostly in silence. Hmmm.

I've gathered a few quotes for you here.

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“When I cross the threshold of our home, for mercy’s sake, this should feel like a sanctuary. I should not be bracing myself for whatever might hit me this time—what reprimand, what fault exposed. As I open the door, I take a quick glance at your face to see if I must expect trouble. Sometimes, all is well. Sometimes my heart sinks and I think, oh save us, what have I done wrong now? Heaven knows I’m familiar enough with that kind of home: but I’ve always cherished the dream it doesn't have to be this way." 

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“Love, love is not a matter of endearments murmured in the bedroom and forgotten in the day’s work around the yard. Love is for the everyday, and its courtesies are for the ordinary round, not just for the conquest of seduction.”

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"I think, if you are willing to let things go sometimes, not have to have everything done right, that will help. So what if the fox steals a hen or two? Is that more serious than letting the devil steal your marriage? Do you really want William dancing like a puppet while you pull the strings, afraid to offend you, frightened of what you'll say if he makes a mistake?"

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"It's a hard lesson to learn and it asks a lot of anyone. I think even when we've practiced for years it takes more than most of us have, to get it right. Again and again in community here, I have to ask my brothers' forgiveness when I forget myself and say something cutting or contemptuous or intolerant. And I imagine it must be the same in marriage. Except, in the night, where we have our holy silence to help us, you married folk are also blessed with an extra way to put things right."

~

"Maintaining careful courtesy and gentle speech began to drain Madeleine's resources after a while. She wondered if the brothers at St. Alcuin found it as hard work as this, or if it somehow came naturally to them. Even so, she had to admit, pleasant and cheerful conversation added something of a flavor of courtship to their evening together. Everything felt less empty and prosaic than it usually did."

Time to Fill the Thanksgiving Book Basket

Are you living a storybook year? Our book-a-day selections for this month come from Chris Scarlett, who graciously shared this list and her notes with me (and you!). A book a day and then some from now until Thanksgiving. Thanks so much, Chris!

For The Younger Set:
My First Thanksgiving (board book) by Tomie dePaola (super simple for toddlers)

Thanks For Thanksgiving by Julie Markes, illustrated by Doris Barrette (bright, bold colors and simple rhymes)

 Countdown to Thanksgiving by Jodi Huelin, illustrated by Keiko Motoyama (family-oriented)

Thanksgiving Is Here! by Diane Goode (big, busy family)

 1, 2, 3 Thanksgiving by W. Nikola-Lisa, illustrated by Robin Kramer (doubles as a counting book from 1-10 and 10-1)

 The First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed, illustrated by Mark Buehner (1-12, brief rhymes, nice pics)

Thanksgiving by Brenda Haugen, illustrated by Todd Ouren (sweet overview)

Thanksgiving Is... by Gail Gibbons (colorful, brief highlights)

The Very First Thankgiving Day by Rhonda Gowler Greene, paintings by Susan Gaber (lovely illustrations)

Fancy Nancy, Our Thanksgiving Banquet based on Fancy Nancy written by Jane O'Connor, illustrated by Glasser, Fletcher, and Drainville (we completely missed out on this commercial brand, but I think this one is charming for girly-girls and their moms)

Saying Grace, A Prayer of Thanksgiving by Virginia Kroll, illustrated by Timothy Ladwig (pioneer girl)

The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving by Ann McGovern, illustrated by Elroy Freem (basic, gets the job done)

Thanksgiving by Dana Meachen Rau (simple school-type overview)

This Is the Feast by Diane Shore, illustrated by Megan Lloyd (bold, attractive pictures, rhyming)

 Thanksgiving Treat by Catherine Stock (a grandpa story)

"Potluck" For School Aged Children:
 Let's Throw A Thanksgiving Party! by Rachel Lynette (nice photos, very doable recipes and crafts, will click with Family Fun magazine fans)

P is for Pilgrim a Thanksgiving alphabet, illustrated by Helle Urban (written at two age levels, with poetry and prose, fact-packed and gorgeous)

 Oh, What A Thanksgiving! by Steven Kroll, illustrated by S. D. Schindler (modern schoolboy imagining a parallel life as a Pilgrim kid, fun)

 N. C. Wyeth's Pilgrims, text by Robert San Souci (BOGO alert--art appreciation and educational)

 The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh (vintage Caldecott, lovely wording)

Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas, illustrated by Shannon Stirnweis (check out the Catholic connection here)

Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla, pictures by Peter Burchard (old school bio, sparsely illustrated)

 Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Greg Shed (one of the best Squanto books out there)

 If You Were There At The First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma, illustrated by Bert Dodson (classic series, Q&A format)

The First Thanksgiving Feast by Joan Anderson, photographed by George Ancona (beautiful B&W photos of re-enactors at Plimouth Plantation)

A World Of Holidays, Thanksgiving by Marilyn Miller (overview, colorful photos)

 The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving from A to Z by Laura Crawford, illustrated by Judith Hierstein (organized as an alphabet book, would be a good way to kick-off or wrap up a mini-unit study, pretty)

