Dede's Christmas Hexie Table Runner: The Second in a Possible Series

This one's for Dede.  And although I have a lot of black fabric left, it's really hard for me to see to sew on it, AND because I don't think Dede would like the black (though she might) She loves reds and greens for Christmas, so I'll leave out the blues and purples that I love.  I found enough white to use on hers. Her table's a very long 90 inches, so this one'll have to be a long one!  So here goes.

4/1/2020
The first flower:

4/1/2020 A first day's progress  

4/2/2020 And at the end of the second day....time on my hands because I'm quarantined....Six flowers!

4/3/2020 Day 3 of cutting and sewing white hexies, then attaching.   The first photo is an idea for the future - making a round centerpiece...I think it looks cool.... but then I added more to continue this table runner.

And at the end of Day 3, here's where I was.  9 flowers...

4/4/2020 Day four of working on this table runner and Day 22 of the quarantine, I'm still making the white hexies like crazy and since I want to keep this mainly reds, greens, blacks, and whites, I also cut and made a few more flowers.  This will slow me down a bit, because before this i had a pile of already-made flowers to choose from.  Finished Season 3 of Travelers (the last one, unfortunately).  It's coming together quite nicely, I think. I must admit, my fingers are sore.  12 flowers!

4/5/2020 Day 5 and 16 1/2 Flowers!
I also sewed and pressed three strings of 9 hexies to attach to towels.

4/6/2020 Day 6 and 19 flowers...getting there!
I also appliqued two flowers to the fronts of potholder squares.

It's growing!

TV Show - Sex Education

Just finished watching Season 1
Season 2, Finished watching 3/29/2020, see below!
Premiered: 1/11/2019
Season: 1
Number of Episodes:  8
Length of Episode: 45 min.
IMBd:  8.3
RT Critic's Consensus:  Bawdy, heartfelt, and surprisingly wise, Sex Education is a raucous romp through a group of teenagers whose sexual misadventures are so thoughtfully rendered, adults could learn a thing or two from them.
RT Audience Score:  95
cag: LOVED it, going to be an all-time favorite
Produced by: Netflix

Characters:
     Otis Milburn - Asa Butterfield (main character, a HS kid whose mother is a sex therapist)
     Jean Milburn, Otis' mom, is played by Gillian Anderson
     Maeve Wiley is played by Emma Mackey, the "hot" female lead, who befriends Otis
     Eric Effoing is Otis' best friend, gay and black and wonderful
     Adam Groff is the mean kid, who we can tell is attracted to Eric, very much against his will, lol
     Ola Nyman has appeared on the scene, and becomes Otis' girlfriend
     Jakob Nyman, Ola's dad, has an on and off relationship with Otis' mom, who doesn't "do" relationships, but is very much attracted to Jakob....

My comments:  This was totally and fulfillingly entertaining.  X rated in places, R in others. British.  FUNNY and heartfelt, with some really serious stuff thrown in, too.  What a MARVELOUS cast!  Some are newbies, and they're wonderful.  I was so upset when the short series one came to an and, but an happily awaiting season two which is currently in production.

Storyline from IMBd:  Feeling pressured by the rumor that everyone in his class is having sex except him, awkward teenager Otis (Asa Butterfield) struggles with masturbating. It doesn't help that his mother, sex therapist Dr. Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson), constantly meddles with his personal life. Things come to a weird turn when Adam (Connor Swindells), his school's resident bully, learns about Jean and asks Otis for help regarding his sex life with girlfriend Aimee (Aimee Lou Woods). The situation becomes even weirder when the school's resident bad girl Maeve (Emma Mackey) and Otis' gay best friend Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) persuade Otis to open a "sex therapy clinic" in school, with Maeve and Otis splitting the profits.

Season 2, Finished watching 3/29/2020, see below!
Premiered: 1/17/2020
Season: 2
Number of Episodes:  8
Length of Episode:  45
IMBd:  8.3
RT Critic's Consensus:  Sex Education's sophomore season definitely has more going on, but by treating each new subject with care and humor, it leaves plenty of space for its characters to grow.
RT  Audience Score:  97
cag: LOVED it, going to be an all-time favorite

Produced by: Netflix

Additional and new characters for Season 2
Jackson Marchetti is Maeve's old boyfriend and swimming star, who is tired of swimming and takes up acting
Viv, a socially awkward smart girl who tutors Jackson
Isaac, a wheelchair bound trailer park neighbor of Maeve's
Aimee Gibbs, sweet, slighty dumb, and promiscuous, she's Maeve's best friend
Lily Iglehart is Ola's bestie...and becomes more....
Rahim is the sexy new student who instantly goes after Eric

