End of August Fabric Use and Book Recommendations

It's almost embarrassing to share how little fabric I used in August. A measly half-yard of fabric was used to finish Ignite with facing. And I gave some scraps of University of Northern Iowa and University of Texas fabric to a friend who's making a quilt with collegiate sport prints. The lone incoming piece was picked up from a free scrap table because I thought it would make a nice sunglasses case. 

So that's it - my least-amount-of-fabric-used month ever. 

Book Recommendations

I had much more success listening to good audiobooks in August - 11 titles, and all of them were great!

Using my personal scoring method, with 5.0 being the highest, here they are in rank order. 

4.6 - The Divine Proverb of Streusel, Sara Brunsvold

4.5 - Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë 

4.5 - All My Knotted-Up Life, Beth Moore

4.4 - We Were Never Here, Andrea Bartz

4.4 - The House of Eve, Sadeqa Johnson

4.4 - Sleepless, Gordon Korman

4.4 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Volume 1,  Beth Brower

4.4 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Volume 2,  Beth Brower

4.4 - Wish, Barbara O'Connor

4.4 - Dream, Barbara O'Connor

4.2 - Deep Dish, Mary Kay Andrews

The Divine Proverb of Streusel is the third book I've listened to by author Sara Brunsvold of Kansas City. She has a remarkable gift for identifying relational conflicts, and suggesting means of restoration, including Scripture.

In Streusel, Nikki is dealing with her Dad's infidelity and parent's divorce, as she is questioning her own relationship with a fella who she knows intends to propose marriage. With an intense desire to get away, she retreats to her grandmother's home in rural Missouri. There she immerses herself in getting to know her uncle, learning more about her family, engaging in community activities, and trying German recipes found in an old family cookbook.

This book touched my heart, speaking volumes about valuing one's heritage and family. 

Determined to listen to at least one classic a month, for August I chose Jane Eyre. I'm glad I did! I had never read the book, and when I mentioned the title to friends, many of them said they'd seen the movie which I have not seen. This was a 22+ hour listen, but worth every moment as I immersed myself in the societal norms of England in the early 1800s - orphanages, class distinctions and behaviors, and all of them with religious overtones that weren't always charitable or kind. Jane was a stalwart girl and young woman with impeccable moral standards.

I have had All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore on my saved list for many months. I was reluctant to read it, knowing Beth was molested as a child. She talks about it in a sensitive way, elaborating on her emotional struggles and eventual forgiveness. She also share the where's and why's of her love of God, and her break with her beloved Southern Baptist Church. She's Anglican now. 

As Beth does when she leads a bible study, she writes insightfully. I also enjoyed her humor, often self-deprecating, and laugh out loud funny.

We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz is a fictional story that's unlike any I've ever read.

Two best friends travel together to an off-the-beaten-path place in Chile. While there, the unthinkable happens - a man is killed - and the friends cover up the murder. But is this truly a one-off? The same thing happened on an earlier trip the women took together. Now back in Wisconsin, they can both forget what happened. Or will they constantly be worrying whether something will catch up to them? And who's to blame? That's the part that got me. I didn't see the truth. 

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson is about two young black women who are expected to "stay in their places." In spite of her low social standing, Ruby is determined to be the first in her family to attend college. She has huge obstacles, mostly financial, to overcome. Eleanor too has big aspirations, but when she falls for William who's from an elite black family, she learns that she too might not measured up to their expectations. Maybe having a baby will help her be accepted. It's interesting to see Ruby and Eleanor's stories collide. 

Okay... I adored Sleepless by Gordon Korman, though the book is considered YA (young adult).

Five middle school kids find themselves unable to sleep at night. The book follows each of them, one by one, as they hide their inability to sleep and use those hours to improve themselves - exercise more; work on science projects; develop better social media interactions; practice singing. Each is on his or her own, thinking they're the only one who's sleepless. However, when they work out that they're part of a small group, they make plans to get to the bottom of what's happening to them. Eventually they realize they have a choice about their futures - do they continue in their sleepless state and remain productive?

This book gave me pause, and food for thought. What if we didn't require sleep? What could we accomplish? If you have a young adult in your life, I highly recommend they read this book. 

It seems everyone is reading The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion. I understand there are many of them, though I have audiobook access only to the first two books. (Hoopla, please get Volume 3!)

These stories are about Emma who, in 1883, has arrived at her family home in London. Both her parents are deceased, and she's meant to inherit the house. However, her despicable uncle is in residence, and refuses to grant Emma any of her inheritance. She's relegated to living in the fourth floor tower room.

These books/"journals" are about Emma's plans to earn a living, her aunt's plans to expose her to society, and people she meets along the way.  

Two more good reads... Wish and Dream, both by Barbara O'Connor, are also YA books.

This story is about 11 year-old Charlie who has been taken from her parents (dad's in jail; mom has depression), separated from her big sister, and sent to live with her aunt and uncle (who she doesn't know) in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Charlie doesn't want to be there - doesn't want to attend school, and is difficult, with a quick, mean temper. She doesn't want to make friends. But neighbor boy, Howard, isn't taking no for an answer.