The First Thanksgiving by Linda Hayward, illustrated by James Watling (interesting early reader)

Three Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness (attractive and very well-researched)

Eating The Plates: A Pilgrim Book of Food and Manners by Lucille Recht Penner (foodies might like this chapter book)

1620 Year of the Pilgrims by Genevieve Foster (a meaty chapter book)

 1621: A New Look At Thanksgiving by Catherine O'Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac, photos by Sisse Brimberg and Colton Coulson (detailed)

 Giving Thanks: The 1621 Harvest Feast by Kate Waters, photos by Russ Kendall (parallel stories of Pilgrim boy and Indian boy at Plimoth Plantation)

Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner (Can you say perseverance? charmingly told, girl power--in a good way)

 Sarah Gives Thanks by Mike Allegra, illustrated by David Gardner (more straightforward than the previous title about Sarah Josepha Hale, a good complement to it)

 A Thanksgiving Wish by Michael Rosen, paintings by John Thompson (missing departed grandma, a wishbone story, not a downer)

 Fat Chance Thanksgiving by Pat Lakin, illustrated by Stacey Schuett (kids' initiative brings neighbors together)

 Thanksgiving On Plymouth Plantation by Diane Stanley, illustrated by Holly Berry (bland title for an imaginary time-travel tale with grandma as teacher using comic speech bubbles, very kid-friendly) 

 The Thanksgiving Door by Debby Atwell (an elderly couple is included in a family meal at an ethnic restaurant)

 The Firefighters' Thanksgiving by Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by Terry Widener (whole lot of action here for one day)

Turkey Bowl by Phil Bilder, illustrated by C. F. Payne (let's hear it for the boys in this family football story)

 The Memory Cupboard: A Thanksgiving Story by Charlotte Herman, paintings by Ben F. Stahl (people and memories are more important than things, don't miss this one)

The Pilgrims of Plimoth by Marcia Sewall (quaintly written in first person, present tense)

The First Thanksgiving by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Thomas Locker (well told, Dutch Masters-style paintings)

Thanksgiving Day, A Time To Be Thankful by Elaine Landau (overview that would be nice for a schoolish report)

 The Thanksgiving Bowl by Virginia Kroll, illustrated by Philomena O'Neill (cute, far-fetched, convoluted tale)

Thanksgiving Day Alphabet by Beverly Barras Vidrine, illustrated by Alison Davis Lyne (use this one to summarize and review the whole unit of study)

One For The Oldest Students:
Thanksgiving, The True Story by Penny Colman (nice reference for fact-checking teens or parents)
Junior high and high schoolers may enjoy reading some from the previous level aloud to siblings (or children they babysit). 

A REWARD IF YOU ARE STILL WITH ME HERE:
 The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi (Hilarious. Highly recommended. Shhh. We will be reading this one to all the big Scarlett kids on Turkey Day this year. Thankfully, most of our families fall somewhere on the continuum between the extremes of the Martha Stewart-ish and the "redneck" clans depicted here.)

For more about our Storybook Year, please visit  here. 

(And many thanks to Nicky for all the linking. He's a coding machine:-)

Just Being Audrey

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Let’s go back a couple weeks or so, back to when I thought the most stressful thing about the fall would be four birthdays in the same week. We kicked off Birthday Week, the Friday before it really began. All about birthday traditions, we happily said , “Yes!” when my friend Megan suggested that last year’s tea in Leesburg become a tradition. Yes, ma’am we’d love to do it again this year and every year forever!

Tea is always fun. The tea house has an authentic vintage vibe and the ladies are truly British, so it’s the real deal.  They’ve gotten their gluten-free menu down nicely since last year, too.

As an added treat, Megan gave the girls a copy of Just Being Audrey.

Such a perfect book for them!

It’s a nicely illustrated storybook that brings to life a young Audrey Hepburn who wanted nothing more than to be a ballerina. We see an age-appropriate glimpse of living in hiding during World War II and then we are treated to the grown up Audrey—first an actress and then an activist speaking for children who could not speak for themselves.

It’s a sweet, sweet book. It reminded me of a book my friend Mindy recommended to me years ago, an Audrey book for grown-ups. Her best friend from home wrote a book called How to Be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life. It popped up as an Amazon recommendation once for me and I scrolled through reviews to find Mindy’s name. Since Mindy is pretty much not on the internet, the whole thing startled me. So, I asked her about it at soccer one day and she shared a little insight to the author. If you’re an Audrey Hepburn fan, you’ll love the way Audrey’s philosophy of life is brought to life in the pages. In Mindy's words, 

This is the perfect book to give for birthdays, hostess gifts, Christmas, Mother's day, graduation, or any special event in a woman's life. I sent it home with 15 ladies who attended a baby shower, and it has inspired several Audrey "film-festivals." Her thoughts on how to carry oneself with style, dignity and grace will translate to any generation. "How to be Lovely" should be on every woman's night stand.

So there you go, a little Audrey Hepburn rabbit trail and a perfectly lovely birthday tea.

{{For more about our Storybook Year, please visit here.}}