TV Show - Unorthodox

Just finished watching Season 1
Premiered:  Today!!! March 26, 2020
Seasons:  This is brand new, and may only be this one season
Number of Episodes: 4 long episodes, watched in one sittinga
Length of Episode:  about an hour?
IMBd:  7.9/10
RT Critic's Consensus:  none yet
RT Audience Score:  note yet
cag:  5

Characters:  Esty, 19 year-old protagonist; Yanky, her hustband; Moishe, Yanky's cousin, who leads the twosome to Berlin to bring Esty home.
    NOTE:  Israeli actor Amit Rahav is someone to watch!

My comments:  I loved every minute of this series.  I LOVE the way it seamlessly goes from the present in Berlin and back to the roots of the story in Brooklyn a year or so previously.  The actors were superb and believable, you're rooting for all of them all the way.  Apparently the Brooklyn part is based on Deborah Feldman's memoir, but the Berlin part was totally rewritten.

Netflix Official Site
NY Times Review and summary

  

Storyline from IMBd:  Story of a young ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman who flees her arranged marriage and religious community to start a new life abroad.

Coronavirus Quarantine Day 9

Spring has sprung...not only because the spring equinox has come and gone, but because trees are budding, daffodils are blooming, and even the grass is turning green!

I hate to cook.  The majority of my cooking in recent years has been to heat things up.  Yesterday I baked a meatloaf and butternut squash.  Leftovers, AND a clean kitchen are the perks.  My tiny kitchen is so cluttered, I'm trying to figure out where to put everything.

I did go out this morning, to pick up an order at Walmart.  They were out of all the different meats I tried to order (hamburger, pork chops, bacon, and chicken).  They're still entirely out of toilet paper, but I still have four full rolls.  Not sure what I'll do when they run out.  I'll be imaginative, I'm sure, about both situations ... no meat ... no TP.

Laura made me a couple of face masks, and when delivering them yesterday (visiting for a few minutes on my front "patio," keeping a safe six feet apart) picked up my bag of garbage to add to hers.  We have to pay for special garbage bags here, and I don't want to go to any of the supermarkets to purchase them.  This worked out great, and I'm so grateful.  The only problem with wearing face masks is that my glasses get all steamed up.  I'll have to figure that one out!

I'm working on crumb quilting at my sewing machine...so addicting!  I think I'll make a batch of potholders out of them, get a jump start on Christmas presents for colleagues and family?  Sounds good!  I'm also adding flowers to my EPPed Christmas table runner AND picking up the crocheting I'm dong for the yarn bombing at the library in the fall.  I'm working on the brown boards of Noah's Ark using yarn from the 40's that feels like I'm crocheting with twine.

I planted a letterbox the other day, one I'd made for a postal.  I'm making a list of easy, drive-bys withing 75 miles of home so that I can get out on days that are sunny and warm without having to be around people.  I'm going to use the 13 plastic grocery bags I just got from Walmart as a "glove" (like when you're picking up dog poop) when I'm pumping gas or opening a door to a public place - like the eye doctor's when I have to return.

Very, very sad news is that my sister's best friend, Joanne, is on life support with the coronavirus.  She has a transplanted lung.  It seems so much more real when someone you know is hit than just reading the statistics.  Lots of positive energy going out to my sister and Joanne's family.

Today is March 22nd. It's always been a special day.  I was hoping my grandson, Brendan, would be born on the 22nd, but his birthday was yesterday, the 21st. (He turned 15!!)  Close!   Today is my grandmother's birthday.  It is my best friend, Fran's, birthday.  It is another very close friend, Susan's, birthday.  Susan died last August of a brain hemorrhage. Gram was born in 1903, 117 years ago!  And I facetimed with Fran for awhile this morning.  MADE MY DAY!  It'll always be a special day for me,

I'm anticipating this self-isolation/quarantine to go on for a couple of months.  The governor of Pennsylvania has been incredibly proactive, so I'm guessing the library will be closed indefinitely, not just for the two weeks that was originally anticipated.

What a world.

Hexie & Crumb Quilted Potholders

I'm having fun making crumb blocks today, and decided to make them into potholders.  I was watching a few YouTube videos of different ways that people attempt  crumb quilting, when I came across these two ideas.  Love, love, love the idea of turning a hexie flower into a potholder!!!  My next project...

