January Reading List

 I am a voracious reader but lately I have not been very good at getting my reading list onto my blog - so I'm going to try to do better - once a month posting what I have been reading that month.  Because it has been such a dark, cold icky month, the list is pretty long.

So here goes for January:

Paradox by Catherine Coulter - This is one of her FBI series with Savage and Sherlock.  I really like this series of books and this one was as engrossing and addicting as all the others.

The Plot is Murder by V.M. Burns - This was a new author for me and it was an OK book - don't know if I'll read anymore or not.

Darling Dahlias & the Voodoo Lily by Susan Wittig Albert - She is one of my favorite authors and I have read all the Darling Dahlias and China Bayles books and also the ones she wrote with her husband as Robin Paige - great stories and excellent research.

Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen - Another dark humor, irreverent look at our society.  I enjoy his books - but only about 1 or 2 a year.

Game of Bones by Carolyn Haines - Another in the series with heroines Sarah Booth Delaney and her partner Tinkie.  Great read as always from this author.

Missing Memories - Carol Dean Jones - Another in the Quilting Cozy series with Heroine Sarah.  It is a fun easy read - I've enjoyed all of them so far.

A Visitation of Angels by Carolyn Haines - Another of Carolyn Haines series - this one called Pluto's Snitch.  This is the 4th in the series and they are always a gripping rather scary read but enjoyable.

Firelines by Susan Wittig Albert - This is the Third in a trilogy called Pecan Springs Enterprise.  Enjoyed all three as they are a continuous story with a satisfying conclusion.

Christmas Crisis by Hope Callahan - This is an installment in her Garden Girls Series and these are so much fun.  Always a mystery to solve - not always a murder.  Basically good clean fun.

Eternity Ring by Patricia Wentworth  - Patricia always delivers a rousing mystery and one I usually don't actually figure out before the end.  These are old books, but well worth the read.

The Withdrawing Room by Charlotte McCloud - This is the second in the Max Bittershorn and Sara Kelling Series.  Always fun to read and worth the time for a second, third or fourth look.

Week 20 Bible Sampler Quilt

 Week 20 of the Bible Sampler Quilt is called the Family United.  It is the story of Joseph bringing his father and brothers to Egypt and revealing to them who he was.  It is told in Genesis 45: 4-5 & 8-11.

The block name is Goshen Star.  It was actually one of the easier ones to construct.  HSTs and flip corners  getting the measurements right was the only mild challenge.

Week 19 of Bible Sampler Quilt

 I finished the 19th block of The Bible Sampler Quilt.  Not one of my favorite blocks - of course it might have been more to my taste if I had changed the color placement but when working with 3/4" finished squares - I didn't really want to play around too much so I just cut them and put them together.  

The week is Joseph the Ruler from Genesis 41:38-43,  when the Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of Egypt and he takes a long vacation - or whatever he decided to do for the rest of his reign.

 She has the name of the block listed as Chain Links quilt.  On to block 20 next week.

Word and Scripture for the Year

 After much prayer I found the word I am to live by this year.  My word is HOPE.  Hope for my life, my family, our country, the future.  

My verse for the year is Isaiah 40:31 - to remind me that my hope is always in the Lord and all by strength and ability comes directly from Him.

Second Full Week of 2021

 I can't say 2021 has started off much better than 2020.  Last year was the 4 day migraine, this year two huge ice storms and more riots.  Oh well - I've decided to ignore the rest of the world for a while and see what I can do in my little sphere of influence to hopefully make friends and neighbors lives a little bit brighter.  Maybe changing my tiny bit of world will help change a bigger bit of world.  

The new Mug Rug I made to be part of my project for the new year.  Just hopefully the first of many.

I completed the 18th block in my Bible Sampler Quilt - The Coat of Many Colors from Genesis 37: 1-4 & 25-28.  It is the story of Joseph the favorite son of Jacob and his rocky and destructive relationship with his 10 older brothers and the tragedy that ensued.   

I used Deb Tucker's Studio 180 tools and technique sheets to create the block.  It can be done in many ways.  The corners are called shaded 4-patches, the centered blocks are a form of flying geese.  The full name of the block is Joseph's Coat.

I've been working on a lot of different things this week - among them the Sesame Street Quilt and the Taos quilt - both of which are months in the future for completion.

