Simple Woman’s Daybook – September 9th

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FOR TODAY

Outside my window… blue skies after an unexpected thunderstorm this afternoon

I am thinking… about working on my current quilt top once dinner is complete

I am thankful… that I did not slice into my finger while trimming photos! The knife barely missed.

From the learning rooms… I finished The Hunchback of Notre Dame today and will be starting The Three Musketeers next week.

In the kitchen… waiting for the tofu to finish pressing so that I can make curry for dinner

I am wearing… blue jean skirt and a simple gray top from Old Navy

I am creating… a new quilt top!

I am going… to church tomorrow morning, the Lord willing

I am wondering… which church I will attend

I am reading… several books at the moment

I am hoping… that my hubby will have the entire weekend off from work

I am looking forward to… the Sabbath! An entire day to spend with God

I am hearing… hubby talking to his mom on the phone

Around the house… all is quiet and all is clean

I am pondering… Levitical laws and which are applicable today

One of my favorite things… quilting and my kitty

A few plans for the rest of the week… curry, quilting, and a good book

Here is picture for thought I am sharing… three sets of 9 patches are complete. Two others are partially complete.


Have a blessed weekend!

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Menu Plan Monday… on Tuesday, again!

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First it’s being out of town and then it’s a three day weekend. I have to become better at keeping to a schedule!

This week we’re again eating mostly out of our pantry. I’m surprised at how short the shopping list was, mostly produce. That’s a nice change!

Monday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – Breakfast Burritos

Tuesday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Avocado sandwiches
Dinner – Homemade macaroni bake with spinach and mushrooms

Wednesday
Breakfast – Smoothies and toast
Lunch – Pitas
Dinner – Stir fry with garlic sauce, pg. 182

Thursday
Breakfast – French toast, pg. 27
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – Tacos

Friday
Breakfast – Smoothies and muffins
Lunch – Breakfast burritos
Dinner – Curry with potatoes, carrots, tofu, and onions

Sabbath
Breakfast – Pancakes
Lunch – Not sure…
Dinner – Pizza with onions, mushrooms, and fresh basil

Sunday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Quesadillas
Dinner – Pasta with the yummy, yummy sauce

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D9P quilt progress

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Remember this quilt? I was working on it back in July 2010. Eek. Time does fly and I am really slow at my quilting. Anyways, I’ve returned to working on that quilt, a double nine patch.

(Side note – I’ve seen D9P stand for Double 9 Patch and Disappearing 9 Patch. I wonder which one is correct or if both abbreviations are correct…)

Today I tried something new – strip piecing! It worked really well and sped up the process. I should have tried it sooner.


Strip piecing


Today’s accomplishments

Tomorrow’s plan – working on the green blocks. I’ve discovered I can complete 10 patches in about 2 hours if the strips are already cut. Hopefully I’ll get faster as I get the hang of this pattern. If not, at least I’m having a lot of fun and listening to many Japanese podcasts while sewing!

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This week’s memory text – Psalm 33:4

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This week I’m adding a verse to the passage I’ve been memorizing.

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:

for praise is comely for the upright.

Praise the LORD with harp:

sing unto him with the psaltery

and an instrument of ten strings.

Sing unto him a new song;

play skilfully with a loud noise.

For the word of the LORD is right;

and all his works are done in truth.

Psalm 33:1-4

Such a great passage! The more I read the Bible, the more verses and passages I find that I want to memorize. One could easily spend their entire life memorizing passages and still have more to enjoy.

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Third quilt completed!

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This week I finished my third quilt! This is the second quilt I’ve picked out a design and fabric for, though it’s the first quilt for which I made decisions without assistance from an experienced quilter.

quilt draped over a chair

entire quilt

close up of my favorite part of the quilting

the back – hard to see the quilting

I learned a lot with this quilt. Next time, I’m picking a more interesting backing. This one is boring. First I tied this quilt but I hated the way it looked. So I picked out all that work and then quilted it. Much better!

Now I need to send this quilt off to my grandpa. It was supposed to be a Christmas present last year, but… He’ll be getting an early Christmas present this year!

I can’t wait to start on my next quilt!

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A couple quick book reviews

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I was contacted about reviewing Eat Your Peas, Faithfully: Simple Truths and Happy Insights. It is a cute little book! It’s not exactly my style of book, as it is rather fluffy. However, hardcover and compact, it makes a great gift for someone who reads books like the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. The snippets of wisdom are easily digestible and the book’s illustrations and designs are gorgeous.

Thank you, Thomas Nelson, for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Let me preface this review by saying that I love Nancy Moser’s Ladies of History series, which is based on real women in history. However, I am not so fond of Moser’s original fiction. An Unlikely Suitor is just not on par with the Ladies of History series. Moser makes history come alive, as she’s excellent at making the reader feel as if they are experiencing the settings while reading. The original plots just aren’t on par with the historical details and settings. I’m afraid I’d have to rate this book in the same category as most other Christian fiction: a quick read but forgettable. Please, Ms. Moser, add to your Ladies of History series!

Thank you, Bethany House, for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I have to toss in one more review for a book that was NOT given to me in exchange for my honest opinion. This was a random selection from my library’s “new books” shelves. I was originally attracted to the spine of the book, showing spools of thread. Then I read the back cover and knew I had to read this novel.

