One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Do you ever have one of those weeks when it seems like you can't finish anything? Am I dancing the cha-cha or running in circles? Who knows. More posts near the end of this week....

Saturday with Harry

Harry Potter that is. I dragged S. to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with me this afternoon. Two movies at the theater in two week--I'm livin' big, let me tell you! I had to see HP at the theater though on the big screen. (I have them all on DVD too.) HP & tHBP was another great movie in the series.

I also went to Melisa's in the morning. I saw Cindi there but missed Karin, who must have been waiting for Melisa to open the doors at 10AM. Bought a few things. I'll post a photo tomorrow. Now I'm off to cut up some fabric.

Not much going on

This week has been uneventful.

I think I need to visit Melisa at Sweet Home tomorrow.

Just to see what's new of course.

Summer Reading

No sewing tonight as I used up all my energy buying out Whole Foods (or at least that's what it seemed like...). The kitties are happy as they now have treats for the treat jar and I am happy to have some food in the house. So as I'm eating some veggie quesadillas, I thought I'd post some books I've read in the past month or so. Everyone has their own taste in books but I can tell you that I really enjoyed all these books and I recommend them if they sound interesting to you.

I read a lot (roughly a book every two weeks maybe more maybe less) and I read rather quickly so here goes:
A great book about the Great War. At nearly 800 pages, this one did take me awhile to read. Not your dry history book, this book explained the politics leading up to the war, biographies of all the leading political and military figures, life in the trenches, and life on the homefront as well as troop movements, stalemates, and battles. A good overview of the whole war.
Next up was Renegade: The Making of a President by Richard Wolffe. If this isn't your cup of tea scroll ahead to the next book.

If you are still here, this book was a wonderful insight into the campaign and it was fun to relive all the excitement with none of the anxiety about the outcome. I share *karendianne's admiration of Richard Wolffe. My friend Suzanne (no blog) would like this book and I think anyone who is interested in the campaign and wants to know more about our president would also enjoy this book.

Next up is My Life in France by Julia Child

A quick read. If you watched Julia Child on TV like I did, when you read this book you can hear her voice telling the story. If you liked Dan Aykroyd's impersonation of Julia Child on Saturday Night Live, you may hear that too. This book explains how Julia got into cooking and became the renowned cookbook author and teacher that she was. For about 5 minutes I wanted to run out and buy her cookbooks and start mastering the art of French cooking just like in the book Julie and Julia, but I thought better of it. The last time I was in DC, I saw Julia's kitchen in the Museum of American History (along with 500 other people squeezed in the small space) so it was fun to read about her buying the cookware that ended up in the Smithsonian. I read Julie and Julia a long time ago when it first came out and if you haven't read either of these, read them both before you see the movie.
My current read is Simon Schama's The American Future: A History. I adore Simon Schama's BBC documentaries, especially "The Power of Art". I am about halfway through the book and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I'll give a review when I finish.

I often get asked how I read so much with working two jobs, quilting, etc. etc. etc. Well I read between jobs, on breaks, before bed every night, and read more than I watch TV. I never go anywhere without a book in case I'm stuck somewhere. Time management and multitasking I guess.

Quilter's ADD

Yesterday was my sewing group meeting and I dutifully worked on a UFO from last year (see above pile of blocks on the right). I finished the blocks last night, pinned all the rows together, and it's ready to sew.

So what is the pile of fabric strips on the left? A different quilt that I cut out this afternoon while watching a DVD. Does anyone know a cure for quilter's attention deficit disorder?

Furlough Friday #1

Today's furlough day is sponsored by Gov. Perdue. Hey gov, why aren't you taking a furlough day?????? What no shared sacrifice?
So in honor of not getting paid today, I went to the movies because that's what everyone did during the Great Depression. S., E., and I went to see Public Enemies. The last movie I saw at the theater was Defiance. So I was really looking forward to overpriced popcorn and Coke.
It was a GREAT movie. Although not entirely historically accurate, I highly recommend it. I may be biased though because I highly recommend all Johnny Depp movies. I also love gangster movies. Being so predisposed to liking it--I LOVED this movie. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD. Johnny Depp in 1930s clothes, driving 1930s cars, and toting big guns--what else can a girl want?

Link to a Giveaway

Becky over at the Quilting Booklady is having a great giveaway in honor of cleaning up her sewing room and reaching 200 posts.