#TheSplendidSampler

 










Block #11 Crocheted Thoughts

This is my version of this block. I did not include the crocheting hook. I didn't have any metallic floss and it looked okay without it.

Block #12 Checkerboard Designed by Pat Sloan and the finished Block #11.

Just for You and the Block Station Bonus Blocks designed by Pat Sloan.

Block #14 Flying High by Janet Clare, Block #16 Pieces of Friendship designed by Lindsay Maryland and Block#17 Family Stars designed by Kimberly Jolly. My Flying High block has the birds diving for the ocean waves. It helps to have the pattern right side up when positioning the birds and looking at the original pattern. Oops! It still seems to work.

#TheSplendidSampler @patsloan

Lisa Scottoline

Lisa Scottoline has been a favorite of mine for years. She is a "local" author so when she writes about the setting and locale of the story, it usually is very familiar to me. There's something thrilling about the Mall (Exton Square) where I shop, the street names, landmarks and closest city referenced throughout her books. I ran to the closest Barnes and Noble this morning at 9:00 am to get a wristband to attend a presentation and book signing this evening at 7:00 pm. I arrived this afternoon at 3:00 pm to get a good seat. For the first half hour, I played musical chairs trying to decide the best view and most comfortable seat.

 




The room quickly filled with fans clutching a copy of her new book, Most Wanted.

I had 4 hours to wait, so I settled in and began reading. Scottoline drew me right in...I tried to read while I waited, but the crowd grew in size and volume.

 

The next hour was highly entertaining and touching at the same time. Today is the Anniversary of Mother Mary's passing and the loss was acknowledged and tears were shed. Lisa's "hand over fist" sense of humor kept us laughing while talking about a very serious and sobering topic---infertility.

B&N staff were very organized and before I knew it, time for the book signing. I was called in the first group and patiently waited in line.

As always, Lisa graciously posed for a picture and signed her book. This copy will be in an Auction Basket at the Brandywine Valley Quilter's Guild Quilt Show. 

I will review it once finished, stay tuned!

#mostwanted @LisaScottoline #BrandywineValleyQuiltersGuild

Yard Critters

I live in a development and have a backyard that sometimes provides an entertaining sight while drinking my morning coffee. This immobile squirrel was draped over the bird house for the longest time, I began to worry that it was dead!

One of my neighbors soaking up the sun (and wet grass) at 7:00 AM, I was so glad when he started moving, I was ready to call 911!

 

I don't know why I even bother with trying to grow tomatoes! The Groundhogs eat them before they ripen.

A Girl Like You

A Girl Like You: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox. Berkeley: She Writes Press, 2016. 290 pages. *****

It's January 1935 and Henrietta Von Harmon is the house twenty-six girl and her job is to not only keep score but to encourage the patrons to keep drinking and playing as the night wears on. Mr. Hennessey, the Poor Pete's owner has become a surrogate father to her since her father committed suicide and left her mother with eight mouths to feed. The bar is going through a dry spell and tips aren't what they once were when Polly, her friend, persuades Henrietta to work as a taxi dancer at the Promenade. In an effort to deceive her mother, Henrietta tells her that she has a job working the night shift at the electrics. Henrietta quickly discovers that the dancing isn't as difficult as she thought and she actually enjoys dancing with men for money. All that changes abruptly when a murder is committed and the mysterious stranger she danced with turns out to be a police Inspector. Henrietta is quickly drawn into the Chicago crime world of drugs, prostitution, and murder.

I was pulled into this story from the very first page of this historical fiction novel. The poverty and hopelessness of the 1930s in Chicago are portrayed in vivid detail through the lives of Henrietta and her family. Despite the horrors of the underworld and the reality of the choices made to survive, Henrietta embodies hope for the future. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to Cox's next novel. 

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and BookSparks for a review.

Michelle Cox has a B.A. in English Literature from Mundelein College, Chicago. She is a writer of historical women's fiction but has also known to dash off a mystery or two. While her heart might lie in the eighteenth century with Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy or in the crooked streets of Little Dorrit's London, she tends to write of a slightly more recent age, a time closer to the World Wars, when all was not yet lost and the last roses of summer were first coming in bloom. Ms. Cox lives with her husband and three children in the Chicago suburbs. This is her first novel.

#itsrainingbooks @BookSparks @michellecox33 #agirllikeyou

The Hole in the Middle

The Hole in the Middle by Kate Hilton. New York: New American Library, 2016. 288 p. Conversation Guide. paperback. ****

Starting with the written to envoke envy Christmas letter, Sophie Whelan, Communications Dept. Head, wife, mother, daughter, friend and woman extraordinaire, has and does it all. Approaching her fortieth birthday and taking a realistic look at her life forces Sophie to evaluate what is and is not working. Having your first love come back into your life is not the best time to wonder if your  husband is having an affair with his amazing business partner or to make major decisions about your career. Sophie begins to question her recollection of past events and can't shake the feeling that she has settled in love and her career.