From the publisher’s website: A moving, powerful, and evocative debut novel, When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt heralds the arrival of superb new voice in American fiction. A tale rich in color, character, and vivid historical detail, it chronicles the tumultuous life journey of a young immigrant seamstress, as she travels from her isolated Italian mountain village through the dark corners of late nineteenth century America.

All I can say is that it is an excellent book. It really is rich in color, character, and vivid historical detail. I laughed and I cried. The ending is a bit rushed but the novel was wonderful. I can’t wait to see what else this author writes. (Just a small warning – the novel does contain a very short but heart-wrenching rape scene.)

I have one more book review to write, for The Whole Bible Story. That review will take me a couple more days to finish writing…

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Menu Plan Monday… on Tuesday!

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I am back from all of my running around. Sierra Vista, San Diego, and family staying in my home. Whew! I need a vacation from my vacation… I’ve slept for 11 hours each the past few nights. I am definitely worn out! I can’t wait to get back into the housekeeping routine.

And that started with this week’s menu. I completed the menu on Sunday morning but for some reason didn’t get it typed up until this afternoon. Because I’ve been cooking out of a cookbook, I’ve been buying a lot of ingredients and my cupboards are getting rather full. This week, I planned meals around what I already had on hand instead of buying a bunch of groceries. By next week, our cupboards will be pretty bare and we’ll have to do massive grocery shopping again.

Monday

Breakfast – Smoothie and banana bread

Lunch – Chow Mein

Dinner – Japanese: gyoza, udon, sushi

Tuesday

Breakfast – Banana French toast

Lunch – Pitas, chips, and salsa

Dinner – Homemade macaroni bake with spinach and zucchini

Wednesday

Breakfast – Smoothies and toast

Lunch – Stir fry with garlic sauce, pg. 182

Dinner – Breakfast burritos

Thursday

Breakfast – Smoothies, cranberry orange muffins

Lunch – Subs

Dinner – Tacos

Friday

Breakfast – Waffles

Lunch – Toasted avocado sandwiches, pg. 150

Dinner – Riblets, mashed potatoes with brown gravy

Sabbath

Breakfast – not sure yet

Lunch – Hiking! Picnic lunch

Dinner – Pizza with onions, mushrooms, and fresh basil

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Gone again

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It was very last minute. Yesterday I traveled to Tucson with my husband and spent time with my sister in law while my husband worked at a client’s office. While we were visiting, my sister in law invited me to accompany herself, her sister, and my nephew for a three day jaunt to San Diego. Sure!

We are headed off early this morning. My husband is dropping me off in Casa Grande at 6:30, where my sister in law will meet me at 7. Hubby returns home and we proceed to San Diego. I am so blessed to have a husband who encourages me to spend time with my family! I am also blessed to be able to afford these short trips.

In October, my brother, his wife, and their son will be moving back east for his military assignment. This will be the first time they’ve lived in a different state, other than my brother’s assignments in Iraq. I will miss them terribly! I have been excited to spend so much time with them lately, a chance to get to know both my nephew and my sister in law better before we live over 1,000 miles from each other.

I’ve been gone a lot and I look forward to life returning to normal next week. My blog posts have been intermittent as I haven’t been home much in the past two weeks. I miss my hubby. We are normally inseparable. But I am thankful for the time spent with family, for being close to them now. When they have moved and I don’t see them for a year at a time, I will be very grateful to have these recent memories.

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What’s On My Nightstand?

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What's On Your Nightstand

It’s already time for the monthly Nightstand link up! August has flown by as my family came to visit again. My dad spent four days at our home and then my dad and I visited my brother’s family for four days.

I’ve spent August trying to clear off my nightstand so that I can start over with a clean slate. I’ve had a few books sitting there for months and way too many books checked out from the library. August saw a lot of these books completed but I still have a few books left. Hopefully I’ll be caught up by the end of September!

Completed

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne – 4 stars

Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner – 3 stars

Journal Of Sean Sullivan, A Transcontinental Railroad Worker (My Name Is America) by William Durbin – 3 stars

The People of Sparks (The Ember Series, #2) by Jeanne DuPrau – 4 stars

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – 4 stars

The Prophet of Yonwood (The Ember Series, #3) by Jeanne DuPrau – 3 stars

The Diamond of Darkhold (The Ember Series, #4) by Jeanne DuPrau – 3 stars

What’s left in my pile

Cleopatra, a Life by Stacy Schiff – I have to return this one to the library tomorrow! 102 pages left to go.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe – An impulse selection from the library.

Everyday Life in Traditional Japan by Charles J. Dunn – Hubby bought it for me to learn more about Japan.

1776 by David McCullough – I’ve seen this book highly recommended on a number of blogs. Can’t wait to dive into it!

Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs – I plan on blogging through Love & Respect so this book will take awhile.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson – A good book but one I just can’t seem to finish. It meanders too much to hold my interest for long.

Becoming a Woman of Excellence by Cynthia Heald – Slowly working my way through this one. So far it’s alright!

Now to link up and browse through other blogs to add even more books to my to-read list. Yay!

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Away

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I will be back on Tuesday next week. My dad has been in town since Sunday afternoon and I’m headed down to Sierra Vista to spend several days with my brother, SIL, and nephew. Fun! I hope everyone is having a great week!

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