2013 Reading Challenge

I just finished the second book for my 2013 Reading Challenge hosted by Good Reads.  The book is "Birmingham Rose" by Annie Murray, a British author new to me.  First off, let me say that this book would make a wonderful movie!

This novel, for me, was a page turner.  It began in 1931 in Birmingham, England and revolves around the Lucas family.  They were a poor family living in a poor area and sharing all the problems of a family in those conditions.  The main character is Rose -- the eldest daughter  of the Lucas family who dreams of "getting out" and strives to do just that.  In the process she endures a personal attack, an unwanted pregnancy that  ends tragically, the loss of her mother, the remains of her family pretty much falling apart.  After the start of World War II, she joins the British military and ends up in Italy where she falls in love with a person that was destined to be linked to something else -- the Catholic Church.  After the war, Rose returns to Birmingham, has a less than wonderful marriage, a child and a dream.

Yes, the dream comes true in the end but I have given you enough information.  I am not sure if the book is available in the US as I borrowed it from a British friend.  It is a definite recommend, however.

Finally--A Finish

I finally finished "The Bobbsey Twins" for my first book in the 2013 Pre-1960 Classic Childrens Book Reading Challenge (http://turningthepagesx.blogspot.com.).  The book is 65 pages in length and published in 1902.  The books depicts daily events of the Bobbsey family over the course of a year.  The language is a bit stilted and formal but, aside from that, the childrens adventures were no different than those of children at any time.  It was interesting to see what life was generally like the year my grandmother was born.  I have to say that it seems like the children in the book werent quite as protected as the children of today.  A definite recommend.

Musing Mondays  21 January 2013


Musing Mondays is a weekly event hosted by Should Be Reading.  Each week you are asked to answer one of three questions.  This week I will be writing about what I am reading and my opinions of it.  It will be a long post as I am currently reading three things at once -- a virtually unheard of thing for me.  So, here goes.

Annie Murray is a British author that is new to me.  My daughter's mother in law brought this book with her during a recent visit and left it behind for me to enjoy.  As is a usual occurrence when I try to read more than one book at a time, one takes over and the others sit around waiting for me.  Well, this is the one that has grabbed my attention at the moment.  It is a story about Rose, a little girl growing up in an unsavory area of Birmingham, England.  It depicts her living conditions in a very graphic manner, sometimes a little too graphic for me.  Her story progresses as she gets her first job which she is thrilled about so that she can help her family, her attack by her boss and the subsequent tragedy resulting from that and, her new life in the British army during World War II.  That is where I am now, about half way through the book and,  at this point, it seems that her tragic life is somewhat behind her and things are looking up a bit despite it being in the middle of the war with the very soul being bombed out of Britain.  I have left off where she has left boot camp and is being transferred to another base.  I am pretty sure her misery is not behind her but maybe it won't be as bad as what she left behind.  I will let you know.

The next book I am reading is the first Bobbsey Twins book by Laura Lee Hope.  I downloaded it to my Nook -- I would love to have the lovely first edition pictured above and I even  went to my local antique mall to look for it -- they have a huge children's section -- but couldn't find it.  I am reading this in participation of the children's book challenge I have joined -- each book has to be at least 60 pages and this one is 65 and for the life of me I can't get through it.  Shouldn't 65 pages only take about an hour or so?  Not in my world, I guess.  Anyway, I am enjoying the book and honestly, except for a bit of word usage, you wouldn't readily realize that his book was written in 1902, the year of my grandmother's birth -- it seems much more contemporary than that which contributes to the enjoyment of reading it.  I have to say that the dialogue of Dinah, the family cook, is  stereotypical and definitely NOT politically correct and is, actually, a bit difficult to understand. I don't find it particularly offensive, just typical of the time and when I read it I see Hattie McDaniel who was always one of my favorite actresses.  I am enjoying the book as it takes me through the daily life of the Bobbsey family.  Being interested in family history and knowing when the book was written, I like to think about my grandmother as I am reading it and learning about life during what was her childhood.  By the way, this isn't my first Bobbsey Twin book as these books were a staple on my bookshelf -- my mother bought many of them and I inherited a few from JLSHall (did you know that?).  The ones in my personal library tell a bit about MY childhood as well as JLSHall and I would play "library" and we make checkout card packets and stapled them into the books and they are still there.  Really?  How many kids today play library?  Well, we did only have three tv channels at the time.

