needle & thREAD

Yay! needle & thREAD! I'm so happy to be back here taking about reading and sewing. Even more, I so glad to have had the chance to do a lot of reading and even a bit of sewing.

First the books. Gosh, Where to begin? Let me scroll through my Audible account. 

Better than Before: I've listened to this one multiple times and I have it in hardcover, too, because I'm talking with friends about it.. Gretchen Rubin, who is a huge favorite of mine, does it again with this one. It took me about a chapter to fall into rhythm with her again, but after that--pure inspiration. She's so smart and so sensible and this one is a well-researched book about habit forming. She doesn't dictate which habits are the ones you need. She doesn't even offer a one-size-fits all habit-forming formula. Instead, she helps the reader identify what they want or need to change in order to be better than before, and then she offers an array of tools for getting there.

In the fiction department, I love The Rosie Project. Just such a clever and funny story about a professor with Aspberger's syndrome and his quest to find a wife. It's tender and funny and very light. Perfect for summer.

I also listened to Max Lucado's adult fiction, Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe is the story of Chelsea Chambers, mom of 2 who has just separated very publicly from her NFL superstar husband. Despite some heavy topics, the story is light reading, if that makes sense. It reminded me a bit of Frank Peretti's novels,  (which are riveting and memorable), though not nearly so dark. I cared about the characters and enjoyed the read. Easy, breezy. 

Let's see, lots of spiritual reading lately, too. I was on a bit of a Peter Kreeft re-reading binge and read again Making Sense Out of Suffering and You Can Understand the Bible. I used the latter one extensively with my highschoolers this spring. No home should be without that book. Peter Kreeft is a favorite. Much like C. S. Lewis, I think everyone should read everything he's written. I'm not kidding.

That's enough reporting for this week. 

Glass water bottle is here. Yes, I love it! I've dropped it on tile floors three times--no breaks. And it is most definitely encouraging my water habit.

I did a very little bit of sewing (aside from never-ending costume fixes). Kristin stitched most of an adorable bucket hat for Lucy. She got to the very end--the part with hand stitching--and I had this feeling that if I didn't sit and strike the pose of a grandma with needle and thread we might not see that hat on her sweet head any time soon. This is sure to make my best sewing buddy Nicole raise her eyebrow. I'm quick to jam almost everything under a machine needle just to avoid hand sewing. It's not that I don't like it. It's that I don't trust it to hold. In this case, there was no way around it, except to blindstich--all the way 'round.  And I did. And it's absolutely darling on her sweet head. Sarah has requested one for herself with a matching sundress. We're cutting this morning.

There's a free pattern here for the bucket hat. It comes from Little Things to Sew, which is fabulous. Remember those red capes? Sarah was wearing hers (used to be Kari's) yesterday. Still super cute. 

What have you been reading and sewing? I've got technical issues with the button and code, but I'd sure love for you to leave me a link and a comment. I promise to come see what you've been up to.