Hilton has an easy style of writing that makes her book enjoyable. Sophie is a likable character who laughs at herself and lets the reader in on the humor. This novel is sure to be a popular summer read.

I received a copy of this book from BookSparks for a review.

The Hole in the Middle is Kate Hilton's first novel. Before turning to fiction, Kate worked in law, higher education, public relations and major gift fund-raising. She has an English degree from McGill University and a law degree from the University of Toronto. She is a working mother, a community volunteer, a voracious reader and a pretty decent cook. On good days, she thinks she might have it all. On bad days, she wants a nap. Kate lives with her family in Toronto.

#mywinterisbooked

The Ramblers

The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelley Rowley. New York: William Morrow, 2016. 381 pages. ****

Three main characters trying to make some sense of their lives find themselves in New York City and over the course of seven days their lives intersect and set them on a new path. Clio Marsh dreads the Thanksgiving holidays and reminisces about life with her erratic mother and distant father. When her boyfriend suggests that they move in together, Cloe has a panic attack and tries to find the courage to tell Henry about her mother's death. Smith Anderson, Cloe's best friend, is preparing for her sister's wedding while recovering from a broken heart. Being the daughter of a prominent New York family doesn't prevent her from waking up on her bathroom floor wearing a vomit stained maid of honor dress and her mother entering her apartment. Tate Pennington returned to New York City to follow his passion as a photographer after selling his App and making millions. Tate can't believe his good fortune in running into a former classmate from college, the beautiful and highly photogenic Smith Anderson.


Told from the point of view of the three main characters enriches and lends a believability to the story. All of the main characters are likable and I found myself very sympathetic to their individual situations. What could have been a predictable and cliched story instead is a heart-warming one of friendship, love, secrets and imperfect families. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays; no presents, no pressure. Rowley highlights the family interactions and the anxiety experienced without the distractions of presents, etc. The tension of meeting someone's family for the first time is incredibly stressful and wonderfully portrayed in this realistic plot. 

I received a copy for a review. 

Born and raised in New York City, Aidan Donnelley Rowley graduated from Yale University and received her law degree from Columbia University. She is the author of a previous novel, Life After Yes, and the creator of the Happier Hours Literary Salons. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and three daughters.

#mywinterisbooked

Quilt Retreat

Quilt Guild Retreat

Packed and ready to go!

My sister and I tried to pack lighter than last year and decided to share some tools and fabric. Yet, somehow we end up with all of this with us!

Our room was very nice, however, my sister missed having a TV in our room. (the Retreat venue is a religious affiliated facility; no drinking, music, etc.) I was glad to disconnect for a few days from the Election saga and news. I did find myself checking FB and the local news channels to see what was happening outside of our sewing world.

Getting everything set up in the large sewing room was easy; connecting all of the sewing machines, irons, etc. caused power problems in the room. 

We did some group projects for our upcoming Brandywine Valley Guild Quilt Show on Oct. 15th and 16th. We made pumpkins and bookmarks. We made these beautiful pumpkins from an Inbox Jaunt Tutorial

 

They are so cute and easy to make!

Four of us are working on the Gypsy Wife quilt designed by Jen Kingwell. It is so much fun to see it interpreted in our own way and fabric of our own choosing. We swapped some Kaffe Fassett fabrics because they are so bright and seem to fit this pattern. 

No Quilt Retreat is complete without a visit to a local Quilt Store (or two, or three). We went to The Quilt Ledger in Christiana, PA on Friday and it is a fabulous store and they gave us a discount. Win-win! The Good's Store and Burkholder Fabrics made our fabric shopping trip complete.

 

I also purchased coordinating prints for the Tula Pink fabrics I am using in the Splendid Sampler quilt blocks.

The amazing part about the Retreat experience is the camaraderie of fellow quilters. I was working on a quilt block and decided I needed orange fabric and asked if anyone had any orange fabric. Immediately, without any hesitation, several women offered what orange fabric they had. I was working on one of my Splendid Sampler blocks and realized I didn't have any green thread to sew the flower stem, no problem, I soon had my choice of green thread. Quilters are the most amazing, generous people in the world. 

All too soon, the weekend ended and we cleaned up and headed home. I was so fortunate to share this experience with my sister, Mary. We have been fellow quilters for many years and are both members of the same Quilt Guild. 

It was a wonderful weekend and I look forward to next year!

QUILT RETREAT CHECKLIST

#quiltretreat #BrandywineValleyQuilters #TheSplendidSampler