Little Women

I loved, loved, loved this book!  I mean, seriously, how did I not read this when I was little?!  It's incredibly sweet, charming and full of wisdom.  Yes, it's a little too sweet at times- did anybody else feel an urge to slap one or more of the characters at some point for being too good?!  No, just me. 

Sigh . . . I always wanted a "Laurie" in my life.

Seriously, it's a great book and full of great pieces of wisdom which are still relevant today.  This is a book I look forward to reading to Coraline or having her read when she can.

I've already put the movie Little Women on my Netflix queue- the one with Christian Bale, because he's the perfect Laurie and I think he's super cute.  And, yes, I know I'm 30.

Quilt Idea

I want to try something a little different quilt-wise.  Obviously, I LOVE the look of quilts.  But sometimes they are a little stiff and unforgiving.  With time and many washes quilts become softer.  But I want to create a quilt/blanket that is soft and cuddly right away.  Right now Coraline doesn't sleep with a blanket, but I would like to have one ready for her when the time is right.

I saw a post about using a flannel blanket as the batting and not quilting the piece together.  I'm not sure how she put it together, but my guess was she did a tie quilt.  I think something like that would create a very movable, soft quilt. 

I think that will be my next project.  My creativity juices are starting to flow again!

The Woman in White

I finished two novels on the BBC list- The Woman in White and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  Both were really good reads. 

I especially liked The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.  It was written in 1859.  I was nervous that it would be a long, cumbersome read but it was anything but.  The novel is divided up into different sections and penned by different characters.  It's actually considered one of the first mystery novels.  Naturally, I loved it.

I loved the female character of Marian who was depicted as strong, competent (but plain) woman.  I really disliked the character of Laura who was weak, stupid and beautiful.  Of course, Laura got all the boys. 

Both were fun reads.  I would recommend both!

My little foodie

I can't help but be impressed with my little girl and her eating habits.  She has eaten everything I've offered her!  Absolutely everything.  I really wanted to start her out with a variety of tasty foods so, hopefully, she won't be too picky of an eater as she gets older.

She eats two meals a day- lunch and dinner.  I try to offer her three different things, so she has a little variety.  We also give her a sippy cup so she can get used to drinking water.

Some of the (stranger) things I've given her is grape leaves (Lebanese), tzatziki sauce (with fresh garlic and mint), beets, kale and butternut squash soup, peas and quinoa, meatloaf, chicken casserole and a ton of veges and fruits.  I try to give her a meat or protein and a combination of two veges or fruits at every meal.  I like to add herbs/spices and a fat (olive oil, butter or coconut oil) to the veges. 

Here she is with her sippy cup.

Looking all cute and messy!

Not related to the post- but here I am with my food (probably around 13 or 14 months)!

Snowy days

I believe it has been the snowiest December since I've lived here!  We might even see more snow next week!  Crazy.  The pictures below are when we had about 7 to 8 inches. 

I was not sure how Miss C would do in it, but we had to bundle her up and try.  She did remarkably well.  She didn't freak out at all (she whimpered a bit at first).   I wouldn't say that she loved it, but it certainly was fun to watch her experience something completely new!

I just plopped her right down- unmatching outfit and all!

We had to taste some of it.

Taking it all in.

Reading shall commence once again

Grant got me a Kindle for Christmas this year.  I did not ask for it- he came up with the idea all by himself.  After scoffing about the whole idea of it for a year I am here to publicly eat my words!  I thought the whole thing was ridiculous- really, you can't just read a book.   Well, yes, you can most definitely read a book, but believe it or not the Kindle makes it so much easier to read a book! 

I can't read a book and watch Coraline at the same time.  There is something about holding the book and turning pages that I can't do while on the ground playing or while nursing her.  But the Kindle is flat, so I literally just have to use one hand (or none, just a finger) to read.  The difference it makes is amazing.  It has previously taken me weeks to finish a book (with Coraline here), but now I can finish them in no time (I've read 4 books in the span of 1.5 weeks).

Awesome. 

I think I can work on my Time's and BBC list again.  

If you ever thought about getting one (but just thought it was ridiculous), I can wholeheartedly recommend it!