Year 2, week 31: Prayer quilt

Prayer quilt

This week's post is a prayer quilt. It will more than likely go to a little girl who is going through illness or a hard time. Normally, the ministry that makes these quilts usually sends these quilts to the elderly or someone who is very sick, which thankfully isn't too young. But, to be honest, this was the third quilt I made with the same bright pink and black quilt with a Minnie Mouse theme. I was tired of looking at the same fabric with the same quilt pattern, I keep cutting the wrong number of squares so I kept having to make the same quilt THREE times!

I haven't quilted in a while due to the fact that I have been so tired during this pregnancy. My morning sickness has still been there, but more than anything I have been so insanely tired. Apparently, second trimester has taken ahold of me because I keep seeing projects that need to be done and I just want to get them done at this very moment. I have started about a million quilts and have ideas for so many sets of napkins, but it seems like so much effort to work on them. I have started just finishing one thing at a time. I need to get some more books on tape and get my butt in gear on these projects. I should also do as much as I can right now due to the fact I will have another crazy kid in less than six months! If I want to give the homemade gifts that I love to give at Christmas I need to start now! That's all I got for you this week.

Year 2, week 30: Behold the Dreamers

This week's book:
Behold the Dreamers
By Imbolo Mbue

This week's book is actually the book for my book group, which meets on Sunday. Are you proud of me for being prepared this week? I actually didn't mind this week's book. It was sort of heartbreaking if I'm going to be completely honest, but still interesting.

The book is the story of a man that has come from Africa to New York City. He brings over his wife and child after he has been working for a few years in the year 2008. He gets a job as a chauffeur for a man on wall street and his family. The story alternates between the man from Africa and his wife chapter by chapter. All is well and good until the man is threatened to be deported, and then Wall Street crashes and everyone loses their job. The book shifts halfway through from this shiny and amazing coming-to-America story to something dark and jaded. The book shows the trials and tribulations of moving to another country. The book also shows that sometimes there is no right path of staying where you are or moving to a whole new place.

Most importantly this book reminded me yet again how amazingly lucky I truly am. I have been feeling pretty crummy and uncomfortable recently. It seems like everything in this pregnancy is happening way sooner than my last two successful pregnancies. But even though I feel yucky, I am just so happy I am into the second trimester and the chance of miscarriage is down to one percent. I also feel so lucky to have a husband that works hard and takes care of our family well enough for me to stay home with our kids. We live in a house that we can afford, always have food in our pantry and are never too cold or hot. I have had a hard time with the state of our current government and was heartbroken about a decision my church denomination has made, but I must remind myself over and over again that I am lucky for the life I have and the people I have in my life.

Year 2, week 29: Educated

This week's book:
Educated
By Tara Westover

This is late and as always I'm sorry. This week's book is Educated by Tara Westover, and it is a book for my book group. I found an audio copy of it at our local library. I actually found another of the books for group on audio book as well, but due to that I have a hard copy of the other book I started with Educated just in case I didn't have time to listen to both of them before they were due back to the library. I have been having a hard time staying awake for reading during this pregnancy so audiobooks have been a lifesaver.

So because I'm in charge of book group I normally try to have a have copy of the book we are reading so I can have pass along my copy to others in the group. But when I was buying this year's batch of books, Educated was still full price and all the library copies were checked out. My sweet husband, who works for C-SPAN, told me the author was the top viewed program on their show Book TV. I was told by everyone who has read the book that it was just amazing. So I wasn't too worried about if I was going to enjoy the book.

Educated is the memoir of Tara Westover, a women who was raised in the hills of Utah with a survivalist father, who stopped his whole family from receiving formal education and medical help. The whole book is a series of unfortunate events that happen to this poor girl (who turns out to be actually a year younger than I am). Multiple people get seriously hurt and yet they never die and rarely go to the hospital. The author gets abused in every way possible (minus sexually, and I was seriously shocked it doesn't happen to be completely honest with you). She finally escapes her family to go to college at the age of sixteen. Somehow, without knowing how to study or have really any social or normal behavior, she graduates and gets a full ride to grad school. She goes home for all holidays and summer break, and every time horrible things happen. If I didn't know this was a true story I would find it highly unbelievable. While the book was well written and thought provoking, and I am so glad the author was able to get out of mountain life, I just wanted the book to end for most of it. I have just read too many pulled myself up from a horrible situation type of books in my life.

Read the book if you want, it's fine, just not my cup of tea.

Year 2, week 28: The Nanny Diaries

This week's book:
The Nanny Diaries
By Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

This week's book was my return to audiobook. I thought with the quilting I want to get caught up with and the fact that I fall asleep anytime I stop moving due to this pregnancy, audiobooks sounded like the key. So I took my little girl to the local library and hunted for Dog Man books for my little guy and books on tape for me. I found The Nanny Diaries because I knew I had a copy somewhere in the house. Here's a fun fact that I didn't find out until I was almost done with the book: it was an abridged version of the book. Of course they put that in tiny font below where it says Julia Roberts was narrating the book. So I have no idea if I fully understand what happens in the book.

The book is the story of a senior at NYU who is a nanny for a little boy from a rich family. The book is all about the things that the mother of the boy makes the nanny do, and really treats her like a royal poo. I don't know if it was because of the abridged version but I just found the book blah. It was a nice to listen to in the car instead of the some 80’s hair band that I normally play. I will add it did have some naughty words that I probably shouldn't have had the kids hear, but it wasn't too bad.

I'm not sure if I can recommend this book or not, again it was just blah.