books (again)

Old books that have found their way home with me lately.

Why?

Because I love biographies.

And needlework books make me happy when I have an hour and a comfortable chair.

Early American Home Decorating? I like this one because every single page reminds me of my Gram. And the I Love Lucy episode when she moves to the country and furnishes her house. I beg you to open this book and see these chairs and not buy it. This is the most common type of furniture I see at estate sales, it helps to see its original intent before I haul it home and spray paint it.

It's hard to pass up a pretty, vintage children's book. Especially when you have one home sick on the couch.

I like the real photographs in Edith & Mr Bear.

When the wee girl is sitting up and declaring she is feeling fine (this happens about once an hour) the wee boy and I sing songs.

I love the inside covers of old books.

These are older school book order books. I like the States one because it names the tiny town I grew up in in CT.It says the Abington Library is the oldest in the US. It is a teeny tiny library full of great books. I went back a couple summers ago and saw my name childishly written in all the Bobbsey Twin books. It made me happy.

I often wonder if I will ever tire of buying books. I suppose if it hasn't happened yet through a dozen or so military moves I won't ever stop. Actually, outside of my family it is the books that provide me with the most comfort whenever we set up our home.

I just finished this book...

Believe it or not I couldn't find anything to read. This book has been in Ken's nightstand nearly our whole marriage. So I read it. And guess what? I loved it. I won't say you should read it as it was kind of drawn out and a bit dry. Ken has been traveling and it was comforting to read something he loves.

What books do you love? Is there a book you would identify as you-have-to-read-this?

It's hard for me to pick a favorite anything but I would say Ken Follet's "Pillars of the Earth" is among my favorite books.

Did you read through this whole post? Shouldn't you be cleaning up the house or something?

See you later...

Places: a cowboy with a serious book addiction

Welcome to Archer City, home of Larry McMurtry and 1847 other people. Archer City is a bit desolate, an old western town with dilapidated buildings and a wide center street. It's a quiet place that silently screams cowboys live here. And cowboys do live there. I know this not just because Travis our hoof trimmer lives there (he wears leather chaps) but also because I saw two cowboys riding today. Oh and also because Larry McMurtry lives there and he wrote perhaps the most famous western of all time: Lonesome Dove.

I wish I could say I have met him and he happily autographed leather bound copies of his books for me. Or that he saw me in town and asked if I would like to interview him over at the BBQ place which actually would be awful as I have braces and eating chopped beef or pulled pork is really unattractive. Anyhow, nobody really talks about him around here. It was many months after we got here that I even learned he owned the eclectic used book stores that take up most of the buildings in Archer City. There are four book stores scattered about with more books than one could imagine. There are only employees in one, and the books are shelved haphazardly by subject. If you have a question or would like to purchase anything you have to carry it through the town to the store with the employee.

I have never seen Larry M there but imagine him trekking around late at night shuffling books around. This store (above) was bright and sunny and really warm. I had to fight myself not to lay leisurely on the floor with a gigantic stack of books. It's a perfect mix: being warm+books+sunshine.

His stores are called Booked Up Inc. They are scholarly stores...no Danielle Steele or Nora Roberts. And truthfully most books are priced very high. If I traveled a great distance I might be a bit sad. But since it is close by and I was with Ken (who is a total hunk) it was a good time.

That's all I got today. Yee Haw, Cowboy.

Can't you see I need some help here?

Why do quilters bind quilts? Is there a reason other than appearance? Can I just sew the three layers together (right sides together) and turn it right side out like when you make a pillow? Then quilt the whole thing? Does it make the edges too bulky? Do you think I am unintelligent?

Because I just might be. I often feel not so smart. This is the part where you say, "Awww, you are to smart, you are the smartest person I know." Then I say, "Really? You mean that?" And then I follow it up with "You're the smartest person I know, too."

Then you tell me how silly I am for not binding my quilt.

I like the quality of the Nicey Jane fabrics. Looking at all the prints together makes me happy. Lately I'm drawn to blues and yellow and greens. Must be because of this groggy winter.

Today amid the rain and wind I found this lovely book in the mailbox. I ordered it weeks ago from a seller in Japan. Don't you love it when you receive a bit of cheer on a cloudy day? It looks to be a great book with full size patterns enclosed. It even smells like Hello Kitty bubblegum.

Okay friends, time to go. A good day to you and yours!

vintage coloring books

Collecting old coloring books...just because.

Farm ones are my favorite.

