return to the classics

during junior high school
i had a string of memorable english teachers.
mrs. farrell, mrs. watson, and mrs. stafford.
to be precise.

they seemed so old back then.
but in hindsight,
they were not old at all.
they were full of spunk.

they were tough.
they demanded excellence.
they taught me the proper use of good and well.
and they made us read the classic.

and i mean read the book
word for word.
not skim
or read the cliff notes.

there are some books
that stayed with me over the years.
to kill a mockingbird, the yearling, the great gatsby
catcher in the rye, pride and prejudice and a tale of two cities.

there were others that i read
and then promptly forgot.
jane eyre was one of those books.

so when i saw jane eyre last night,
i was ill-prepared.
however, i think was was a good thing.
i had no expectations.

and i loved it.
it was tragic, heartbreaking, and beautiful.
it was about love.
the kind of love you can not live without.

i loved it so,
that i think in honor of
my english teachers
i need to re-read some of the classics.

inspired reading

while i was in santa fe my mom got me some new quilting books. they helped keep my creativity flowing while i was away. i thought i would share them with you. hopefully they will inspire your creativity as well.


from top to bottom: Little Birds: 26 Handmade Projects to Sew, Stitch, Quilt & Love (Design Collective),Pretty Little Mini Quilts (Pretty Little Series), Pretty Little Pillows (Pretty Little Series), The Gentle Art of Quiltmaking: 15 Projects Inspired by Everyday Beauty, and 501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks (That Patchwork Place).

Pure Knits Book Giveaway

remember this post? and this one?

well, when my mom was here in october, we were at the bookstore and bought a copy of pure knits.

this evening, the ups truck delivered another copy of said book to my doorstep, compliments of the publisher. and well, since i don't need two copies of this book ( despite my belief that one can never have too many books), i decided to do a little give away.

if you would like your own copy of pure knits, leave a comment by midnight on friday. precious husband will pick a number on saturday. who knows it could be you.....

this is really a great book with projects for all levels of knitters.

happy commenting.....

a good read

a few weeks ago, marta and summer, wrote about this book,

rules for my unborn son, by walker lamond. lamond wrote this

book as a way to preserve the words of wisdom, bits of advice

and rules that his father told him while growing up, while at the

same time adding a modern day twist.

incidentally, his first son was born shortly after he finished

writing the book.

i was intrigued and thought it would be a good to buy for the

bean's room (it would also make a great baby shower gift).

my precious husband i and stood in the garage,

flipping through the book,

laughing, debating and agreeing with lamond's rules for his unborn son.

these are some of my favorites:

* yes ma' am. no sir. no exceptions.

* make a hipsters day. donate old clothes to charity.

* sit in front of the classroom.

* remember the girl you are with is somebody's sister. and he is

perfectly capable of kicking your ass.

* don't underestimate your fertility.

* let napping dad's lie.

* dont date the bartender.

* when fishing, practice catch and release.

* until you are a doctor, never answer your phone at the table.

* nothing is more important than family.

this is a great book. it has tidbits that we can all benefit from, i cant

wait to share it with the bean.