... The Day the Falls Stood Still

In an unmarked envelope, that's how it arrived. I took a few minutes, scanning my mind, trying to remember if I'd recently ordered anything. Then I open it and sniffed the pages. A new book. An advanced copy sent to me by the publisher in hopes that I would read and review it. I always read them, rarely do I review. But I've been quite excited to share this one with you.

Prepare yourself to travel to the early 1900's where on the Canadian side of Niagara you'll meet Bess.... I could now use phrases like "coming of age" or "epic" to describe her journey or the course of the novel, but I won't. They're so overused and to be honest, when a story is described that way, it make me not want to read it. So instead of a sweeping overview of the beautifully written story, I'll share why I liked the novel so much.

Though fiction, enough actual history is woven throughout to really breath life into the story. In addition to old black and white photographs of the town and Niagara river, they've included faux-newspaper clippings of key events. I love the touch these add to the storytelling.

The characters are easy to relate to. In the beginning, I was about to toss the book aside, thinking it was the same ol' story with the same ol' people, but the characters grew and progressed throughout the story. The became real to me in a powerful way.

In the end though, in spite of how good the story is, it's Buchanan's writing that really excited me. I found myself completely in the story. Something about the way she told it had me experiencing a broad range of emotions, along with the characters, quite keenly. It's been a while since I've been carried away with a book like that.

Buchanan's novel has since been released, so if you're looking for a good, as of yet obscure, novel grab it and be carried away yourself.

... Sew Many Projects

What does a group of modern-day crafty gals do when their handmade project list has grown to monstrous proportions? Why, they schedule a sewing get-a-way of course.

And when the lack of funds and shortage of free weekends threaten to squelch the thread and needle... they shorten it to a day and keep host it at one of their homes.

Or at least that's what Amy, Rebekah and I did.

Work hard we did, accomplish much we did not. I was amazed that given an entire day, working solidly from morning 'till night, I was only able to get 1 project done. One. But hey... I had loads of fun doing it. And at least I was able to get Elka's nursing cover mailed in enough time for her baby shower!

She chose the fabric... isn't it beautiful!


Not to be discouraged, I spent the rest of the week completing Joanna's bridal shower gift. It may look familiar since you've seen the other place mats I've made here, here and here. The good news is, I'm getting really good at making these. :)


I was super excited about this fabric. The dishes she registered for are cobalt blue which I think will contrast with the persimmon quite nicely.


And since Jo lives in Hawaii, the flowers add a nice touch too. Well, at least I think they do. If they don't, just don't tell me, ok?! :)


But wait, there's more!

I still had to create the perfect vacation bag. The bag that I'll wear all day, every day while touring Hawaii.

It had to be cute (No shortage of fab fabric to choose from! I chose these two by Anna Maria Horner.)


It had to be comfortable (it slings around my shoulder and hangs right at the perfect part of my hip.)
It had to be reinforced (since the camera is heavy and I'll be carrying it all day, I made wide shoulder straps and doubled up at the top where it sits on my shoulders.)


It had to be the right size for the vacation essentials.


It had to keep the camera safe (Amy suggested flannel interfacing for extra padding and it worked out perfectly. I also boxed the bottom of the bag so it's exactly the same size as the back of the camera.)


It must have a place for everything (I created the pocket sizes and locations based on exactly what I plan on having in each one. The iphone in the front for ease of reach. The wallet in the middle below the magnetic snap so it'd be handy for me, but not for an unwelcome hand.)


Jeff said this bag wasn't a necessity, but I think it was. It's the perfect vacation bag. I'm now officially ready to go! :)

... Kiptopeke

Just one 18 miles bridge away, the Eastern Shore's bekon could be ignored no longer. Jeff and I finally packed our camping gear and kayaks and headed up.


The sun decided to set while we were on the bridge. We came upon the pull off with just enough time to snap a self-portrait or two.


Despite my reservations about getting in the water with a tropical storm having just passed, we kayaked out to the concrete ships.


They were built during WWII and then sunk as breakwaters in the bay. Viewed up close, the atrophy and decay offered an alluring type of beauty.


Though the trip was cut short due yet another East Coast rain storm, we weren't disappointed at all. We'd managed to pack in lots of relaxation and fun and plan to head out there again soon.

... Sleeping Angels

This bundle of preciousness is welcome to slumber on my couch whenever she wants.

... The Uniform Project

What do all these outfits have in common?

They're obviously an exercise in accessorizing. But look closely.
Did you notice they're all the same dress?

With 7 copies of the exact same black dress, she wears the dress every day of the week altering the outfit only by adding accessories.

And she will do it for 365 days in a row.
If only I were this brave and talented. I'm lucky if I go so far as to add a belt to my jeans....

... Judging a Book by its Cover

Once, in spite of what they say, I spent a whole summer judging books by their covers.

I walked up and down the aisles of Barnes and Noble and chose to only read books with covers that caught my eye.

And you know what?

I read some really great books that summer.

... Preparing for Hawaii

Our hotel is booked (finally!). It took quite a while to find one location that had everything we wanted. I don't think we're particularly choosy, however, there are a lot of teal walls and rattan furniture in Hawaiian hotels and we were hoping to find something a little more updated. We did.

Though it was already in our price range, I called the hotel directly to ask what their rates were. My experience is that the hotel will oftentimes quote lower than the websites. They did. Mr. Nice-Guy-At-The-Front-Desk gave us $40 off the cheapest on-line rate. x10 days and that's $400 plus tax in savings. Whoo Hoo!

Next comes working on the tan. I'm not a fan of laying around in the sun, but I don't want us to burn on day #1 and have a miserable time thereafter. So this past Sat we took a few hours and visited north beach. That's when I discovered I hate dolphins.

I was wading in, barely up to my knees and not planning to go any further. But then a pack of 15+ dolphins were swimming by so very close. So I waded out further. I was enjoying them until *whack* a big wave knocked me over and caused my practically new prescription sunglasses to fly off my face, never to be seen again. That's why I hate dolphins. I don't know if I'll ever get over it.

Then today, the books I purchased as beach reads while in Hawaii came in. I'm positively giddy with excitement over them. Is that strange? Is it strange that I smoothed my hands over the covers & sniffed the pages? Do I need help? Don't answer that.