Busy with Nina

In the midst of all this reading, I have actually been doing some sewing! For anyone playing along at home, you can follow Jacqueline Leigh Creations on Instagram and Facebook, and my Art has it's own page on Facebook (I may combine them at a later stage).

My Bernina got her name - Nina! And we have been busy working our way through countless projects that have been collecting dust for... well, some of them, a couple of years... and getting orders knocked over as quickly as possible too!

Here's a little selection from my Instagram feed of what's been going on!

Hello baby! #Nina welcome to the family! 30 years younger than her sister #Stella there are some exciting times ahead! #bernina330 #StellaAirElectronic #sew #jlcreations #JacquelineLeighCreations

A photo posted by JacquelineLeigh (@jacquelineleighcreations) on Jan 25, 2016 at 7:29pm PST

Three gorgeous #frizzleinspired dresses are NEARLY ready to wing their way across the country to the wonderful @kit_cath93

A photo posted by JacquelineLeigh (@jacquelineleighcreations) on Mar 15, 2016 at 6:39am PDT

Since I make bags, I thought I had better make myself one to carry around! #emmalinebagspattern - the #emmalinebag #sew #jlcreations #jacquelineleighcreations

A photo posted by JacquelineLeigh (@jacquelineleighcreations) on Mar 15, 2016 at 6:44am PDT

A #WIP shot of a McCalls 6649 dress #chiffon #jacquelineleighcreations #jlcreations #sewing #dressmaking #sew #dancingdress

A photo posted by JacquelineLeigh (@jacquelineleighcreations) on Mar 28, 2016 at 4:35am PDT

⛵️sailing away on the magical school bus with @kit_cath93 #missfrizzle #magicalschoolbus #sew #seamstress #sewing

A photo posted by JacquelineLeigh (@jacquelineleighcreations) on Mar 30, 2016 at 7:40pm PDT

Not-paper towels fresh off the sewing machine! #jlcreations #jacquelineleighcreations #saturdaysewday

A photo posted by JacquelineLeigh (@jacquelineleighcreations) on Apr 2, 2016 at 12:29am PDT

Love watching projects come together! #bunting #jlcreations #jacquelineleighcreations #saturdaysewday

A photo posted by JacquelineLeigh (@jacquelineleighcreations) on Apr 5, 2016 at 4:22am PDT

52 in 52 - book 14 - Pandora's Box - Giselle Green

Pandora's box. "Contains all the evils in the world" in Greek mythology, and although the parallels are drawn here, it is not the goddess Pandora, but the mother/grandmother of the protagonists.

A handy guide on the back of this book lets you prepare yourself- 50% tear-jerker, 20% drama, and 15% each friendship and love.  

For me, the 435 pages held no tears, but it was dramatic, easy to read, and I did stay awake half the night (having started reading at 11pm), two nights in a row to finish it. 

The story of terminally ill Shelly, who has watched her friend with the same disease die a horrible, painful, and drawn out death decides she will not endure the deterioration, she will take matters into her own hands. 

And 2 years as a single mother with full time care of her dying teenage daughter has left Rachel feeling lonely and deserted- by her ex husband, by her best friend as their lives take different courses, and by her mother Pandora who is emigrating to Australia (book set in UK), but not before sending "Pandora's box" full of childhood memories, pain, and best-forgotten-secrets. 

There is love, there is pain, and moral and ethical complexities which make the story interesting and thought provoking. Great read! 

52 in 52 book 13 - Crazy Love - Francis Chan with Danae Yankoski

Amazing. Powerful. Challenging. 

175 pages plus Q&A with the author, this is a hard hitting and challenging book that urges us to walk the talk. Be literal in faith. Don't leave God at church on Sunday. Don't let anyone be surprised when they find out you're Christian- that should be evident in every breath, if you love God and behave as if you do. 

Another book I recommend and I will read again. The call to action in this book has the power to change the world. 

52 in 52 - Book 12 - All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

A book loaned to me by my sister, and it was amazing. 

Not QUITE unputdownable, but pretty close! 

It's been a while since I've been captured in the world of a book whilst "getting on with real life" 

The book is a fictional story based in WWII following the stories of a French girl, Marie-Laure, being raised by her widdower father; and an orphan German boy, Werner, growing up with his younger sister Jutta, and many other orphans under the care of a French house mother, Frau Elena. 

Marie-Laurie spends her days exploring and learning from professors in the museum where her father is the locksmith and master of keys. Despite losing her eyesight at age 6, she is able to use her other senses to perceive the world in colours of a different kind. 

Rumours abound of a cursed diamond, that has made its way through the rise and fall of nations and kingdoms, being stored at the museum. And when the invasion begins, it is with a precious stone that Marie-Laure and her father leave Paris on foot, walking past gridlocked traffic, a standstill caused by the occupants of the city fleeing invasion.  Marie-Laure is unaware of the stone her father carries, and he, not knowing whether it is the cursed diamond or one of 3 copies, anguishes over the risk they will be under the curse. 

