It must be bad

Left-brain and I were sitting around last night, after Babygirl had gone to bed. He turned to me and said, "You never stitch anymore."  I told him he was right. I don't. Not like I had been. A lot of time, I feel like I am neglecting the baby if I stitch, since she normally dozes off for 15 minutes and wakes up, and I am also a little scared to use the scissors I have re-named Christine around her. I have good reason.

 Remember this?

And this?

It even went after Icy Dragon.

Maybe my demon-scissor theory is correct. So, you see, having those around a small child is not a good idea.

So he says, "We need something for the fair."

I got serious for a moment and asked him what would be the point in stitching things for the fair, since it was hard to find money for framing pre-baby, and harder now with hospital bills and supplies for her (I am SOOO buying stock in the formula company, y'all).  He said, with the confidence in his ability to provide for us that he always has, that by the time the fair rolls around, the money will be there.  I could have cried, but, instead, I picked up my Itty Bitty Kitty and started doing the September square.

Really, I didn't do a lot of stitching, but I managed to read a lot from when I got put on bed rest to now. I think I have mentioned (ad nauseum, in fact) that I had a huge stack of books as my to-be-read pile prior to my sewing room becoming her nursery. I am slowly working my way through the pile, along with several boxes of books I brought home from the ones I have at my mother's house from my single-gal days. Most of them I bought used, so I have been, as I read, deciding if I want to keep the book forever. It's amazing how easy it is to give up a book if you ask yourself, "Will my life be richer if I keep this book or will I be OK with passing it on?" Usually, I can give them up, but I keep the ones that are profoundly moving. I might regret doing it one day, but I buy most books used, so it's not a big deal to go replace them.

So, what did I read this summer that I loved?

Before Green Gables. This is the prequel to the Anne of Green Gables series. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I found myself laughing and crying and feeling for Anne and what she went through, and then overwhelmed at the innate ability to survive and overcome that some people have. Maybe that was what always endeared Anne to me, she was a survivor, never a victim.

Dewey's 9 Lives. I don't normally like books about animals that die--I have three old dogs and three old cats, I don't like to be reminded that they will pass away. And I never read the Dewey book--I bought it, but never read it. But this book and it's message that it's OK to love an animal with all your heart, it resonated with me. The cats filled a void with these people, saved their owners' lives a lot of times. Humans expect to be applauded for such tasks, animals just do as a course of life. I did have to read it in small doses though; I am not a masochist, LOL.

In the Fall. This is the story of a slave girl who nurses an injured Union soldier back to health. He marries her and brings her back to Vermont. Their relationship has consequences that affect their family for generations as they try to understand the past. It was a book I have had for years, bought in the bargain bin when I first realized that you could read other books than the ones on the New York Times Bestseller list, and I never read it til now, but I really enjoyed it. It felt a lot like the writing style of Cold Mountain, but it is a very different book, haunting in a different way.  It is not, however, an easy book to read, but it's a worthy book that deserved a lot more publicity than it got.

The Tea Rose. This book was very popular, but it was popular for a reason. It was set against the jack the Ripper killings in Victorian London and features a heroine who bootstraps her way to success. I read this in the hospital after delivering and it was EXCELLENT.

The Dark is Rising. these are based on Arthurian legend, and the two that I have read so far are HEART-POUNDING. They are children's books, but adults can get something out of them.

There were a lot of other books that I read that maybe weren't wonderful, but were OK. I read a good bit before, but having the luxury of time to read, and an abundance of reading material, that was new to me. One of my greatest hopes for my child is that she sees me reading, enjoys being read to, and becomes a passionate reader herself. We haven't yet delved into her library, but I think I am going to start that this week, since she can at least look at the pictures now.

Anyone read anything great this summer?