Weekending

October 23, 2017 By Carole

Happy Monday! I know, Happy Monday sounds like an unusual pairing of words but, really it’s unfair that so much unhappiness is heaped on Monday. If you spend your time wisely and you have a job you enjoy then it can be easier to look at Monday as the fresh start of a new week. It’s also easier when you have happy memories of the weekend that was – and I do.

On Thursday night I had my first babysitting gig. Jess and Eryk wanted to take Patrick out for his birthday – he turned 19!! on Friday – and, while they discussed bringing Jack along, I advocated against. While I was fully aware that my intentions were partly selfish (gimme that baby) I was also thinking on behalf of Jack. He’s still little and maybe a restaurant full of people and their germs just isn’t the best place for him. I had him for a few hours on Thursday evening and it was pretty sweet. He was thrilled, as you can see from the photo up there.

On Friday I did my usual errands and then took Jess to a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon. Eryk had the day off so he was home with Jack while we went but of course I visited for a bit afterwards. Jess is doing great and Jack, well, he’s being Jack. Sleeping and eating and that’s about it.

Dale and I enjoyed a great night at home. I do love fall decorations and the coziness they bring to our home.

We played Mexican Train – I think the first time we’ve played since summer vacation – and it was a fun night of music, cocktails, games and laughter.

On Saturday we headed back to King Richard’s Faire for one last time. It was the last weekend and we had loads of fun wandering around. The people watching just can’t be beat and we enjoy any chance to play dress up! Turns out, though, that it’s exhausting because we were both in bed just after 9pm. On a Saturday night. It’s a wild life we live, my friends.

Sunday was a full day, yard work for Dale, a photo shoot for me, a meeting for an upcoming celebration involving Dale’s family, and some reading on the deck – yes! in late October. We ended the afternoon with a visit with Jack. He love to be held and he snuggled right into your shoulder. We both know this time is fleeting and will pass quickly so we’re getting as much of those snuggles as we can!

So. Hello Monday! Let’s do this!

Eye Candy Friday

October 20, 2017 By Carole

The dahlias are loving these warm days and cool nights and are suddenly blooming like crazy! I feel a little the same, full of energy and ideas now that the long, lazy days of summer are gone.

Here’s to a weekend of greatness!

Three on Thursday: Podcasts

October 19, 2017 By Carole

It seems like everyone I know listens to podcasts these days and some of them are really unique and very good. Today I want to mention 3 that I listen to regularly.

Happier in Hollywood. This is a spin-off, if you will, of Gretchen Rubin’s Happier podcast. It’s hosted by Liz Craft (Gretchen’s sister) and Sarah Fain. They are a great team of Hollywood writers and this podcast is fresh and fun and I really enjoy it. The features include segments about their professional lives, fun stuff about LA, happiness hacks and celebrity sightings. It comes out every Thursday and each episode is around 30-40 minutes.
Up First. A news podcast from NPR, this comes out every weekday morning by 6am. Each episode is about 12 minutes long and covers the news you need to know to start your day. I like it because it’s just the amount of time I spend putting on my make up – which is when I listen to it – and it keeps me informed about stuff happening here in the US as well as around the world. Because it’s NPR it fits in well with my world views and I appreciate that a lot.
RadioLab. My nephew Stephen recommended this one to me when we sat together at a wedding this summer. The podcast is actually a rebroadcast of their radio program that airs on public radio stations across the country. The focus is on science and philosphy, history and more. Each episode is unique and interesting and I have learned some really cool things since I started listening. Each episode is about 40-60 minutes long and it comes out sporadically but usually twice per month.

Do you listen to podcasts? I’d love to hear about the ones you enjoy!

If you wrote a post for this week please include a link below and thanks for joining in this Thursday.

An InLinkz Link-up

Wednesdays Are For Knitting: Baby Balloon Pants

October 18, 2017 By Carole

Hold on to your hats because today I am sharing photos of a recently finished hand knit. It’s a baby knit, of course.

Baby Balloon Pants! Are they not the cutest thing ever? Made with sock yarn, they knit up very quickly and are sure to keep Jack warm this winter.