My daughter gave me a Christian Day Planner for Christmas and I really like it.  So I decided to make something to keep the pen and pencil close so I wouldn't be constantly searching for them when I wanted to make a note.  So this is what I came up with:

I have several that are bookmarks that slide over the pages.  I added the pockets to hold the pens.  It certainly is making life a bit easer since I always lose track of my pens/pencils.  

 

Icy January

 It has been an icy January so far.  Two massive Ice storms and days on end of fog, but thankfully it has not been terribly cold.  Cold enough to keep the ice and snow around but not cold enough to freeze your toes off.  Of course I would love one of those Januarys where it is 65 and sunny and you can go walking in your shirtsleeves - but those are few and far between.  

This was taken in the fog the morning after the second ice storm.  It was foggy for three days.

This was taken out my back door the following day.  The trees are covered still with ice and Hoarfrost.  It was one of the most beautiful sights I had seen in the neighborhood.  It turned foggy again later that day and we haven't seen the sun since. 
 

I am learning to take my beauty where I can find it this last year - sometimes it is hard to come by.  

My block of the week (#17) for The Bible Sampler Quilt is Jacob's Ladder - the story of Jacob's Struggle with God in the wilderness.  

I made it using the Wing Clipper II from Studio 180 and one other ruler from her collection.  Making flying Geese with precision piecing is just not my thing - they always come out wonky and look terrible.  The story of Jacob's Ladder is in Genesis 28: 10-15.  The name of the block is also called Jacob's Ladder.

My first completed project of 2021 is a Snowflake wall hanging.

I like to hang small quilts beside my front door - a long narrow one on the left and a square one on the right.  For winter I had a Snowman for the left but nothing for the right so I used the old tried and true method of making snowflakes from grade school, traced it on fusable and appliqued it to the square.  

I have no idea what my next completed project will be - even after spending last year trying to clear out my UFO's - I still seem to have more that I should have.  I guess this year I will try to avoid starting too many new projects and work on completing the ones I already have going.  

Happy New Year 2021!

 We are all praying for a New Year that is so much better than the last. A Year full of Accomplishments, fun, friends, family, love and health.  I'm tired of not being able to go do ALL the things I've always done and I'm not naive enough to think because the calendar changed over to a new year that all will heal overnight.  But I'm learning to go with the flow and do what I can.  

I haven't been in a quilt shop in almost 2 months - a real record for me.  No Block of the Month Clubs, no quilt shop hops, no running out just for something to do.  I haven't been grocery shopping in nearly 10 months.  Was to the Dollar story I think 4 times, the Pharmacy (small and local) to get my prescriptions, and went with my husband to pick out the flooring for the bedroom.  I think when I finally can safely go out I'll be like a kid on his first trip to Disney Land - everything new and exciting.  

We went all through December with very little in the way of Winter weather - now in the last 10 days we've had 3 winter storms.  The last two including the one happening today are more ice storms than snow storms.  I would prefer snow - I can drive in snow if a have to, or walk out to the mailbox, but ice - there is nothing you can do.  I pray that it is cleared by Monday so I can get out for my appointments on Monday and Tuesday.  Otherwise I will stay home for the rest of January.

I have done a lot of Quilting and Reading in 2020.  Finished a lot of UFO's but to my discredit I started as many projects as I finished so I didn't really gain much in the clearing out the stack war.  Oh Well!

As for Reading, the list is long and varied.

I found some new authors I've enjoyed:

Carol Dean Jones

Charles Velley

Julie Klausen

Kaitlyn Dunner

Reconnected with some old Favorites from years ago:

Mary Stewart

Aaron Elkins

Charlotte McCloud

Carl Haasen

Phyllis Whitney

Emily Brightwell

And Continued with current Favorites:

Clive Cussler

Janet Evanovich

Marie Boswick

Ellery Adams

Hope Callaghan

Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krantz

David Baldecci

 Susan Wittig Albert

Jennifer Chiaverini

Laura Childs

Nancy Atherton

Donna Andrews

That is probably not a complete list - but it gives you an idea.  I would be hard pressed to give you my favorite book of this year.  I think that always depends on the time of the year and the mood I'm in at the time.  

I'm off today to try to design a snowflake block to hang by the door for the next couple of months.