{Th} read

This week I have two books I'm reading.

And they're my own books - not borrowed from the library or a friend. 

I can't even remember the last time I got a new book,

and in a week's time I got two. :-)

The first book was a gift from my secret sister at church.

In the note attached it said that it was one of her favorites.

I've finished the first two chapters and I am really enjoying it so far.

The setting is on a farm in 1931. :-)

Hidden Places by Lynn Anderson

The best part of this book, though, was the bookmark that came with it!

So pretty!  I just love it.

The other book I'm reading, I just got over the weekend, when we went to Houston.

I got to spend a few minutes in one of my favorite places to "window shop" -

Williams Sonoma. 

I just drool over everything in there.  

And, I also wonder what kind of folks can afford most of the stuff they sell.

On this visit I got a chuckle over a $20 jar of frosting.

$20!!  Granted it was cute packaging and it looked yummy, but still. ;-)

Chicken and Egg by Janice Cole

There are always a lot of really nice cookbooks to look at Williams Sonoma.

I spotted this book last fall and thumbed through it.

This time it was on a clearance rack for 1/2 price

so I snatched it right up. 

It's a memoir of chicken keeping with lots of recipes included.

I think I'm going to like it a lot!

As far as crafting goes - this week I started a blue baby blanket 

for a nephew due in late November.  

I've made this particular blanket before

and it is definitely a "thinking" project,

meaning it takes a lot of counting and full concentration.

I was a little unsure if I should tackle it right now

seeing that my lazy days of summer are swiftly coming to an end,

and I will be a busy girl as soon as school starts back.

But, you know what I did?

I looked at the pattern again.  The blanket is 229 rows long.

I simply divided the number of rows by the number of days I had to work on it 

in order to be finished by the end of November. 

 I quickly realized that even if I only knitted 3 rows a day 

I could still be finished with it by the middle of October! 

 Looking at it that way made it seem SO much more doable.  

And aren't so many things like that??

Something can seem so daunting when faced with the big picture,

but when you break it down and just do a little bit each day,

one foot in front of the other as they say,

all of a sudden it doesn't seem so bad.

Finishing a project, loosing 10 pounds, saving for a vacation, reading a book,

cleaning out a closet, etc...

It's all easier if you just break it down and take it one step at a time. 

So whatever you're facing right now, just put one foot in front of the other

and before you know it you'll reach your destination! :-)

And, isn't it the getting started part that is the hardest? ;-)

As all knitters know that is definitely the hardest part of knitting.

The first few rows are always tight and hard to knit,

but after you get going it's much easier. 

I would say that's probably true for most things...

Week of August 6th