Coming in April/May ...

and available for pre-order ....

More Knitting in the Sun: 24 Patterns to Knit for Kids, edited by Kristi Porter.  The designs are all knit in summer-type yarns (cottons, linen, etc) for kids to wear in the summer-time.  So the knitting is summer-able and so is the wearing.

Don't you love this cover .... don't you love the sweater in the middle?  That would be mine!  Cool, huh?  I knew the book would be coming out this spring from Wiley but that's all I'd heard.  Browsing Amazon's knitting books (ALWAYS looking for more to add to my library) ... I came across this.  Was I thrilled!

I'll be posting more details as the book nears publication, but so far this is all I can share!
 

So much ______________________, so little time!

Fill that particular blank with either:
a.  knitting
b.  reading
c.  sleeping
and you'd have a summary of my week!  There just aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done and yet I so want to! 

Knitting:  I've got a deadline of Tuesday morning to finish a design for upcoming Cast On! magazine (the knitting is just about there and then I have to write it up and get it packed to mail).  I've finished another design for Spring Gate (which I'll give her when she comes next Friday to brush up her knitting skills) -- that gives me a few days to write-up THAT pattern.  So, on the knitting front, it's not like I'm doing nothing (and have even booked a Friday two weeks from now to teach two dear friends to knit ... they also homeschool their kids so we'll make it into a family affair!)  I do have a backlog of three designs for Knit Picks I've got to finish and get out ... so I'm definitely swamped (but THAT is a good thing).



(see http://www.book-games.com/featured-book-games/agatha-christie-peril-at-end-house.html for this cool game)



Reading:   I'm doing pretty well on this front, too.  I finished a couple of books for review (see this review of Fr. Groeschel's book and a Christian chick-lit) and the Chesterton book mentioned in this yarn-along post has been finished and the review just needs typing up.  Whew!  The problem is I went to the library the other day .... and serendipitously found a fabulous book, one that I didn't had been published (in 2009, no less -- I must live under a rock), and that I'm SOOOOO excited to read .. but NO TIME!  I just want to curl up and read Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making, by Christie scholar John Curran.  This a book that discusses Christie's 72 notebooks filled with her writing notes ... plot changes ... development of her stories!  How cool is that????? I've loved Christie books since I was little ... have read all 66 crime novels and 150 short stories (and read them all more than once).  I am a writer-wannabe (have long had an idea for a mystery tied to, what else, knitting!) and this is a treasure trove of info for all writers.  I'm so excited ... and I saw on Amazon that this hard-cover is a "bargain" book so it's my very own copy is winging it's way to my doorstep as we speak (gotta love Amazon!).  So it's ok ... I have to keep telling myself this ... that I don't have time to read it this weekend, as I'll soon have my very own copy (and then I can make notes in the margins ... dog-ear the pages ... and study this book to my heart's content!).

Sleep:  Max is getting better about sleeping thru the night.  But the kids, in their innocence (bless their hearts), taught Mr. Max to leap the baby gate keeping him in the boys' room till I'm ready to take him out.  So yesterday and today, Mr. Max got me up early to go potty -- a good thing in its way but does cut into the sleep factor!  This too shall pass ... this too shall pass ... [my new mantra!]

So, what word(s) would you be using to fill in the title blank?

WooHoo ... John Paul the Great .... Blessed-to-be!

How cool is this?  The Vatican announces that JPtheGreat will be beatified on May 1, 2011 .... 

• http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2011/01/coming-soon-blessed-jpii.htm
• http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/01/14/vatican.john.paul.beatification/index.html
• http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/breaking/2011/01/14/benedict-xvi-announces-beatification-of-john-paul-ii/
• http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=454138
• http://press.catholica.va/news_services/bulletin/news/26696.php?index=26696&lang=en

 Road trip, anyone?????? 

Yet another reason why I homeschool ...

2011 by MCG

 The interesting thing I've found over my past 10 years of homeschooling is the simple fact that I'm learning right alongside the kids ... whether it's learning things I have forgotten or things I never knew, the fascinating thing is that I'm always learning from my kids as well as while I'm teaching them.

God, in His infinite wisdom, gave each of us a brain that is a great and glorious thing ... but like any muscle in our body, it needs to be exercised. 

How are you exercising your brain today?

Yarn Along .... two of my favorite things ... knitting and reading!

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a single photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~ from Ginny's blog, small things

This is only my second time posting for Ginny's yarn-along ... shame on me!  It's not that I haven't been knitting ... it's not that I haven't been reading ... it's just that I've been so busy knitting and reading, I haven't had time to post.

So, I apologize.

on my needles:  finishing another cashmere design for Spring Gate Farm ... a cap (which is done) and a coordinating scarf which only has about seven more inches (than I must start the tam for Cast On!).  I'll have this design posted on my site by the end of the week.  If you'd like to see my other original hand-knit designs, check out my knitting blog, By Hand, With Heart!

on my reading table:  re-reading Sweater Design in Plain English ... love, love, love this book! A "second edition" is coming out in April that of which I'm hoping to get a review copy so I can see if it's worth it to buy ... I'll keep you posted!  I'm also reading Defiant Joy: The Remarkable Life and Impact of GK Chesterton that I'll be reviewing later this month.  Our read-aloud, which we started on Friday, is Lost in Peter's Tomb ... a book we've had knocking around for a while so decided to read-aloud.  It's really an interesting read that fits in with our "explorer" unit we'd put on hold during Advent/Christmas.  The story is a mystery set in Rome with siblings and their aunt helping the Pope discover who is getting into the Vatican and why!