The third book I am reading is "And Furthermore" by Judi Dench about Judi Dench.  I am a huge fan of this actress and I have loved reading about her career and her life.  However, most of all, I like looking at the photos and there are many.  This is one of those books I can pick up and read a bit and put it down -- not like  a novel where you have to keep going -- it is much more relaxed.  I have been interested in reading some biographies lately and this is my first.  My next will be about Coco Chanel.  You would think with my interest in these very stylish ladies I would have more style! Hmmm.  I need to think about that.

Anyway, that is what is on my reading table and Nook this week.  Hopefully by next week the list will have changed.  I am a slow reader but this is ridiculous.

What Do I Do Of A Morning?

Do you ever wonder about other's days?  How they begin, I mean.  I am certain we all do  pretty much the same thing -- go to work, take care of kids, grocery shop, yard work, etc., but the morning time holds a special sort of personal private time.

My mornings used to begin with a lot of activity -- out of bed, grab a cuppa, haul kids to school, haul laundry to the washer, haul groceries into the house -- my younger years involved a good deal of hauling, it seems.  Now, not so much.

I begin my days very early these days.  I am generally out of bed by 5:30 a.m. even though I could squeeze in an extra fifteen minutes of snoozing and still get to my appointed destination on time.  However, I have learned that it isn't a good idea to drive while still dozy.  It is much better to give myself the extra time to completely wake up.  How do I do this?

I dress immediately out of bed.  I have very short hair so a quick run of the fingers through it generally does the trick.  I often forego the makeup -- just a bit of moisturizer if I feel much like a mummy emerging from the crypt.  Into the kitchen I go -- the kettle is on, the computer is booting up and I am settling on whatever I am going to eat.  Most times it is cereal but lately I have been having a love affair with frozen waffles.  Yep, the kind in the yellow box, probably chock full of no-no's but at 5:30 a.m. they seem very much like a yes-yes to me.

Then I sit and delve into my guilty pleasure -- blog reading.  I love, absolutely love, reading blogs.  However, it does produce a good amount of blog envy because I don't have particularly clever posts, I don't live in a particularly photogenic place, I don't have over the top adorable pets -- you see where I am going here.  My posts pale in comparison to the ones I read.  I tried very hard to participate in Jane's  weekly post of photos of our changing gardens but after the first several months I realized that mine doesn't change.  Ever.  I used to  have lovely little bunnies that visited every evening and then they tore down the vacant lot behind me and built a condo so no more little bunnies.  Now, all there is to see in my garden is the same ol', same ol' and, if you venture into the side yard -- a good deal of dead grass.  I guess I should say dormant  grass -- hopefully it is just sleeping and not dead.

So, I sit for about a half hour in the morning and just indulge in blog reading.  I read the blog lists of MY blog list.  There are some very clever writers out there and some very talented photographers, as well. The book reviews I read are always enlightening.   I get inspiration for needle crafts and quilts from these blogs.  This morning I was teased with the idea of making holiday greeting cards for next year.

However, now it is time for me to get busy on some projects of my own.  Photos to follow,  hopefully.  Maybe one day my little blog will grow up to be an interesting blog as well. I think, in order for that to happen, it is going to have to become independent of ME!

