Monday, January 31, 2011

Mission Monday



Last week was basketball, basketball, basketball. 

Chix


This weeks focus: Chix One Day. It's a one-day retreat for the women at my church, and it's this Saturday! About 80 women are coming. We meet tonight to finalize things and hopefully catch anything that's fallen through the cracks. Then it's Friday night, prep night. And Saturday...game on. Boy, am I nervous! But not so nervous as past years when I spoke. This year it's as much excitement than nervous. I think it will be a great day.

But what will I do with myself after this week?! I'm sure I'll come up with something next week.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Azzu's Shawl

Another shawl is off the needles. You can find the free pattern on Ravelry at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/azzus-shawl. It was a quick knit, and I love the design. Simple, yet interesting. 




I used a skein of yarn that I won through a drawing at my LYS, River Wool. It is Dream in Color Smooshy Sock Yarn in the Beach Fog colorway. Beautiful! Thanks so much, Martha!



Thursday, January 27, 2011

Honey Creek Bees - Undefeated!

Three bowls of soup this week and a climb up the ladder to cut down a coveted piece of net.



It's a bittersweet day.  Lou's middle school basketball season is over. But what a great season! They ended it undefeated when they won the county championship game tonight. (The Honey Creek boys brought home their trophy too.) It's been a great several years watching these girls play under an amazing coach. I'm going to miss it.




Great job girls! Here's to watching you play next year in high school. (Uggh! High school.)
  

Lou- Make sure you keep eating that lucky tomato basil soup.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

My Antonia

US paperback
Here's to another great writer! Willa Cather. Oh to write like the greats. The descriptions of setting and people in this book amazed me. Talent. That's what it is. Talent and a lot of hard work. It the mastery of the English language. It's a painting with words. So if you want to learn to write, read Willa Cather. It should be a requirement for writing majors. Read and study Willa Cather.

Read it, not for the plot so much as for the use of the written word. That's all I'm going to say about this book.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

A Second Bowl of Soup!

Lou is #11
I'm off to buy another bowl of soup. Go Bees!

Monday, January 24, 2011

What's for Supper?

images (259×194)
It's tomato basil soup again. Am I making it? No. I'm delivering it. In fact, for the past two months Lou has asked for it probably three times a week. Why? Because it's "lucky soup." She insists she needs it before every basketball game. It's become her superstition. And I'm the crazy mom who supports her habit.


(They've gone undefeated. So maybe there is something to this soup. Or maybe it's good coaching and hard work. But who am I to mess with the natural order of things.)


So tonight is the first night of the much anticipated county tournament, and I'm delivering tomato basil soup to her middle school at 3:15pm. If they win tonight, they play again tomorrow. Win that one and they're in the championship game Thursday night. Here's to hoping that I'll be delivering it three times this week!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer: Book Cover
I know my absence has been quite prolonged and I will explain by way of a book review. A few nights ago I finished an intriguing book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. At first I was doubtful about it keeping my interest. It's written as a compilation of letters. And my mind has a difficult time turning one voice off and another voice on until I know the characters well. But I pushed through because of the humor of the main character, Juliet. She won my affections quickly.


The book is about a London based writer, her old friends, and a literary group that she begins a correspondence with on the Island of Guernsey. Soon this group becomes more than just pen pals. But you must read the book to discover what role they end up playing in her life. This group, this island, was under German occupation during World War II. It wasn't a pleasant time, as you can imagine.


Thus my favorite quote from the book...


"As Seneca says,
"Light griefs are loquacious, but the great are dumb."


And so I give you my reason for my absence from blogging. In November, my mom, who suffers from Alzheimer's, didn't know me for the first time. I wasn't prepared for it. I knew it was coming. I knew it would be soon. What I didn't realize was how difficult it would be; my response was one a profound dumbness. I found that I could only manage the things that were required. Meals and laundry made the cut. Blogging didn't. I've been told that blogs should be upbeat, interesting and fun. I couldn't accomplish that, so I went silent.


But I'm back now. My heart still hurts, but I'm doing better. And I have several book reviews and many knitting projects to share. Now if I can just make blogging a habit again. That's one of my New Year's resolutions.


So...The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Read it! You won't be disappointed.