Thanks, Ginny, for starting this yarn-along ... it's always fun to see what others are doing!
 

Review: Fr. Groeschel's Travelers Along the Way

First, a disclaimer:  I love Fr. Benedict Groeschel ... I love listening to him on EWTN, have read others of his books and just really admire this long-time evangelist/crusader for ecumenism/example of God's great love for us all.  I mean, look at the cover of his latest book, Travelers Along the Way, doesn't he just look NICE?

So, I was set to like this book ... and after spending the weekend reading it, I can assure you, that this book exceeded my expectations.  Fr. Benedict Groeschel, a founding member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and EWTN host, takes us on a journey through his life; a journey where the reader gets glimpses of some of the many men and women who have shaped and affected Fr. Groeschel's life.

He has vignettes about Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Mother Angelica, Terence Cardinal Cooke and Blessed Solanus Casey ... and these are remarkable (and very personal) stories he tells; glimpses of the sanctity inherent in each of these well-known and well-loved characters.  But he also has a story about the Jewish cleaner who gave him such sage advice 50+ years ago when Fr. Benedict was heading to seminary:  "be a good boy".  This simple phrase ... and the deeper meaning behind the philospher-dry cleaner's words ... has stuck with Fr. Benedict ever since. 

Or the story he tells about Ruby, the woman who came every year to get the holiday food basket for her neighbors who couldn't come themselves and her simple faith and love and sheer happiness she exhibited every time Fr. Benedict saw her.  When Fr. Benedict asked Ruby what made her so happy all the time, she explained that her mother told her when she was little: at noon everyday thank God for your blessings.  Ruby, in taking time to thank God daily, brought a special love to everything she did.  Fr. Groeschel paints this lovely woman and her simple faith for the reader in words filled with love and tenderness.

He has stories about young folks he's met on the streets of New York ... and stories about the religious he's met on retreat ... stories about people who have worked for him for years .... and stories about people he knew just briefly.  Some of the stories have happy endings and some have sad endings; but EVERY story is about people who each have a message and meaning for Fr. Groeschel and he shares that message, that meaning, with his readers.

The subtitle of this book, "the men and women who shaped my life", doesn't go quite far enough.  Through these stories, the reader not only understands more about Groeschel's life, the reader also begins to see how our own lives are shaped by our encounters. The reader begins to see a path to sanctity in all walks of life ... to see that each person that comes our way is a gift from God, a chance to grow in holiness.  As I read these stories, I began to think about some of the travelers with whom I've journeyed: the teachers from grammar school ... the co-workers ... the other moms ... the people who have hated me (and thus made me re-think what I was doing, either confirming or negating my actions) ... the kids in college.

What a great and wonderful gift God gives us in and through others we meet.  Fr. Benedict Groeschel's book will get you thinking about these fellow travelers and ones you've met.  Trust me, you'll enjoy the journey through his life and begin to see the blessings in your own.

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This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Travelers Along the Way . They are also a great source for serenity prayer and baptism gifts.

 

Review: Divine Appointments ... Christian chick-lit at its best

For the past year or so, I've been reading a lot of escapist Christian chick-lit ... as a way to rest/relax after a particularly hectic week.  Chick-lit, especially Christian, is a nice way to de-pressurize ... to enjoy a light read with a cup of coffee and (if I'm lucky) the ability to knit at the same time.  But there has always been something less-than-satisfactory about the Christian chick-lit I've read: the Christian part always seemed tacked on to the story rather than an integral or organic part of the story. 

With Divine Appointments, this "tacking on" aspect is non-existent.  Charlene Ann Baumbich is able to weave a Chrisitan story that is magical and believable and the Christian part is an integral piece of the overal1story.

First, I have to say, when I started the book, I had low expectations:  the protagonist, Josie Brooks, is the least-attractive type of career woman:  a hard-hitting, hard-driving, unfeeling, self-centered consultant who goes into companies, determines how to make them more efficient, and then recommends new systems and layoffs.  Josie Brooks, a late-40s spinster, doesn't care about the people she's recommending to axe ... she doesn't care about the people left in the wake of her project: she's off to the next assignment, a larger house, a bigger paycheck and alone.

I really didn't like her.

But Baumbich's writing and story-telling ability, wove a spell that had me cheering for Josie!  The supporting cast of characters help Josie to open up to others ... to see the people beyond the numbers ... to understand that although companies do have to "right size", the people need to be taken care of also. 

Baumbich leaves the Christian element to these supporting characters, particularly the 60-something widow who exhibits true charity ... true love of others because of her love of God.  I loved the character of Barb DeWiit -- a woman of grace who reminded me of many wonderful folks I've worked with thru the years. 

This book is a magical, wonderful escape into how the world is and how we can make it just a bit better through loving others.  A wonderful read that I highly recommend (and I got to knit while I read it!).

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DISCLAIMER:  I rec'd Divine Appointments as part of the Blogging for Books program from publisher, WaterBrook Press.  The views expressed above are my honest opinion of this work of fiction.