That's All...
Friday, September 23, 2011
Reading
With all that we have going on this year my reading time has only really been for a little while before I turn the light out each night and usually I find myself too tired! The next night I often have to go back a few pages to re-read and catch up again! So it is slow going for me and books in 2011, not enough quality time!
With all the hoopla over the movie, I decided to read the book first, so off I went to our fabulous local bookstore and picked up a copy of "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I am the first to admit that I am not one for writing a decent book review so all I will say is I loved it and I can not wait to see the movie!!
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about it;
Plot summary
The Help is set in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi and told from the perspective of three women: Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. Aibileen is an African-American maid who cleans houses and cares for the young children of various white families. Her first job since her own 24-year-old son was killed on his job, is caring for toddler Mae Mobley Leefolt. Minny is Aibileen's confrontational friend who frequently tells her employers what she thinks of them. Her actions have led to her being fired from 19 jobs. Minny's most recent employer was Mrs. Walters, mother of Hilly Holbrook. Hilly is the social leader of the community, and head of the Junior League. She is the nemesis of all three main characters.
Miss Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is the daughter of a prominent white family whose cotton farm employs many African-Americans in the fields, as well as in the household. Skeeter has just finished college and comes home with big dreams of becoming a writer; her mother's big dream for her is to get her married, although Skeeter is not interested. What does interest her is that Constantine, the maid who raised her, is nowhere to be found: Skeeter's family tells her that Constantine abruptly quit and went to live with relatives in Chicago. Constantine had been writing to Skeeter the whole time she was away at college and the most recent letter had promised her a surprise upon her homecoming. Skeeter does not consider Constantine's unexplained absence a good surprise and wonders what happened, but nobody will discuss Constantine.
During the weekly bridge club that Skeeter attends with Hilly, Mrs. Walters, and Elizabeth Leefolt, Hilly discusses her belief that all homes should have separate bathroom facilities for the "colored" help. This discussion awakens Skeeter to the realization that her friends' maids are treated very differently from how white people are treated. She decides that she wants to reveal the truth to the world from the maids' perspectives by writing a book about it. Written in the first person from the perspective of Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter, the struggles Skeeter experiences to communicate with the maids and gain their trust is revealed, as well as the issues of overcoming long-standing barriers in customs and laws by all of the characters. The daily lives of Southern homemakers and their maids during the early 1960's in Mississippi are explored. The dangers of undertaking writing a book about African-Americans speaking out in the early '60s hover constantly over the three women.
With all the hoopla over the movie, I decided to read the book first, so off I went to our fabulous local bookstore and picked up a copy of "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I am the first to admit that I am not one for writing a decent book review so all I will say is I loved it and I can not wait to see the movie!!Here is what Wikipedia has to say about it;
Plot summary
The Help is set in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi and told from the perspective of three women: Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. Aibileen is an African-American maid who cleans houses and cares for the young children of various white families. Her first job since her own 24-year-old son was killed on his job, is caring for toddler Mae Mobley Leefolt. Minny is Aibileen's confrontational friend who frequently tells her employers what she thinks of them. Her actions have led to her being fired from 19 jobs. Minny's most recent employer was Mrs. Walters, mother of Hilly Holbrook. Hilly is the social leader of the community, and head of the Junior League. She is the nemesis of all three main characters.
Miss Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is the daughter of a prominent white family whose cotton farm employs many African-Americans in the fields, as well as in the household. Skeeter has just finished college and comes home with big dreams of becoming a writer; her mother's big dream for her is to get her married, although Skeeter is not interested. What does interest her is that Constantine, the maid who raised her, is nowhere to be found: Skeeter's family tells her that Constantine abruptly quit and went to live with relatives in Chicago. Constantine had been writing to Skeeter the whole time she was away at college and the most recent letter had promised her a surprise upon her homecoming. Skeeter does not consider Constantine's unexplained absence a good surprise and wonders what happened, but nobody will discuss Constantine.
During the weekly bridge club that Skeeter attends with Hilly, Mrs. Walters, and Elizabeth Leefolt, Hilly discusses her belief that all homes should have separate bathroom facilities for the "colored" help. This discussion awakens Skeeter to the realization that her friends' maids are treated very differently from how white people are treated. She decides that she wants to reveal the truth to the world from the maids' perspectives by writing a book about it. Written in the first person from the perspective of Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter, the struggles Skeeter experiences to communicate with the maids and gain their trust is revealed, as well as the issues of overcoming long-standing barriers in customs and laws by all of the characters. The daily lives of Southern homemakers and their maids during the early 1960's in Mississippi are explored. The dangers of undertaking writing a book about African-Americans speaking out in the early '60s hover constantly over the three women.