Would you look at that wee cuff? It slays me, I tell you. The yarn had been marinating in the stash for quite.some.time and it’s now discontinued but, in case you’re curious, it’s UrbanGypZ Artisan Yarn in the color Koi Vey. Which, c’mon, best color name ever.

The waist is ribbed and quite long which should help a lot with the fit. The pattern is a translation and some things are a bit tricky but if you’ve knit socks you’ll figure it out easily enough. I’m already planning to make more of these pants for jack!

P.S. You know there will be modeled shots once he wears ’em.

Reading Update: September through Mid October

October 17, 2017 By Carole

It can’t be all baby all the time around here so how about a reading update? Here is a list of the books I have finished since the end of Summer Book Bingo:

(I totally staged this photo of me with my kindle in my office at the library. I don’t even wear my glasses for reading! But I felt like I looked more authentic with them on!)

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
3 stars
The writing is good and the story starts out strong with an eerie setting and a creepy feel. However, there are too many characters (and they are universally unlikable) to track and that made it difficult for me to enjoy the book thoroughly. I’d recommend it with reservations for those who enjoy this type of story.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
5 stars
Fredrik Backman has such a beautiful way with words and he inserts amazing and deep observations into the middle of a paragraph and it always blows me away. Darker than any of his previous novels, but still uplifting and hopeful, I feel that Backman has hit his stride with Beartown and now I can’t wait to read his next book. Highly recommended.

History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
3 stars
The writing quality is excellent and some parts of the story are great but there are holes in the plot and it just never comes together all that well. Great potential but it fizzled out for me at the end.

All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage
3 stars
A thriller that’s very well written but could have used a good editor as it’s just too long. There are also a few holes in the story and some weird instances of current styles/habits being referenced in 1978. As in, someone is described as wearing “yoga pants” but it’s 1978 and I don’t think anyone was calling casual stretchy pants yoga pants then. Despite the flaws, though, the story is compelling and the writing is quite good, particularly if approached as a character study and not a mystery. Recommended but with reservations.

Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton
4 stars
While this series started out as light mysteries, the books have evolved into well written novels with great returning characters. I was pleased with this one, involving two different storylines, and I have to admit I will be sorry to say goodbye to Kinsey Millhone when Z is published. Highly recommended for those who have read the series so far and even more so for the lucky ones who can start with A and read them all for the first time!

Glass Houses by Louise Penny
5 stars
Louise Penny has hit it out of the park again and this one might be the best one yet! I don’t know how she makes the same characters and setting fresh and interesting over and over again but she does. I recommend the entire series highly!

George & Lizzie by Nancy Pearl
2 stars
I read this book because Nancy Pearl is THE reader’s advisory librarian and I admire so much her ability to suggest the perfect book for someone to read. I somehow translated that into thinking a book she wrote would be perfect for me and I was wrong about that. This book has moments that are quite good but the overall story didn’t really interest me and Lizzie, the main character truly annoyed me. It came through with a satisfying ending but that felt like too little, too late at that point.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
5 stars
A beautifully written story about love, loss, nationality, migration and life. Highly recommended.

Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss
3 stars
While I didn’t like this book all that much I’m still giving it 3 stars because the writing is excellent. It’s really beautiful in parts but I had a hard time connecting with either of the main characters and always felt like I was missing . . . something.

The Burning Girl by Claire Messud
3 stars
I read this super fast – almost in one sitting – and truly enjoyed the writing style and story. I did feel there were a lot of plot points left dangling and, while that didn’t bother me, I do prefer a story that is more resolved. I also felt like the characters acted much older than the age they were supposed to be. Still, it’s a well written coming-of-age story with moments that felt very believable and brought me back to that time in my own life.

I was feeling like I hadn’t read anything great in a while but looking back at this list I see that I’m just forgetful! Three 5 star books plus a 4 star book is pretty good reading. Plus, I think I’m pretty harsh with my ratings – most books I read get 3 stars and it’s rare for me to give a 2 star rating because if I don’t like it enough to give it 3 stars I probably won’t even finish it. That said, I curate my reading list pretty carefully so there just aren’t a lot of duds on there in the first place.

What are you reading these days? And what’s your system for rating what you’ve read?