Category Archives: Books

Next Book Club Book

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Spring has not decided what it wants around here. We have had 70 degrees one day followed by snow squalls the next. I am really enjoying my hammock time but sometimes it required a fluffy blanket.

Book Club has decided to read The Heiress. It is a new book and a very quick read. I got through it in a weekend. A pretty enjoyable read with the narrator switching between three character views. I would give a 7 out of 10.

Duke is not impressed with my reading time. He likes to take advantage of the fact the hammock is low enough he can climb in any time he wants snuggles. Bonus? He adds warmth on cold days. Just gotta watch his dismount or you end up on the patio!

Happy Reading!!

New Favorite Spot

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Aside from fiber and yarn…..I am fairly hard to buy for. But this year I had a light bulb idea for Christmas. I REALLY wanted a hammock to spend time in outside.

And my parents came through and found a modular hammock frame that fits on my deck. It’s still pretty cool around here but on a sunny day with a blanket….it’s pretty darn fine! I am working on my 2024 TBR with Radium Girls.

This book is fascination and also hard to read. But I think that is the point. I didn’t know a lot about this part of our history and it’s fascinating. It’s also 400 pages…which is daunting but I am not going to give up!

Happy Reading!!

Book Time Machine

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Part of my 2024 plan for wellness is more reading. I joined a book club last year and picked up some new books at the library sale as well. I am trying to incorporate fun and professional reading as a part of my self care.

And I thought it prudent to clear some of the books off my night stand before starting new book. First up is #IMOMSOHARD. I think I started this book in 2022? And I only had a few chapters to go. So Duke and I turned off the TV and wrapped this one up this week.

And we found treasure. I found a printed knit hat pattern that I never made, a tooth fairy note about Jellybean and a crumply post it. Apparently I store things in books?

Happy Reading!

2024 TBR

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PB asked me to go to the Library so she could play ABC mouse and Library toys. I happily obliged as it has been SUPER cold this winter and we are all getting cabin fever at home. By luck or coincidence, it was Library sale day!

I found seven books that needed to come home with me. I found a new series to start (top 5) and old series to revisit (2nd from bottom) and a random book I picked because of the cover (bottom). All of these cost $14….

I don’t know when I am going to find time to read between my craft goals, working hours, raising kids and taking care of my health. But I am going to put these on my bedside table to motivate me 🙂

Happy Reading!!

Non Knitting Crafting

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I recently took a vacation day form work and sent the family to their respective schools, daycare, and work so that I could have a project day.

I did “adult” and run a few errands to pick up some birthday presents, get fixings for the Easter Bunny and did the normal bank, pharmacy, grocery store stops. BUT, when I got home I did some non-knitting crafting.

I caught up the notes in both kids baby books and added the missing photos. I am pretty sure I was 6 months behind on PB’s book and over a year behind on Jellybean’s. I’m not sure if either kid will every appreciate having a book. But I will be glad when I’m old and grey to flip back through and remember all the sweet and not so sweet moments.

I also took some time with the photos on my phone to get them sorted. I backed them up to my Shutterfly account and caught up the pages I’m missing for my electronic scrapbook pages. I use Project Life ap on my phone to make pages and just print 8×8 pages to keep in books. I’m easily 5 months behind on those. I grabbed a notebook and made a to-do list of the pages I was missing to help it feel less daunting.

At the end of the day I did not accomplish everything I wanted to do. But I made a sizeable dent and it feels good not to be drowning in so many “to-dos” that always seem to make the bottom of the priority list.

Happy Crafting!!

Guilty Pleasures

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I have been on the local library waiting list for like two months. But my book finally came in! I have followed this series since book one. I know they aren’t for everyone and it’s pretty easy to solve the crime. But you guys….it’s my guilty pleasure. I love a nice easy read with characters I have bonded with. With all the hurt and drama in the world I like to escape in easy to digest murder mystery novels with quirky female detectives. It’s my happy place.

I’m about halfway through the book and paired it last night with a glass of Rose after putting the kids to bed. I may or may not have stayed WAAAY to late reading and regret it this morning.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Recovery Humor

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My BFF from college sent me a care package for my surgery recovery. She is the best and completely understands what it takes to make me smile!


This coloring book is so ‘colorful’ that I literally can’t show you the inside. But use your imagination and trust that what’s inside is way worse! It may be the narcotics but this book makes me giggle and forget about the pain.

Happy Tuesday! 

Dueling Focus

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I’m in the season on my job where I’m running large batch data runs at work that can take….well let’s just say awhile. And my aging PC really can’t multitask. So I’m left watching a lot of progress bars tick slowly along. Knitting isn’t really mainstream among my coworkers so I’ve switched to E-books to kill the downtime. And I’ve gotten back into a few old favorite series but mostly I’m addicted to a new series…


It’s kind of spy chick lit with a magic twist. The main character is relatable and while the books are fairly predictable I CAN’T PUT THEM DOWN. I’m already on 5 of 7 and not slowing down. I even find myself wanting to read instead of knitting. Oh the humanity!!

Preparing For The Holidays

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I’m really trying to get ahead of Christmas and birthdays this year. (My mother and sister have birthdays right around fathers day in June). I was really caught off guard last holiday season and it was not very fun. I felt like I really didn’t think about the meaning behind each gift.

This year is different. I have been hearing about Henry’s Hat by Joanna and Eric Johnson on literally all the podcasts. I just knew Jellybean needed this for Christmas. And thanks to Amazon it’s already landed on my doorstep. For sure Jellybean will get a matching hat to go with this book. Anything beyond that is still up in the air

Happy Knitting!

Finding Style

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I took Jellybean to the library this past weekend to run off some steam in a kid friendly environment. While he was playing I picked up a book I’ve been eyeing awhile.

  
It’s Knit Wear Love by Amy Herzog (who is a genius). I previously read Knit To Flatter back in 2014. This book has been out for awhile and all over the blogosphere and podcast world. It was a good read and written at a nice level for me to absorb. It was really interesting to take the time to pin down my “style”. I’m a casual and sporty kind of girl by the way. I gravitate to light fabrics, open cardigans, long sleeves, or just nice cozy pieces. I’m not in place (post baby) that I feel like fitted is a happy place for me. My mom tummy is still working itself down/out. My go to sweater right now is my store bought black fingering weight cashmere open front cardigan with long sleeves. It’s warm, soft, and makes me happy. 

After reading this book, I know at this time in my life I’m probably not going to knit a sweater out of these meta patterns. I just don’t have the bandwidth. But I think I will use the tips and techniques for good construction on other projects. This is definitely a good read if you are into sweaters and want good solid pieces that fit well. Just not one to buy for my personal library right now, maybe later.

Happy Knitting!