Chickadee Manor

Book List

Originally this was supposed to be a summer book list but I kept finding more books that I wanted to read so the list kept growing and it became apparent that this would stretch beyond summer! 

Longing for Paris: One Woman's Search for Joy, Beauty, and AdventureRight Where She Is by Sarah Mae Hoover

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (my book club selection) - in process

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (book club book for July)

Bruchko by Bruce Olson (book club book for August)

Stiff by Mary Roach

The Goldfinch by Donna Tart

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen

Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish - in process (reading parts and listening to other sections on Audible)

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell - in process

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

H is For Hawk by Helen MacDonald

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Cairns for the Climb - From the Journals of Lygon Stevens

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis (reading to H)

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (reading to H)

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (reading to H)

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (reading to H)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader C.S. Lewis (reading to H)

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (reading to H)

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (reading to H)

Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace (reading to R, A, and E)

Betsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace (reading to R, A, and E)

Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace (reading to R, A, and E)

Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown by Maud Hart Lovelace (reading to R, A, and E)

Heaven to Betsy by Maud Hart Lovelace (reading to R, A, and E)

Pippi Longstocking - Astrid Lindgren

Little House in the Big Woods (reading to everyone)

Little House on the Prairie (reading to everyone)

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (reading to everyone)

Stuart Little by E.B. White (reading to everyone)

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (reading to everyone)

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (reading to everyone)

Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy

The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work by John M. Gottman

How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish

It's Not You, It's The Dishes by Paula Szuchman & Jenny Anderson

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

168 Hours - You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam

Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather (The Well-Read Mom book club selection for September) - in process

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck (book club book for September) - in process

The Pursuit of Mary Bennett: A Pride and Prejudice Novel by Pamela Mingle

How To Have A 48-Hour Day by Don Aslett

EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (book club book for October) - in process

 

 

 

 

Yarn Along

 

Late yesterday evening I began a knitting project.  I'd been staring at the yarn and the pattern since last summer but hadn't progressed very far.  Part of it was that I couldn't quite decipher the pattern on my own and my google and YouTube searches weren't yielding the info I was looking for.  Then I remember the two VHS tapes that I purchased on eBay a few months ago.  They are entitled "A Knitting Glossary with Elizabeth Zimmerman and Meg Swansen".  Basically, they go through all of the terms and tecnniques they can think of and they are arranged in alphabetical order.  Thankfully, we still have a VCR that works and I skipped ahead to the part I was unsure about, watched the ladies demonstrate and suddenly everything clicked into place!  Eureka, the pattern suddenly made sense!  I stayed up late watching shows on Netflix and knitting and then continued work on the cowl this afternoon while Judah was napping.  I was wearing it by suppertime!  Yay!  It felt great to have completed a project in such a short amount of time.  The pattern I used was "Super Bulky Brioche Cowl (with a moebius twist)" and I used Malabrigo Rasta yarn in Sunset(96) with US17 needles.

 

 

I am currently reading the organizing book that everyone everywhere seems to be reading this year, "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up".

 

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Yarn Along

Joining in with Ginny at Small Things.  Wander over to see more knitting and reading!

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I finished my hat!  Hooray!  For the moment there is a cute heart pin holding the tab in place until I find a suitable button to sew on, but it is ready to wear. :) I think this is officially my first completed wearable for myself.  Those poor cowls are still waiting for completion but we encountered a flea problem when we were on holidays in October and so those cowls which were oh-so-close to completion have been in quarantine and sitting outside in -40 weather to kill any potential leftover tagalongs.  I think we should be fine now so it is high time to bring them back inside and get to work finishing them off!

I'm just starting "Cobwebs and Cream Teas - A year in the life of a National Trust house"".   I love going to visit historic buildings while traveling and The National Trust in the U.K. does an excellent job of preserving old buildings and the stories that go along with them.  I am very much looking forward to this "backstage access" to Felbrigg Hall.

From the back cover of the book:

Yarn Along

Joining in with Ginny at Small Things.  Wander over to see more knitting and reading!

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This week I've made some great progress on my hat.  In fact, I'm hoping I will be wearing it this weekend!  The last week or so has been brutally cold with the windchill factor making it feel as though it is -40.  Brrr! Typical January/February weather for us here and yet we still act surprised when it happens.  Haha!  Maybe we are all just optimists, hoping for that one green January or balmy February where we can step outside with light layers on and not have to bundle everyone in uber warm winter gear from head to toe.  Or when you can flex the extension cord plugged into your vehicle's block heater without it being in danger of breaking, or jump into the car and have the seat feel like a cushion instead of a wood block and the tires roll smoothly instead of being slightly square from where they have been touching the frozen ground.  Yeah...

I've been reading Desperate by Sarah Mae & Sally Clarkson and actually got about two thirds of the way through in one sitting.  That has not happened with a book for me in a VERY long time.  I was midway through a wicked headache and couldn't sleep and the only thing I could manage to do was to read.  Everyone else was sound asleep and so the house was still and I was able to relax and focus on what I was reading.  I'm very much enjoying the book!