My Sister's Keeper.... Girlfriends Book Review

Hi Everyone!
I have been gone and off the map as far as blogging goes. I have missed you all and I'm ready to get back! Over the next few posts I will do some topics that kind of explain what I've been up to.
You'll have to stay tuned! : )

Here is my book review for My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.
I really liked this book and I think that Ms. Picoult did a really wonderful job of writing story from so many different prospectives. The book raises important ethical questions about who plays God and says "when!" . I recommend the book!

Now! Having said that here is my personal opinion. I felt that the token homosexual relationship was obligatory and not pertinent to the story. I thought the ending was cheep and fairytale-ish!
Ms. Picoult is clearly a wonderful writer and cabable of more. I really hate it when I love a story until its ending sells me out. It would be a perfect Lifetime Movie! Sorry that's just my opininion.

Our next Bookclub book will be A Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg

I Finaly Got Those Pillows Made!

Do you remember my bargain fabric? Click here as a little reminder. Well, I finaly got them made! They turned out pretty good I think....
Here's the blow by blow!

Ignore the ugly plaid vinyl tablecloth..... That's just what I put on the dining room table to protect it....


Don't worry ... I don't keep them all piled up on one chair..... That's just to show them to you.

Touch of Fall

Well I am starting to get the Fall Bug. Here are a couple of little Fall Vignettes around the house.
I hope things are cooling down around your home and you are thinking about pumpkins and candy corn!

Welcome Fall and all the fun and family that it brings! I love it because just about this time everything starts to get very busy. The weather cools down and outdoor entertaining is more of an option, all of the craft shows start, and of course it is the start of the HOLIDAY SEASON!

Corner Hutch

Before...

This is my little shabby corner hutch! I keep all of my blue and white dishes in it. I have had it for a few years. It was already shab-i-fied when I bought it. I think that it is probably from the 50's but I'm not sure about that. Cute, but not spectacular. Right? ... Anyway.... I have a pine hutch that is from the 1800's that I love. (I will show it sometime) But it has the back painted pale blue. However, it never occured to me to paint the back of my white hutch blue until I saw Cindy's at My Romantic Home. Now, I can't imagine that you haven't seen her blog but if you haven't you have to head over there and take a long gander. She has quite a beautimus blog. It is a dee-light for the eyes! She painted the inside of her pretty white hutch blue and it just made such a huge difference that I decided I also needed to do this.


What a super simple high impact project. It totally improved this corner. Thanks for the inspiration Cindy!

Remember My Give Away?????

If you will remember Miss Jill over at At Home in the Country won. She has done a very

loverly post with her prize. It is so pretty in her home. Thanks Jill for sharing!!!! She has such

a beautiful home and her Blog is just as pretty. They are building a new home and she is sharing

the journey. Go over and see. You'll like it!

A Day In The Pines

A couple of weeks ago I was really missing my daughter and decided that it was high time that I saw her. After all it had been at least 2 weeks. Plus my mom had never seen where she goes to school. So I thought it would be a great day trip to drive up to the Pines! We set out and about 2 hours later we were in Flagstaff AZ. Home of Northern Arizona University and the Lumberjacks!
GO JACKS! : )



This is the "Visitor Center" It is also the AmTrack Train Station. This is the "hub" of the city really. It is positioned conveniently on "Famous Route 66" ..... Personally, I would like that for a house.... : ) Sweet English Todur .....





Flagstaff is a sweet little town. Very Picturesque! There really isn't a lot of great shopping. We came across a couple of cute little shops but I wasn't thinking and didn't ask to take pictures. So sorry about that.

After taking a tour of NAU we had lunch at the Beaver Street Brewery. I'd give it 2 thumbs up!
We didn't sample the beer but it is brewed on site. It looked very refreshing....


UUUMMMMM! Yummy fries! and a tasty chicken sandwich!

After that it was walking! Flagstaff has a very high altitude and is very hilly. We hit all the major tour spots with in an afternoon. Before heading back to Phoenix we stopped in at Macy's Coffee Shop. This is a cool little spot that actually roasts it's own coffee beans.


Macy's serves some pretty good coffee! I am a major coffee lover so I know! They also have wireless internet so that you can sit and do homework.



So ... to sum it up .... coffee, fries and beer... pretty much the staple of any small college town I think! : 0

MacKenzie Childs Cabinet Knobs

I really love the look of MacKenzie Child I have nothing of hers in my house, but I think the place to start is in the kitchen.
I would like to put new door pulls on all of the cabinets in my kitchen....
Very Mary Engelbreit... Right?

What do you think? Should I do it? Or is it over the top?

Knit Washcloth ~ Easy One Night Project

When I was about 7 years old, my grandmother taught me to knit. She was a wonderfully talented woman who could do anything. She was legendary in our family. Sew, Knit, Decorate, Bake, Play Golf, work all day and still have an incredible home. I don't know how she did it! Anyway, one week of every summer (sometimes 2 weeks if I was lucky) I would get to go spend with her and my grandfather. Ma and Pa. It was a fabulous Little Girl Heaven! Chocolate sheet cake and playing house in a cool basement. These are cherished memories to me.

Anyway the point was, I love to knit and I was thinking of her when I decided that I would share this little project with you. I don't like huge drawn out projects though. I made a sweater once when I was in high school. I started my freshman year and finished the summer that I graduated. The sweater was out of style by then. But dang it! I finished it! So now I don't take on the big projects anymore. When the whole knitting craze started a couple of years ago, I was looking for simple projects that didn't require a long term commitment. When my daughter went to college I made her this outrageously wide and long scarf. I think that she still uses it to this day!

When my 2 Aunts were here from MO a couple of months ago they gave us a little gift. One of the items was a knitted washcloth. I thought "now that's something I can do in one night!"
So I went on line and found the pattern. Super Simple. After I made a couple I decided that it would be good if they were a little larger. So I knit to 48 stitches not the 44. I also crochet a loop at the end to make it more finished looking.

Finished cloth measures 6 inches square.

Supplies:

1 skein Cotton Classic yarn

Needles size 8

Directions:

Cast on 4 stitches.

Knit 2 rows.

Knit 2 stitches, yarn over, knit to end of row.

Repeat until you have 44 stitches on the needles.

K1, Knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to end of row.

Repeat until you have 4 stitches on the needles.

Knit 2 rows. Cast off.

These are a couple of samples of my "handy" work. : )

If you all have any other simple projects like this let me know. I would love to see them!

It Is Too Soon To Forget

These photos are taken from "Standing for the Flag" a Photo Essay on the the White House Website.

"One day after terrorists used commercial airplanes to destroy the World Trade Center Towers and attack the Pentagon, firefighters take a moment to unfurl the flag over the scarred stone as inspiration for fellow rescue workers searching through the debris Sept. 12."

Marines conduct a flag-raising ceremony for President Bush and Mrs. Bush on a quiet Sunday at Camp David, Sept. 23.


As President Bush visits the site of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, New Yorkers offer their own words of determination Sept. 14.



Do You Remember The Way You Felt In The Days After September 11, 2001?

The Painted Hall

Well! I have wanted to get it done for quite some time. I finally told myself NOW is the time. So I moved it all out, taped it all up and got going. One long day is all it took. I am really happy with how it turned out.

Before

The color is Laura Ashely Swiss Almond. I was a little tentative because it needed to blend with the living room and with the mural that my friend did several years ago. But this color turned out just right ....

After



The color is soft. Before the white to me looked stark and didn't blend with the mural. I'm pretty happy with this little project.