Tag Archives: ali edwards

Book Review – Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Posted in books, goals, growing by

For 2020, part of my “reset” is to read a decent (i.e. interesting, thought provoking) book a week. Any links will be non-affiliate, as always, and any thoughts are my own. If you’ve got a recommend, send it my way!

crawdads.jpgBLURB: For years, rumours of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.

MY THOUGHTS: This is one that got a lot of hype when it first released, and was on several influencer’s book lists, including Reese Whitherspoon and my fav, Ali Edwards. I should have read it then, but last year I was going for escapism and easy reads. There are some unrealistic aspects to this tale but it is beautifully written and the characters are well thought out and come alive on the page. I was gripped during the middle portion and blown away at the end – it wasn’t what I expected. 5 stars.

If you are thinking about picking this one up, Amazon have an extract on their US page HERE:

WIP Wednesday #243

Posted in cross stitch, family, grateful, me, stitching patterns, Week in the Life, work by

Morning! There’s not much progress this week, a bit of reverse stitching (does that sound better than frogging?) and a few days where I was too unsettled to stitch.

On Friday, instead of talking to the hospice nurse, my MIL was instead hospitalised. It’s been and up & down week, and I am trying to focus on the good.

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This week, I’m also doing the Ali Edwards Week in the Life project so it’s bittersweet that this may well be the last week she is in.

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Anyway, here’s my We’re All Mad Here progress. Here’s to a finish this coming week!20190502_103737.jpg

WIP Wednesday #240

Posted in cross stitch, family, food, goals, grateful, lavender & lace, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Project Life, scrapping challenges, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Teresa Wentzler by

20190202_195150.jpgHello everyone! I’ve been super busy this last fortnight, stitching, walking, reading, cleaning, running around after family members & I can’t wait to take a break! One highlight was a repeat dinner with the Harpur family, who brought Aurora with them. Two weeks ago she was the length of Simon’s forearm/hand – now look at her! She’s 5 weeks here.

I didn’t post last week as my pieces were all over the show as I worked away at the various #schoolofmagicalstitchesandliterature tasks. All up, this last fortnight has seen the start & finish of Hello March (500 for words), 200+ more stitches on Nantucket Rose (enabled), 600+ on Shakespeare’s Fairies (various challenges) and 700+ on Tapestry Cat (two challenges). I have just stitched more on TC in a week than I did in all of 2018. He nearly has a tail! This is a lot of stitching but with our national holiday, Waitangi Day, I got extra walking and stitching in. And market shopping. Nom nom on the Whitestone cheeses and Selash cured meats. And perfection at the Franked stall – imported, handcrafted items from Cambodia where there is a story behind the item, & it’s helping differently abled people.

I also finished my January Project Life pages. I’m choosing to do these in a 6*8 album as it’s more personal to me, not for the family. There’s some stuff that involves others (I asked Mase to fill in the Back to School card) but they won’t get this until I’m passed. Mase does look at it, but he knows if it’s hidden journaling, it’s private to me & he’s not to read it yet.

And on Sunday, Louise & I got up early and walked around the harbour on Tamaki Drive. We started at St Helliers, went up to Achilles Point & watched the sunrise and a cruise ship come into the harbour, picked up coffee at Mission Bay and eventually got collected at Royal Akarana Yacht Club. 7.2km in all of super-quality time with my girl.

Hope you all have a lovely week!

WIP Wednesday #227

Posted in cross stitch, family, goals, grateful, Journal, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, photos, Project Life, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Hey everyone! I’m half-way thru my week of solo parenting and am pleased to report no casualties as yet. Not even a ding on the ute – as Si took my car away, I’m driving his brute to & fro, mostly work. I have done a heap of “one little things” around the house and spent a good portion of Sunday working on building a personal album – July-now is completed. There is a small volume of personal writing which is hidden from initial view and that’s just the way I want it. Mase is likely to pick it up from my side table to look at the pictures (I need to wean him from this habit) but he does know not to pull the tabs.

Reading wise, I ended up returning Mythos. It just wasn’t right for me. Instead I’m re-reading (as not much effort is required) the Chesapeake Shores series by Sherryl Woods (try these Elizabeth!) and listening to the 47th (??!!) In Death book, Leverage.

20180911_212120.jpgAnd stitching – some progress on the Peridots during work breaks, a wee bit on Fairy Idyll as I wait for Bran’s physio appointments, and I FOUND THE BOTTOM OF THE DESIGN in Persephone. That’s a huge finish motivator – altho I note that there’s about 3 days stitching the hem, plus 3-4 days on the confetti heavy flower trail that’s on the left plus another 3 days on the beading, but I will finish this month even if I get distracted by something else.

YAY Friday.

Posted in books, embroidery, family, grateful, High Five For Friday, Journal, league, me, music, scrapping challenges, Week in the Life by

I’m pretty happy to have got to the end of the week! It’s been fairly chaotic & with the league season kicking off properly for our house (now that Tag has finished) it doesn’t look like Saturday will be a day of rest. I think that for my own wellness, I will need to go back old-school and adopt Sunday as my day of rest. This will mean doing some housework every day during the week to gain a “day off” but long term, I suspect this will be best. What do you think? How do you balance work/home/rest?

