The news
First off, I was asked to join the Relay for Life committee and I am loving it. This is a cause that's near and dear to my heart since cancer has claimed many lives from my paternal side of the family. I am the chairman over the registration committee and my co-chair is my friend Christine. It's going to be a great year.
Secondly, I am now down 200 lbs. I never thought that I could feel so great in my life. I am more active and happier than I've been in a long time.
Thirdly, I started a weight loss surgery support group in my town and have had a great response. It's something that we needed here and I am glad to be a part of it.
The reading
I've been blowing up my Kindle in the reading department. Here's some reviews of the books that I've recently read.
"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer. This is a wonderful historical fiction book. I totally loved this book!! The characters, the story, the format in which it is written. Very well done!
"Fireflies in December" by Jennifer Erin Valent. Another historical fiction book that I truly enjoyed. It truly paints a good picture of what prejudice existed in southern Virginia. It was full of intrigue and was laced with historical accuracy. I look forward to it's sequel.
"A Northern Light" by Jennifer Donnelly. I remember seeing the story of Grace Brown on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, and was intrigued by her story. Then Ms. Donnelly writes this story based on that event. I loved this book. I loved the fiction mixed in with the non-fiction. It was well done and by the end, I was loving Mattie. I love the ending. Awesome read.
"Powdered Peril" by Jessica Beck. This one is considered a cozy mystery. I really love this series. This time Grace finds herself in a pickle when her boyfriend ends up dead. I totally was going a different direction than the way it resolved, but it was still a surprise and kept me in suspense. I can't wait for the next one.
"Revelation" by MJ Mancini. At first, when I read the description of this book, I thought it was going to be a Da Vinci Code knockoff. I was pleasantly surprised. This book is filled to the brim with murder, intrigue, and mystery. The characters were wonderfully developed, and the plot was full of the right mixture of action and mystery. I was completely pulled into this story to the point that I could not put it down. The entire time I was reading, I kept thinking, "this would be an amazing movie." I loved it and I can't wait for the next installment.
"Cottonwood Whispers" by Jennifer Erin Valent. In this second installment of the Jessalyn Lassiter series, we learn a hard lesson about justice and how it sometimes isn't blind. I loved this story, it had a great story with wonderfully developed characters. I highly recommend this to anyone.
"Irish Chain" by Earlene Fowler. I really liked this one better than the first. I loved the character development and I loved the way she interspersed some of the history in there too. I totally did not see it resolving the way it did, which is an aspect of reading mysteries that I love.
"Murder Has a Sweet Tooth" by Miranda Bliss. This series is a quick and fun read. This time, Annie has to solve a murder (or two) before her wedding. Why? So that Jim's cousin Alex (who is accused of the murder) can attend the wedding. What I didn't bargain for was the intricacy of the plot and the final outcome! Wow!
The crocheting
Now I've been busy crocheting too! I had two nieces have baby girls within 20 days of each other and I've been working on other projects. I'm trying to get my WIPs (works in progress) finished so that I can move onto other projects and not feel so guilty about it. LOL
Harper Rose's baby afghan
I bought this pattern on Etsy and I love how it turned out.
McKinley's baby afghan
I wanted to make different afghans for my nieces (they are sisters). And this one turned out SO pretty!
Mom's afghan
I made these squares six years ago and they just sat in a bag waiting to be sewed together. So, I dug them out and sewed them. Then gave my mom her afghan. She loved it.
Dieter Cale's baby afghan
I made this for my friend Darlye who is having her first baby boy. I love giving homemade gifts to my friends and family.
Grammy's afghan
My grammy and I made this afghan together. When she passed away, my mom and I found it and I felt that I needed to finish it and use it. She loved how it turned out and I do too.
The genealogy
I've also been working on my genealogy. I've been working on collateral lines that family members asked me to work on and have been having some success.
I also started to make copies of all the 1940 census that relatives are on for my files. It's been daunting and I've been burning through the bucks buying ink, but my proof binders are almost ALL updated! Woot!!
So, as you can see, it's been a busy four months for me. I still have seven WIPs to work on, more censuses to print, and of course more reading to do!
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