  

Thank you Laughing Duck, for both these ideas!

Picture Book - Pencils, Pens & Brushes: A Great Girls' Guide to Disney Animation by Mindy Johnson

Illustrated by Lorelay Rove

2019 Disney Enterprises

HC $18.99

78 pgs.
J 791.4334 Johnson

Goodreads rating:  4.150 - 106 ratings

My rating:  5
Endpapers: solid pink

My comments:  I totally enjoyed reading through this book, and learned so much!  I'm not a huge Disney fan, but all the information about the women associated through the years of Disney history is just wonderful. 
     I particularly enjoyed learning about Kae Sumner, who was 6' 3" tall, and because she drew for the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was written up in Life magazine.  She became popular, with many people of height contacting her, and she began a club for tall people called the Tip Toppers.  So cool!
     I was looking at this book because I wanted more information about Mary Blair, who I was researching.  So glad I found this book, since Bosler doesn't have it and I had to borrow it from Coy/Shippensburg.

Included:
Lillian & Edna, the two Mrs. Disneys (Walt and his brother Roy
Dorothy Ann Blank - founder of the Story Development Department, starting with Snow White
Nelbert Chouinard - Chouinard Institute teachers taught original animators at Disney
Marge Champion -

Goodreads:  Based on the critically acclaimed Disney Editions title, Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney's Animation, this nonfiction picture book is a fun and inspiring look at a few of the amazing women who have worked at Disney Animation over the years—from sculptors to inkers to painters to story artists, all with unique personalities and accomplishments, such as becoming a world record-holding pilot or creating an international club for tall people!

Kae Sumner: Six Foot Three Disney Artist and Founder of International Tall Person's Clubs

  

While reading through Disney Pencils, Pens & Brushes: A Great Girl's Guide to Disney Animation by Mindy Johnson and illustrated by Lorelay Rove, I learned about Kae Sumner.  How interesting!

Born in 1916, she was always the tallest in her classes, topping out at 6' 3".  Her artwork was so good that when she took her portfolio to Disney's Hyperion Studio during the depression, she was haired to work in the Ink & Paint Department.  And it's noted that they even made a special desk that was a bit taller so that she could easily work beside the other artists.

"Kae's talents shined and when the newspapers heard about her artistry on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, she became famous as 'the giant girl who painted Walt's seven little men.' "

She didn't let her height dwarf her (that's said with tongue in cheek), she was contacted by so many other tall people that she started a club and called it the TIP TOPPERS.  The story was featured in a Life magazine article, and Kae went on to found the International Tall Person's clubs, some of which are still around today.

Born in 1916, she died in 1996.

Have you seen Tall Girl, the movie? It's on Netflix, looking forward to seeing it.

Tall Clubs International
Tall Clubs International Foundation includes a short biography on Kae Sumner Einfeldt

Picture Book - Hey Grandude! by Paul McCartney

Illustrated by Kathryn Durst

2019, Random House

HC $17.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  3.71 - 486 ratings

My rating:  4
Endpapers: Light blue with white 1/2-inch grid lines

1^st line/s:  "Lucy and Tom and Em and Bob were spending a weedend with the grandad."

My comments:  Magic can really happen, especially when it comes to traveling from one place to another!  I love the premise of this book...a magic compass that whisks the family from one interesting place in the world  to another as well as spending quality time with a grandparent.  Shame on you, all you naysayers, for giving negative reviews just because a celebrity wrote it.  Spoilsports!

Goodreads:  From Paul McCartney—an action-packed picture-book adventure celebrating the fun that grandparents and grandkids can get up to.
          See the compass needle spin, let the magic fun begin!
          Meet Grandude—a super-cool grandfather who is an intrepid explorer with some amazing tricks up his sleeve. Grandude is a one-of-a-kind adventurer! With his magic compass, he whisks his four grandkids off on whirlwind adventures, taking them all around the globe. Join them as they ride flying fish, dodge stampedes, and escape avalanches! Brought to life with gloriously colorful illustrations from talented artist Kathryn Durst, it’s the perfect bedtime story for little explorers

Learning More About Art and Artists

Blair, Mary
Disney artist

Kahlo, Frida

Sumner, Kae
Disney Artist (6' 3")

The Art of Mary Blair

Born in 1911, Mary Blair was first and foremost an artist for Walt Disney. She began working for Walt Disney Studios in 1940. Her designs and artwork for Peter Pan, Cinderella, and  Alice in Wonderland are unforgettable. She illustrated several Little Golden Books and many advertisements. She also designed the Small World exhibit in the mid-1960s!  She died in 1978.