But Holly Hobbie is a close second.

These remind me of my childhood.

We keep a stack of copied pages for long trips (I can't let them actually color in the books!)

This one was my mother's when she was a child.

Go to the Betsy McCall website for adorable printable paper dolls for several different years.

The Golden Corner

I spent a few minutes today admiring the Flickr Group: Corners of my Home. This was a recommendation from SouleMama, and indeed it was a good one. It is bitter cold here and after I scrolled through many photos, I was warm. In my heart. Not my hands, they are still cold.

It is too cold to do laundry but not too cold to sit on the computer. Especially if you are a certain person from LMLD and have new groovy gloves.

This is the corner near the computer where the Golden books are. What started as a thrifty way to collect books during my young mothering days turned magically into a collection. When it's naptime the wee boy usually picks from this shelf. Today was "Hiram's Red Shirt".

My favorite Golden Book would have to be among the very first few I bought. It's called "Baby Dear". Have you heard of it?

These are Golden Guides, I like them as they are small and colorful. I like to pick a couple for road trips as we are trivia junkies and will take turns asking questions. I received one as gift when I was seven from my aunt and uncle. They are nice aren't they? I'm talking about my aunt and uncle--not the Golden Guides, though they are nice, too. UJ do you remember it? It was this one:

I hope when I was seven I said thank you, as you can see I think it has been a terrific gift. Maybe every thirty years there should be a thank you renewal?

Thank You AJ and UJ. I love you!

With love from,

your favorite niece

Sharing corners is fun...you should try it. If you do let me know so I can visit!

My Antonia

I can't go to bed tonight because I miss my friends...Antonia, Jim, Lena. If you haven't read this book by Willa Cather you are lucky. Lucky because if you choose to you can drive to the library and get it tomorrow. How about you? Have you read any good books lately? What are your favorite classics?

Four Random Things and a thank you!

Thank you very much for the lovely birthday wishes you gave me. You made my day special!

1. I made this apron for Molly using the last bit of farm animal fabric that I dearly love. I am learning to do this more and more instead of stashing it and never using it.

2. A well travelled older style mayonnaise jar that I bought at a yard sale as I was driving cross country this summer. We stayed at an out of the way place in Pennsylvania and wouldn't you know there was a town wide yard sale that Saturday morning? Which is just what our car filled to the brim with children and stuff needed. I haven't decided what to do with it. Any ideas?

3. I like to stick figurines in my plants. Do you? This plant needs cooler weather, it's called baby tears.

4. Recently Sam, Molly and I started this book. After a few chapters over a few days I took the book to bed and finished it without them. Because I am nice and it was good and Davy Crockett was trapped fighting at the Alamo. I won't tell you how it ended. What? Like you are going to read it? He died at the Alamo. Did you already know this? How come I didn't? There I was in the middle of the night reading this old mildewy book and shedding tears over Davy Crockett. I just thought he was that guy who liked the frontier and wore a coonskin cap.

Full Circle

Growing up on the bottom end of a large family certain books that were passed from each pair of little hands to the next pair gained not only well creased pages but a verbal history to go with it. By the time they reached my brother and I we heard from many sources which books were really and truly good.

One of these books was a nursery rhyme book by Gyo Fujikawa. I'm not sure where our tattered copy ended up but I felt that thrifted book euphoria (don't you get that?) when I saw this book at a teachers yard sale this morning. The first page I opened to immediately reminded me of the view from our front porch.

By the way the teacher's yard sale was a memorable one. She was retiring after many years, everything she had was in near mint condition. I could have stayed there until dark looking at each and every thing. It was also memorable because Maggie sneezed an enormous sneeze and her gum flew out of her mouth. She tried to act as ladylike as possible to retrieve it. I of course acted like I had never seen her before in my life. This child makes me laugh. Things just happen to her.

Flea Market Baby

Every time I read the blog Posy I am inspired. It can be an innocent post about a floral tea cup and for some reason it will make me smile. It helps that she also loves the Walton's and has a love for matching florals in a mismatching way.

When she recommends a book I know there is a good chance I will like it. Such is the case with Flea Market Baby. I bought a copy (used) from Amazon for seventy cents. It was the best .70 I have ever spent. It is a darling book full of vintage vignettes.

There are some inexpensive used copies here.

My creative side is fizzling out with the busy month of May. Looking through books like this keeps the light on until I can sit and focus on a project. When will that be? If you have any extra spare time please send it my way.