Dream is about a totally different young girl, Idalee, who lives with her single mother in a big house that they let to tenants. Idalee's mom is a country-Western singer who goes on the road, and while she's away, Idaleee tries to write lyrics for a song contest... so she can win money to buy a new guitar.

Howard (from the Wish book) visits Idalee, and introduces her to Charlie. The girls become good friends. These are sweet books. Loved them!

Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews is sort of like watching a Hallmark show, though profanity is used in this story.

The premise is that good 'ole Southern boy Tate, has a cooking show called "Vittles" where he fishes and hunts for the food he prepares. On the other end of the cooking spectrum is a young professional, Gina, who's TV cooking show "Fresh Start" has just been cancelled. Now Tate and Gina are in a competition to win a spot on a coveted national cooking show. They just have to battle through three cooking challenges while on an island off the Georgia mainland. It's a love story, of course. 

I'd recommend reading every one of these books! Let me know which one(s) you like. Linda

Again, Where Have I Been?

Now, where have I been?!

Hubs and I left last Tuesday for a get-away to celebrate our 54th anniversary on August 26. We headed to the west coast and then followed Florida's Big Bend to the Panhandle, from Cedar Key to Fort Walton Beach. 

Yellow stars indicated where we spent our nights in Apalachicola, and Okaloosa Island

Our first stop was Cedar Key, a place we'd visited in June 2024. We were there just a few months before Hurricane Helene hit in September. (This YouTube video gives you an idea of how damaging Helene was.) We wanted to check out the condition of the little town that's at the end of a 21 mile peninsula. 

We ate lunch at Steamers. The food was as excellent as I remembered, though the restaurant has temporarily relocated due to damage from a September 2024 fire - yep, first a hurricane; then a fire. A new, elevated restaurant is being built.

Overall, the community appears to be in a slow recovery mode, with many waterfront buildings being renovated and put on stilts. The only grocery store remains closed, so residents have to drive 30 miles to Chiefland for supplies.

Located on the waterfront, the "Pink Pearl" is where we stayed during our last visit, and though it's on a waterfront street seemed to be the same... likely due to it already being on stilts.

We continued driving north, bearing slightly left to travel along SR(state route)98 with the unseen Gulf of America to our left. I took pictures as we passed along this "Big Bend" so you can see that Florida isn't all beaches and congested entertainment areas. 

Chiefland area

It looks quite bucolic in places, with occasional deer crossing and bear crossing signs. 

Eastpoint area

I always liked it when SR 98 took us along the empty oceanfront. 

We spent one night at the Gibson Inn in Apalachicola, an historic town along the Apalachicola River that spills into the bay/gulf. 

photo courtesy of Gibson Inn

We arrived without reservations (something we do when traveling mid-week around Florida). The Gibson Inn was established in 1907, and much of the old character has been retained.

We had a lovely third floor room.

Our window view of downtown looked toward the river and bay. One block away, Water Street was once the site of more than 40 three-story cotton warehouses. In the 1840s to 1850s, Apalachicola was the third largest cotton shipping port in the US behind New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama.

Nowadays Apalachicola is known for it's production of Tupelo Honey. Apparently it's highly prized, and unique among honeys.

White tupelo trees along the Apalachicola River produce white blossoms for two to three weeks each April. During that time, bee hives are loaded onto boats and taken through swampy areas to pollenate the trees. The honey produced is a light golden color and never crystalizes. It's supposedly beneficial to diabetics and people with allergies - even people who do not live locally. 

https://www.tupelohoneyflorida.net/

I took a picture of a picture hanging the wall of our Gibson Inn room. I wish I knew the year it was taken and who the women were. Charming, isn't it? They're on the beach. See how they're holding the tails of their dresses between their legs, to keep their skirts dry? 

Continuing our SR98 journey the next day, this is still the Apalachicola area. 

This is the Port Saint Joe area.

These are Port Saint Joe residences to our right along SR98, overlooking the Gulf. 

Homes built along here have to expect hurricanes. 

This part of Port Saint Joe along the ocean remains mostly pristine. 

I appreciated seeing natural sea grasses and sand dunes. 

This is a typical home on Port Saint Joe Beach. Lots of properties are for sale, but none are at a bargain price. We agreed that renting is the best way to spend time in a hurricane-prone ocean front home.

This is a cabbage palm at Port Saint Joe Beach. 

Our SR98 view of Mexico Beach. This area is referred to as "The Forgotten Coast."

Going toward Fort Walton Beach is a stretch of SR98 - Henderson Beach State Park - where you can see dunes and grasses protected and left to their natural beauty.

Our second and third nights were spent on Okaloosa Island at Beal House, a six-story hotel on Okaloosa Island at Fort Walton Beach. You can see why this is stretch of beaches is called "The Emerald Coast." 