I Heart Prints Charming
Way back in June, my friend Nic organised a night learning to embroider at the totally fabulous Prints Charming studio (which has now closed as the wonderful Cath and Kirsten concentrate on their fabric lines rather than retail - phew they are still doing workshops!!). Jen and Amy joined us as well as some other lovely ladies and we proceeded to learn embroidery stitches whilst supping red wine and nattering away! And we are all making this lovely cushion. Typical as ever of me, it is 3/4 finished...
... and I moved onto the next thing....which happened to be another Prints Charming embroidery work shop, this time on their Christmas decorations.
I am struggling to find the time to get any quality time to craft at the moment so I am really enjoying the few hours time out here and there to sit back, relax and stitch away! We are also having a catch up in late October so I must remember to put the crochet down for a while and get some embroidery done so I have some show and tell! Oh yes and the lovely Nic, hosted Jen, Amy and I in her beautiful home way back at the beginning of August to get some crafty/chatty time in. I took along my Pies and Tarts but was late joining in as I had been out the night before with the school mums and was feeling a little dusty.....need I say more?I hope to catch up with these lovelies more regularly as I really enjoying whiling the day away with them! Thanks goodness for SIT as that is where I had the pleasure of first meeting them all!
... and I moved onto the next thing....which happened to be another Prints Charming embroidery work shop, this time on their Christmas decorations. 
I am struggling to find the time to get any quality time to craft at the moment so I am really enjoying the few hours time out here and there to sit back, relax and stitch away! We are also having a catch up in late October so I must remember to put the crochet down for a while and get some embroidery done so I have some show and tell! Oh yes and the lovely Nic, hosted Jen, Amy and I in her beautiful home way back at the beginning of August to get some crafty/chatty time in. I took along my Pies and Tarts but was late joining in as I had been out the night before with the school mums and was feeling a little dusty.....need I say more?I hope to catch up with these lovelies more regularly as I really enjoying whiling the day away with them! Thanks goodness for SIT as that is where I had the pleasure of first meeting them all!
The Happiest Hooker
It clicked, it fell into place and I am on the way to making a big Granny Square throw for our new lounge in the family room once the reno is complete. I take it with me just about EVERYWHERE I go, and even considered taking it to the movies today to hook away whilst the kids watched The Smurfs - though I did decide to relive my childhood and actually watch the movie! My technique is far from perfect, my tension is all over hte place but I am Love Love Loving it and am nervous about what will become of this obsession!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Not a Happy Hooker
My gran, bless her, tried on numerous occasions to teach me how to crochet. Granma (who I adored and still miss terribly, even after nearly 11 years since she passed away) was the ultimate domestic goddess, she baked, cooked, sewed, knitted, crocheted, you name it and she knew the crafty stuff...and when it came to me she usually had the patience of a saint. But not when it came to teaching me how to crochet. I am left handed, Gran was right handed. I always thought this was the problem...until today.
Weeks ago I was delighted that the beautiful little shop Calico and Ivy was running a beginners crochet class. Yippee, I signed up and was delighted to get a spot. Off I toddled after school drop off this morning, chose my yarn (a gorgeous combo of charcoal, olive, red and off-white), got my hook and was ready to rock and roll. It turned out I even knew the teacher from when she used to work at my local quilt shop.
What a disaster. I just ended up frustrated and well and truly ticked off. I just couldn't get it! There was more tension in my shoulders than there was in my work!
I will not let it get the better of me though. We meet again for the 2nd part of the workshop in 2 weeks. I will absolutely have accomplished something and accomplished it well by then! Even if I choose never to crochet again, I will be making a granny square throw, and it will be beautiful and it will be made totally by me!!!! Stay tuned!
Weeks ago I was delighted that the beautiful little shop Calico and Ivy was running a beginners crochet class. Yippee, I signed up and was delighted to get a spot. Off I toddled after school drop off this morning, chose my yarn (a gorgeous combo of charcoal, olive, red and off-white), got my hook and was ready to rock and roll. It turned out I even knew the teacher from when she used to work at my local quilt shop.
What a disaster. I just ended up frustrated and well and truly ticked off. I just couldn't get it! There was more tension in my shoulders than there was in my work!
I will not let it get the better of me though. We meet again for the 2nd part of the workshop in 2 weeks. I will absolutely have accomplished something and accomplished it well by then! Even if I choose never to crochet again, I will be making a granny square throw, and it will be beautiful and it will be made totally by me!!!! Stay tuned!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)