Website:  Magic of Mary Blair

Books by and about Mary Blair, plan to find and read:

49. Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey Garvis Graves

listened to Audio - free from Audio Escape
narrated by Kristin Condon
Unabridged audio (8:44)
2015
340 pgs.
Adult CRF
Finished 3/9/2020
Goodreads rating:  4.05 - 8715 ratings
My rating: 4
Setting:  Contemporary Minneapolis, MN

First line/s:  " ' The babies are going to starve,' Helena said."

My comments:  I found these two main characters to be incredibly well developed, which was only enhanced by a wonderful narration.  A good, though predictable, story with just a bit of heat.  This is the second I've read by this author and I've enjoyed both very much.  Looking forward to more.
     Here's a good quote from another GoodReads member:   "Heart Shaped Hack is a refreshing and beautiful read, it doesn't employ any of the New Adult Express tropes, has genuinely likeable, if not loveable lead characters, witty banter and good writing."

Goodreads synopsis:  When Kate Watts abandoned her law career to open a food pantry in Northeast Minneapolis, she never dreamed it would be this difficult. Facing the heartbreaking prospect of turning hungry people away, she is grateful for the anonymous donations that begin appearing at the end of each month. Determined to identify and thank her secret benefactor, she launches a plan and catches Ian —a charismatic hacker with a Robin Hood complex—in the act.
          Ian intrigues Kate in a way no man ever has. But after learning he’s snooped around on her personal computer, she demands retribution. Impressed with her tolerance and captivated by her spirit, he complies and begins to slowly charm his way past her defenses. Time spent with Ian is never boring, and Kate soon finds herself falling for the mysterious hacker.
          But Ian has enemies and they’re growing restless. In the hacking world, exploiting a target’s weakness is paramount, and no price is too high to stop an attack. And when Kate learns exactly how much Ian has paid, she’ll discover just how strong her love is for the man who has hacked his way into her heart.

48. Unexpectedly Mated by Milly Taiden

listened to audio/Audible Escape
narrated by Lauren Sweet
Unabridged audio (4:17)
2014 Latin Goddess Press
216 pgs.
Adult Steamy Romance
Finished 3/7/2020
Goodreads rating:  4.05 - 2639 ratings
My rating: 1.5

First line/s:  "For crying out loud!  Nicole Acosta tugged the earpiece out and glared at it."

My comments: Shoot, I didn't write a review immediately after reading this.  I do remember it's about a pack of wolves that shape shift, so I guess you'd consider them werewolves, right?  This is number three in the series of "Sassy mates."  I remember that for the most part I liked it, it was one of those triple X-rated with a story.  There's a large family that's sort of hard to keep track of all the outlying siblings, wolves, and non wolves.  You can tell that other books of some of the characters have come before, and you're expected to know them.  Oh well.  I won't be reading any others in this series.....

Goodreads synopsis:  After years of lusting over Jake Wolfe, Nicole finally got a taste of the dirty-talking bad boy. During the scenting ceremony, he showed her how explosive things can be between them. But Nicole doesn’t do love. She doesn’t even know what love is. So how can she know if a relationship with Jake would be the right path to take?
          Jake Wolfe wants Nic more than his next breath. She’s curvy, mouthy and so hot his blood boils just thinking of her. But Nic’s been keeping him at a distance. And Jake is tired of her games. One fateful trip to Sin City and all bets are off.
          After a fun night of drinking, Nic wakes up married to Jake and with a second shifter wanting her for himself. She'll have to finally face the feelings she has or shut them out forever. Their newly formed bond will either allow her to open her heart to love or leave Jake without a mate to call his own.
          Warning: If you don't like sex of any kind, this is probably not the book for you. There's graphic language (yes, he tells her how he likes it), sassy humor (come on, it's a Milly Taiden story) and women that won't allow a man to browbeat them into doing what they say (unless they're naked). This book is intended for adults that have no problems with dirty sex, humor and action. If that's you, enjoy!

47. From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

listened to audio on Libby through Bosler Library
narrated by Bahni Turpin
Unabridged audio (6:10)
2020 Katherine Tegen Books
304 pgs.
Middle Grade CRF
Finished 3/6/2020
Goodreads rating:  4.35 - 554 ratings
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary Boston/Somerville/Cambridge, Massachusetts

First line/s:  "The day I turned twelve, I was certain it'd be my favorite birthday yet, but then I got the letter."

