Covid-19 Life: Finishing Quilts, TBR, Beautiful Nature

Maybe it's the feel of mortality breathing down my neck, but I am focused on finishing all those 'UFOs' in my sewing room--Unfinished Objects, for the uninitiated.

Finishing The Great Gatsby quilt was major. I started it years ago! I hand quilted it.

The blocks are taken from 1924 advertisements and represent scenes from the book.

I was lucky to snag  fabrics from the Great Gatsby fabrics line.

 My sewing room is a creative mess of works in progress.

I am putting together Row by Row blocks from years ago. Quilt shops designed and sold these rows for quilters to collect. These are all Michigan lake scenes.

I am also working on a pattern I bought when I was first quilting! The Mountain Mist Water Lilies pattern! Lots of repetitious hand applique. I love it. There are eight blocks like those below. Then borders of lily pads and flowers!

Books in the mail include the Book Club Cookbook win The Second Home by Christina Clancy, pictured with a completed Row.

And three fantastic art quilt books from Schiffer Publishing! Look for the reviews in the coming weeks.

New galleys on my shelf include:

• Maniac: The Bath School Murder and the Birth of the Modern Mass Killer by Harold Schechter, which occured in Michigan
• The View from Abroad: The Story of John and Abigail Adams in Europe by Jeanne E. Abrams
• Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight by Julia Sweig

I have been coloring in my birthday books.

Sunny goes to 'day camp' three days a week. She loves playing with the dogs. Since my son and his partner are both working from home, it's hard for her to understand they have to ignore her demands to play during working hours.

I enjoy the beauty I see around me. The hawk circling on the updraft above the houses. The flowers I see on my walks. The painted clouds of sunset.

 Even the weeds in the grass are beautiful.

My brother went to Tawas Point a few weekends ago and reported record high lake levels. The year my family spent a week there lake levels were at a record low!

Note the lighthouse in the background.

Here are flowers my brother has seen on his walks in the woods.

And, here is my brother. His birthday is coming in a few weeks. 

Stay safe, out there. Find your bliss in this broken world.

Covid-19 Life: Happy Birthday to Me!

A birthday is usually when the family gets together with a meal and a cake. These days, the 'get together' is different in kind.

Some FaceTime or Zoom--or have a drive-by car parade with police escort.

I got to to to the doctor. Nothing serious, folk. But it was an excuse to stop by our son's house and see him and his partner and the grandpuppies! Sunny went wild and after she wore herself out, Ellie came up to get her time. Even Hazel the cat came out for a little pet time.

Sunny at a trip to the dog park

Ellie at the dog park

We wore masks.

The kids gave me my presents--a wonderful Jane Austen themed collection of coloring books, a Jane Austen Tea Party recipe book, new colored pencils, and a pencil sharpener that can make THREE KINDS OF POINTS!

 This marzipan hedgehog is the cutest thing!

I was able to give Melissa her birthday present, the Baby Cactus quilt and succulent pillow!

I came home to book mail! The Book Club Cookbook win The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner! Yes, still on a JA theme birthday!

Not bad.

I had a bee house from my brother to give to my son, and I had a new mask that, luckily, fits him better. The bee house my brother gave me is below.

Hubby made dinner. We bought steak. We have not eaten steak in literally years. I avoid buying beef, for my health and the health of the planet. But we had steak and baked potato and a green salad. A bit of nostalgia, as it were.

So, not a bad day, all told, considering the limitations of sheltering in place.

I will close with some terrific photos from my brother and his girlfriend's trip to the Kewanee Penninsula earlier this month.

 Cooper Harbor Lighthouse

Stay safe.

More 2017 Books Reviewed: Quilt Books and Children's Books

Today I am listing books I reviewed in 2017 for quilters and children. To read any of the reviews use the Search bar found on the right column of my blog and enter the book title.

Children's Books

I love Moondance Press's book series created to introduce classic literature and poetry to young children.

Read-Aloud Classics are written for preschoolers. A classic books is presented in a way appropriate to the interests of the child.

Around the World in 80 Days: A Young Child's Introduction to the Classics
by Charles Nurnberg, Joe Rhatigan, Rosemary Woods (Illustrations)

Read-Aloud Classics: Peter Pan
J.M. Barrie, Victoria Tentler-Krylov (Illustrated by), Charles Nurnberg, Joe Rhatigan

Read-Aloud Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain, Glenn Harrington (Illustrated by), Charles Nurnberg

Poetry for Kids are written for an older age group, grages 3 to 8. Each volume includes poems, a biography, and notes for parents and teachers.

Poetry for Kids: Walt Whitman (Poetry for Kids)
by Walt Whitman, Karen Karbiener (Editor), Kate Evans (Illustrations)

Poetry for Kids: Robert Frost
Robert Frost, Jay Parini (Edited by), Michael Paraskevas (Illustrated by)
Series: Poetry for Kids

Quilt Books

Some marvelous books came out this year! My review ebooks are temporary, and I ended up purchasing several of these books for my permanent collection.

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I received the Mandela Coloring book from Dover publications to review. I'm back coloring again!

So for Christmas my husband bought me new colored pencils and two more coloring books.

Quilters will be familiar with the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt. I received a coloring book based on the block patterns along with a butterfly coloring book. Here is one of the pages I colored.