My top things for the week include:

  1. It looks like the Screaming Teen has decided his next step & is signing up for an academic course. It’s a combination of sport & management & PT but it’s a step forward.
  2. My new devotional arrived – and thanks to Book Depository, it was postage free & I had a good laugh when it arrived with a wine voucher (I’ve passed that one along already). The devotional is already working for me. I was able to carve out space (even tho I was at work) to shut the door and spend 10 minutes with God. And Pinterest for the last few moments, as visually pretty things are working for me right now. It will be interesting to see where I am at in 40 days.
  3. I re-discovered Ali Edwards and have ordered the kit, an album & some stamps to do Week In The Life. You can go to her blog www.aliedwards.com if you’re curious, but expect some scrapbooking/journalling things mid-May. My parcel shopped from Oregon this morning. Double yay!
  4. I went to Stitch Group on Tuesday & had a really good laugh. Barb & Linda have the best sense of humour. Next month it’s at ours. Eeep. I hope the house elves aren’t on strike.
  5. I’m pretty-much up-to-date at work, after Conference took me out for three days last week. I’ve even passed 39/60 Axonify modules, altho I’m getting very tired of the things. And one more week of my boss being in China equals more time to deep dive into issues.
  6. I love the sounds coming out of this song. Current earworm that I am sharing! Love Spotify. Sorry Elizabeth – you won’t like it but you might have liked the Brene Brown lecture that was on audible instead?

28/8 Hi Five for Friday!

Posted in books, grateful, High Five For Friday, stitching patterns by

LISTENING: TobyMac (eclectic Christian artist with a recent release but solid back-catalogue) and of course, Elise’s podcasts.

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READING: I finished Anchored (review to come) and started something I thought might be fluffy but has turned out to be a very thought-provoking romance series from Susan May Warren. Self-forgiveness. Massive concept. Her Christiansen family series, in case you’re looking for something new-ish.

CRAFTING: well not yet,but I love this suggestion from Simply Vanella about what I could do with my black linen. Isn’t this perfect?

DW2886 chalkboard cross stitch

http://www.123stitch.com/item/Design-Works-Be-Happy-Chalkboard-Counted-Cross-Stitch-Kit/DW2886

Also I found this ceramic owl HALF PRICE at Farmers so I can re-create one of Carol’s photos. Think I will choose Serenity, as that is my OLW for this year.

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DOING: Celebrating. Mason’s awesome anniversary report. Zac’s official rep selection for one of the Auckland U12/13 restricted weight sides. A bunch of awesome parents in this rep side. LAST Under 6 game for the season tomorrow – it’s been a long year! Freebie December Daily foundation pages (OK, they started out as lotto ticket wallets but that’s two standard and two pocket pages right there, peeps – and I left the lady looking up Ali & Becky’s websites). Springtime flowers seen during lunchtime walks.

Let me know what you find to celebrate this week!

A Last First

Posted in family, grateful, You Can Quote ME by

Thursday is usually You Can Quote Me, an image or thought linked to my One Little Word,  Serenity.

Today is going to be a little different.

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That little thing on the 32ct mermaid tail? That’s my last child’s first tooth. This morning was the last time I get to be the tooth fairy (I’m assuming some kid at school will burst his tooth fairy belief today).

It’s bittersweet to be watching this boy grow up. He is an unexpected gift from God, even during the tantrums. We’re blessed to have him.

Today’s lesson then is to hold on tight to the good memories. They will bring you a feeling of peace even in moments of pain.

You Can Quote Me

Posted in grateful, You Can Quote ME by

YCQM is a semi-regular post that relates to my One Little Word for 2015, Serenity.

I’ve made the decision to move YCQM to Mondays. Monday is the work day with the most pressure and demands, and of course, the most time spent in meetings (I’ve been absenting myself from one to regain a precious 30 minutes. For 6 weeks in a row I sat in the corner with no tasks and nothing to contribute. Once you start playing on your phone, you know it’s pointless to be there).

So. Monday. Hello.

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You Can Quote Me

Posted in books, Journal, OLW, You Can Quote ME by

YCQM is a semi – regular post based on my One Little Word for 2015, Serenity.

This week I’m trying to reintroduce my planner as our schedules change up and I don’t instinctively know where and what I’m supposed to be doing, let alone the kids.

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I’m also writing down the book recommends and who made mention, and the post – it will go into the planner on the day I start reading. These are from Warehouse Stationery but I’ve seen cute ones at Typo too.

What’s your top tip on keeping sane during a period of change?  

You Can Quote Me

Posted in OLW, You Can Quote ME by

So instead of an image that links to my One Little Word, Serenity, today I’ve got an app for you stitchers out there. It’s doing wonders for my peace of mind & sanity. We all know I grasp onto that tightly! I found this quite by chance as I updated the new phone – it’s FREE and works on Android.

StashCashe

http://geekeclectic.com/stashcache/

Linda has an abundance of patience (altho I think I have now worked out the coding) and will talk you off the ledge. I can now add material and chart lists to the app and in the format I want – bonus! There are some templates and quick lists (DMC & Anchor threads) on Linda’s site & I’ve created a Kreinik #4 list to match (I like to know the colour names).  My Mill Hill list is underway (including the DMC recommendation for attaching, always good to know if you can’t find the invisible thread) and it now takes me about 3 minutes to type & load up a Mirabilia pattern to the stash. Which is very good as my order arrived from Amanda today!

Now I just have to sit down & enter the DMC, Kreinik & Mill Hill that I have in my stash, and this app will be fully functional!