My comments:   Ms. Marks has written a book with a wonderful 12-year-old voice, real and believable, with faults and fears, ambitions and beliefs.  Becoming acquainted with her imprisoned father for the first time and following clues to help the Innocence Project get him out of jail was the biggest premise of the book.  She also loved to bake, creating a new recipe for Fruit Loop cupcakes as she interned in a local bakery for the summer.  The setting of Boston/Somerville/Cambridge with an emphasis on Davis Square was detailed and fun for this suburban Boston native.  She wasn't perfect, and that made her all the more real.  I didn't like that the mother had completely given up the father as a murderer, even though he protested he'd never done anything wrong.  Then she blocked her daughter from any access to him.  This was harsh and a bit unbelievable.  Put the book down a a point for me.  However, what a great story for kids!  I wasn't super crazy about the narrator, although her reading ability was right on.  Highly recommended.

Goodreads synopsis:  Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime?
          A crime he says he never committed.
          Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge.
          But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus’s conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn’t know how to balance. The only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies.

46. Stepbrother Inked by Violet Blaze

listened to audio/Audible Escape
narrated by Angelise Rosewood
Unabridged audio (9:42)
2015 Sarian Royal
346 pgs.
Adult Steamy Romance/CRF
Finished 3/6/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.82 - 2005 ratings
My rating:  2.5

First line/s:  "I set the box down on the counter and eyed Flor's ass as he bent over and set a second, much smaller box on the floor with little care or consideration as to what was inside."

My comments: Although billed as a steamy romance, a lot of the story is about what would happen if two kids raised as siblings but not related by blood fall for each other.  There was definitely a lot of steam - they guy in this was your stereotypical 21 year old bad boy tattoo artist ... who loves cats and his mom ... The gal is an 18 year old who  sometimes acts much younger.  Of course there are the mandatory best friends, I really dislike it when they put too much emphasis on those relationships in these books.  Made me think a lot about different  family situations.

Goodreads synopsis:  Forbidden love shouldn't feel so good.
          It also shouldn't hurt so much.
          How could the one person I can't have be the only person I truly need?
          Florian Harper Riley has my heart and he doesn't even know it. I used to think that was okay, that I'd get over him, but no matter how hard I try, I can't purge his sharp green gaze from my thoughts.
          He's a tattoo artist, the love of my life, the man of my dreams.
          But he's also my stepbrother.
          Fate can be wicked cruel.
          *This is a 98,000 word, full length stand-alone novel from debut author Violet Blaze (and it's hot!)*

45. Dulci's Legacy by Margaret Pinard

read on my iPhone/purchased Kindle book
2014 Taste Life Twice Publishing
192 pgs.
YA Time Travel, mostly CRF, with a tiny bit of HF
Finished 3/5/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.88 - 8 ratings
My rating: 3
Setting:  Current & 1777 Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

First line/s:  "God, I hope this place is better than junior high, Dulci Oyselle thought as she passed through the tall double doors into Glace Cove High School."

My comments: This book was written and suggested to me by one of my "friends" on Litsy, which is pretty cool.  It's about time traveling, but in just short fits and spurts, and Dulci has to piece all that she's seen together with similar time traveling that her best friend's brother has had for the last four years, making him close to crazy.  I guess you might call them visions instead of time traveling, or a combination of the the two.  A bit of a different premise, though I wish the 1777 story had been a little bit more compelling.  Why would a Sottish immigrant adopt a 10-year-old Micmac girls?  How would something like that come about?  That was just a little bit fanciful for me, or at least I can't seem to understand how something like that would happen, especially so many years ago.  The contemporary part of the story was interesting ... I particularly appreciated being given information about Celtic drumming and rural Canada.  And I learned a bit about the French and Indian Wars, which I don't know a whole lot about.

Goodreads synopsis:  Dulci Oyselle is a modern 13-year-old girl in Cape Breton, who thinks high school is going to be her big new challenge, but then starts seeing visions of things happening that no one else does.
          Snowy hills appear in the music classroom. Dangerous men square off for a fight below her bedroom window. What is she seeing? And why are these visions appearing now?
          It might have to do with the new boy in town, who is really interested in her, despite her shy awkwardness. Or it could have something to do with her best friend's family; Mehron's brother is a recluse with some unexplained mental illness that has suddenly turned violent.
          Dulci will need to figure out what she's seeing, and why. To do so, she'll need to have faith in herself, a strength she's never needed before. Encouraged by her friends and inspired by one particular vision, she just might be able to pierce the mystery.