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Hair -- Again

Ah, yes, the ever present quest for the perfect haircut.  I have had short hair since I was 15 years old.  I won't go into  how long that has been -- it isn't important.  However, when I initially cut my hair at 15, I cut it from shoulder length, lank, unhealthy,  abused, teenage hair.  I loved the short hair and only grew it out once, when I was expecting my son.  Those prenatal vitamins are powerful things!  For the majority of the time since the 15 year old haircut, I have cut my own hair.  Sometimes it was good, sometimes not so much -- not a lot different than salon cuts.  However, I got tired of having to clean up the mess in the bathroom and decided to find a salon and have been going ever since.  That was about 10 years ago.  I have been through a lot of styles in that 10 years and have sort of settled on a pixie.

HOWEVER.....

It looks great for the first week.  By the second week it is getting a bit raggedy.  By week three it is out of control and by week four it doesn't even resemble the original cut.  I really need it cut again after week 2.  At $50 a pop that really seems like an overkill.

So, I am sitting here listening to the media reports on the flu and wondering if I could go back and cut my hair myself again.  Since we are in the middle of a flu epidemic I am not crazy about going to the beauty shop as I have to go on a Saturday and it is usually very crowded.

I am also trying to figure out if I could cut it myself so it doesn't grow out so wonky.  As I am running my fingers through my hair I am realizing that one side is really longer than the other.  Maybe I should grow it out long and pin it up?

How about that news story this morning about the woman who gave up makeup for a year.  She went to a barbershop for a haircut.

I don't know but the idea of $100 a month to get my haircut like a guy isn't making me feel too  good or too smart.  Must be another way.

Thoughts?

Keep Austin Texas Weird


Ok, the popular slogan of our capital city should actually read "Keep Texas Weird" -- I mean this is the nicest sort of way, in regard to the weather.

Over Christmas we had all manner of weather changes from spring-like temps to snow -- some of it in a matter of hours. This week has been equally strange.  Early in the week we had monsoon like rain.  We have been assured we needed it and we did need it but it sort of came from nowhere and made the usual disaster out of the traffic.  Yesterday it was like early summer and today it is dense fog, cold temps and the possibility of rain, possibly "wintery mix".  Trust me, there is  no idea of packing up seasonal clothes around here -- it can change seasons in a matter of minutes.

I don't even need to mention the pollen count.  I am walking proof that the pollen is alive and well and thrives in all sorts of weather conditions.

As for my day, it will involve laundry, working on my family tree and my least favorite activity -- grocery shopping.  Yay.

Well, hello Wednesday --

It has been a rainy day.  I am tired and I almost didn't realize it was Wednesday!  But, it is so it is time for another offering from Miz B at Should Be Reading.  Each Wednesday it is time to answer three questions so here I go --

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading "And Furthermore" -- Judi Dench, "Birmingham Rose" --Annie Murray, and "The Bobbsey Twins" by Laura Lee Hope.

What did you recently finish reading?

I think it was "The Little Stranger" by Sarah Waters but, you know what, I don't remember -- the holidays have happened since then!

What do you think you will read next?

Not sure -- I might be up for another in the Aunt Dimity series -- I am half way through the series and haven't read one in a while so I am thinking that might be good.

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays is a meme hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading.  Each Monday you have the opportunity to choose one of three questions to answer.

I usually answer the question about what I am reading and how I feel  about it and so forth.  However, today I am going to answer a different question because it is so timely being right after Christmas and all.

The question I will be answering is "tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else and why you chose that/those book(s).

I am a great gifter of books.  I usually try to fulfill others requests but sometimes I go out on a limb and just surprise a person with something I particularly enjoyed.  This Christmas was a big book year for me.

My son received two books about Bishop Sheen.  My son is a devout Catholic and genuinely enjoys reading religious writings.  These are the books I bought for him.

My daughter in law received the following.  She didn't request them but  I had  read"The Forgotten Garden" and really enjoyed it so I coupled it with a title that I intend to read and hope she enjoys them.

My daughter requested this--

My son-in-law asked for a couple of tutorials on digital photography and photoshop but I can't remember the titles.

Grandson Nathan got four little beginner readers -- one being the classic "Frog and Toad are Friends".  Granddaughter Kathryn received "Angelina Ballerina" and Granddaughter Bean received Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks  and Things that Go" because she enjoys finding Goldbug.