From our fourth story balcony we had unobstructed ocean views... 

...though the sunset was just out of sight, to the west. 

The full moon. 

We walked on the beach, enjoyed meals out - something we don't often do at home - and played gin rummy while appreciating beach views... seeing occasional leaping dolphins. 

Hotel staff suggested a couple of webcams to watch.

One is from the Boardwalk toward the ocean, and sand volleyball nets where tournaments are held.

The other is the Okaloosa Island Pier marine webcam. That pier can be seen in my full moon picture.

Interestingly, Eglin Air Force Base isn't far from Fort Walton Beach, so we saw and heard fly-overs of F-25 Lightning II fighter jets. (I got this info after uploading my picture to Google Gemini to determine what we were seeing and from whence they came.) Pairs of jets were on fighter pilot training missions.

This was our last view of the beach before heading home. 

Almost unbelieveably, our entire return trip home along the same route was through steady rain. I'm glad I took "going" pictures as keepsakes of our lovely trip.

It's always good to visit new places in one's home state. Linda

Where have I been?

Where have I been? Nowhere. I'm still here, keeping busying with my usual activities - bible study, exercise, and sewing room activities, in that order. 

About three weeks ago I started a Beth Moore bible study called "Beloved Disciple." That disciple is John. Though the study was published in 2002, it's relevant. Alongside the the study, and because Beth Moore will be at Lutheran Church of Hope (West Des Moines, Iowa) September 25-26, I just finished listening to Beth's autobiography, All My Knotted-up Life. I have friends who don't care to listen to her because of her thick Arkansas accent, but I understand her and find her extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic on her favorite topic: Jesus. If you "know" Beth, have ever participated in one of her bible studies (I have many times) or have heard her speak, I highly recommend her book. The audiobook was particularly meaningful because she narrates it herself (you can hear her shedding tears) sharing thoughtful personal and experiential information.

In the sewing room, something new is underway as I've turned my focus to starting another quilt, this one for our Central Florida MQG's "2nd Chance Fabric Challenge." At least 25% of the quilt is to be from upcycled materials - fabrics that were previously "something else." In my case, these are Dad's plaid sport shirts, and a beige, pin-striped flat sheet recently found at a thrift store - "Wow! How perfect?!" - for a whole $2.75! 

The design is simple, geometric, and modern. As I've been able, I've included a little bit of transparency in the design. 

With this approximately 68" X 80" quilt top about half-way pieced, I feel confident I'll meet the October 10 due date.

You'd never guess which print was formerly boxers. :-) I backed many pieces with Pellon EK130 Easy Knit, to give them more stability.

Last Thursday I went on a day trip "outside the bubble." Having been at home/staying local all summer, I was happy to enjoy a get away with these two quilt-y friends: Barb who is the 4-H Club leader; and Karen who is also originally from Iowa. 

We went to Brooksville, Florida, about an hour away, to see what's what at Panbanged Knits and Fiber Shoppe. The owner, Christen, was a wealth of knowledge and imparted so much yarn-y information it was difficult to take it all in!

Christen has a line of hand-dyed yarns called Brooksville Fiber Company, and while I would loved to have invested in a several hanks, the price had me thinking to hold off until I'm a better knitter.

 

Christen had a garment rack of completed crocheted and knitted garments, so I tried on several shawls/shawlettes in different shapes - triangle, asymmetrical, and rectangle. For a November wedding, I'd like to knit one to wear with a solid-color dress. I bought one ball of yarn and this pattern, to knit a garter stitch shawl.

Along with green needle point covers, those were my only purchases as I'm making myself finish my Summer Soul Top before starting the shawl. I can't tell you how many times I've frogged this top! But now the back is done, including ribbing. I'm making good progress on the front. Maybe I'm getting the hang of it? 

Left: Summer Soul Top in progress
Right: new DK yarn - Schoppel Zauberball, Color 2092 "Crazy"

By the way, I'm all-in on Ravelry now. My profile is there along with pics of my projects, finished and unfinished. Let me know if I can find you there. 

After lunch at The Bistro in Brooksville, we stopped at Hobby Lobby (a larger store than locally), and then drove to Inverness, Florida.

I had intended that we shop at Fiber Arts Gallery in Inverness - another yarn store. We didn't know until we parked, walked to the Masonic Business Center, and reached the door of the third floor shop, that it was closed for summer vacation. Well that was disappointing. Wouldn't you think a business would (should) post such information to their website? In spite of that disappointment, it was a fun day. Thanks for joining me, friends! 

So I keep myself busy with all the crafty, sewy, knitty things, and even a Modge Podge project that I'll share soon. 

In the meantime, another big diamond art project (38" X 26") arrived. It's "Beachside Gathering," a Thomas Kinkade design that I won't let myself start until I finish another diamond art painting. Diamond Art Club kits come highly recommended for their excellent quality (canvas, and precise square drills) by many diamond-painting friends. Working with such a kit will be a happy change for me!

I sure have many fun things to anticipate! Linda