I have recently purchased a copy of "The Bobbsey Twins" for my Nook.  I am reading it for the children's book challenge I am a part of.

Come Along With Me To My Little Corner of the World

My world in chaos -- front view

More chaos from behind

Little World Being Reinvented

Lovely coaster made by my daughter

My Grace Internet Radio over which I listen to many interesting things -- mostly "The Archers".  It has a lovely headphone jack so I can listen during the never ending football games

Coaster with a lovely cuppa

Headphones which allow me to listen to Hulu, the radio, all manner of things and not disturb

My link to the outside world of books

My top -- a gift from my husband who makes them -- it makes me smile and keeps me from getting bored

A needle case made for me by my husband -- he is very talented 

My organized needlework drawer -- handy for keeping sewing things closeby

Sewing stuff all hidden away

So, this is where you will find me a lot of the time.  Welcome to my little corner of the world!

Who Do You Think You Are?


Does anybody remember that show of a couple of seasons ago?  It was a product of Ancestry, the genealogy website and featured celebrities researching their family history.  I really enjoyed the show because I have done genealogy for years and years and visit the Ancestry website on a regular basis.

I was intrigued a while back when I learned of the Ancestry DNA program.  I was quite interested in learning more about my father's side of the family -- there are some mysteries there -- but I was not able to participate in any of the DNA programs available since I was not male.  In fact, there was only one male left in the family that could be tested and he didn't seem to be interested.  Unfortunately, before I could press him, he died unexpectedly a year ago.  So, when the Ancestry program came about I was excited because it is an autosomal test which would show both sides of a females DNA -- it just can't tell you what ethnicity comes from which side.  I ordered the test, provided the sample and sent it off.

About three weeks later I got the results.  I was simultaneously overwhelmed and underwhelmed.  I was overwhelmed because I thought it was so cool to have actually participated in such a program.  I was underwhelmed, not because of what it showed me, but by what it didn't show me.  I know I have some American Indian ancestry and it didn't show up at all, even in the "uncertain" category.  I was most interested in finding out if my father's father was actually from Irish Jewish heritage, which we suspect, yet, nothing "Jewish" showed up at all.  I understand the test is shallow but wide which may show a lot of heritage but maybe not so far back so possibly what I am looking for was too far back for it to show up.  They say the results can change as more people participate -- I am not sure how that would affect my personal DNA, I guess I need to do more research as to what the results mean and how they are compiled.

 At any rate it was an interesting thing to do but I have to say that I am a bit put off by the fact that I paid $129 to take the test and they are having a New Year's special and the test is now $99 for a limited time.  Figures.

So, here are the sought after results -- no surprises.  Maybe that is a good thing.

British Isles -- 86%
Central European -- 6%
Scandinavian  -- 8%

I tried to post the actual page -- it is pretty -- but it wouldn't work so you are just going to have to take my word for it!

Let it Snow -- NOT!

I am pleased to say that it is not snowing this morning.  I can't tell you how happy that makes me since I have a lengthy commute this a.m. over many bridges and over passes.  It is well above freezing and...it is Friday.

Looking forward to the Cotton Bowl tonight.  We are an Aggie family so this is  a big deal to us -- more to some of us than others -- I will probably be asleep half way through! It should be an exciting game, however, so I will do my best to see it through.

I am currently reading three books which is huge for me.  I don't usually read more than one at a time because I usually get involved in one and sort of abandon the rest.  However, this time, they are three different genres so it is easier.  I am reading the Judi Dench autobiography And Furthermore,  the children's book The Bobbsey Twins, and a novel that I borrowed from my daughter's mother in law -- Birmingham Rose by Annie Murray, a contemporary British author.  It is this Murray novel that is monopolizing my attention right now but I am doing a fair job of splitting my reading time between the three.

Ok, time to pack lunch and head out.  Have a wonderful day!