The safe house arranged for them is deserted and being looted when they arrive, forcing them to press on to the seaside village his father grew up in, to the family home still occupied by his uncle, Etienne. A man haunted by ghosts of The Great War, Etienne has not left the house in decades, his radio collection allows him to be in touch with the world. 

Werner, being an orphan, will be forced into work in the coal mine as soon as he turns 15. The very place his father died. He and Jutta spend their days exploring, scavenging for extra food for the orphanage, finding odds and ends that have been discarded, and Werner's bright mind sees the patterns, asks questions, invents. He wants to be an engineer, an inventor... He fixes a found radio, then improves it, and before he knows it he is renowned as the radio repairman for the village. It is through this that he is tested and taken in to a excellent school, not knowing at the time of acceptance that he was being trained for war. 

As you can probably tell, this book has made an impression upon me. I will not spoil any more. It is a great read. 530 pages, excellently written. I highly recommend it. 

52 in 52 - Book 10 - Communicating for a Change - Andy Stanley

I've listened to this one! I have listened to very few audio books, however they are quite enjoyable. This one I started months ago (in Jan) whilst driving around the south west. It was Brad's suggestion and so we put it on and I was instantly engrossed. Not only is it well written, it's easy to follow and educational (what more could a girl ask for!) the first half of the book is a story, followed by the second half, which consolidates the theories discussed in the story. I'm currently taking a public speaking course which follows this book, so already I am part way through listening (yep, weird!) to this book a second time. I think it is great, the theories in the book seem like they will require gradual implementation coinciding with growth in public speaking skill and experience. Highly recommend for anyone who does speak publicly, whether they enjoy it or loathe it- because even if you hate speaking, if you somehow get sucked into it, you should probably brush up on it! 

52 in 52 - Book 9 - The Princess Bride - S. Morgenstern, abridged by William Goldman

Ok! The Princess Bride is one of my favourite movies ever! And u was a little sad when I picked up this book and found it was abridged, what had they done?! But!! I quickly discovered that the movie was only the way it is because of the abridging! 

A classic tale of true love and high adventure. I loved it. Easy read, good fun. I love it and want to watch the movie again now! 

52 in 52 - Book 6 - The Dressmaker - Rosalie Ham

The second book I managed to read (on one domestic flight- Australia, you're a mighty country!) was The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham. This is an Aussie book, set in Victoria, and recently has been released as a movie. I heard about the movie before I knew it was a book, but still haven't seen the movie. 

Just under 300 pages, another great read. 

Small towns are often full of drama and gossip, and Dungatar is no exception. Myrtle "Tilly" was forced to leave town as a young child, ostracised because her mother was unwed, abused by her school mates, and blamed for the death of one of her bullies, she was sent away to school in Melbourne, against the will of her mother, who was kept in the dark about her whereabouts and slowly lost her sanity whilst missing her daughter. 

Leaving school in Melbourne to study dressmaking across the globe, she became an exceptional seamstress and designer. Personal tragedy left her feeling alone and defeated, prompting a decision to go back to find and look after her mother. When she couldn't make letter or phone contact, she knew there was no option but to go back to Dungatar. Finding her mother neglected and mad, she fed and nursed her, cleaned and aired the house, and slowly her mother's sanity was restored- though her acid wit was still a constant companion. Though the majority held on to their pre conceived opinion of Tilly, a few were her allies. Tilly's exceptional skills gained her work from the villagers, though not respect or payment - it seems there were cash flow problems due greed and "priorities" 

Vicious and hateful, the village seems doomed from the start, Tilly gets her revenge in the end, leaving the town in her wake with her beloved Singer after the death of both her mother and the man she loved. 

I can't wait to see the movie! It is always good to see someone else's interpretation! 

Happy Australia Day!! 

52 in 52 BOOK 5 - The Beach Cafe - Lucy Diamond

A whirlwind trip across the country for a wedding is always a good opportunity to get into some new books! 8 took the book I was reading with me, but found another 2 at the airport and read both of them whilst away - now I'm back I can get back into The Best Yes ( as well as an audiobook I'm listening to, and an ebook that's on the go....) 

So, The Beach Cafe was a nice easy read, a little under 500 pages, a story of trials and success. Evie has always been the black sheep of her family, and following the tragic and untimely death of her Aunt, she inherits a cafe on the beach in the village that she spent countless childhood holidays. Her family has only doubts in her ability to manage a cafe, and are convinced failure is the only outcome unless she sells the cafe. 

Walking out of a workplace filled with sexual harassment and abuse causes tension between Evie and her long term boyfriend, who is a serious, sensible man, not at all fond of spontaneity or things he deems "irresponsible". Evie heads out of town to her new cafe to try and sort out the staff and how the cafe is actually - a far more daunting task then expected when she comes against upset and angry locals who miss her Aunt, also believing the gossip that Evie will take the easy way out and sell the cafe to some hot shot developer; staff who leave much to be desired; and a cafe surrounded by rubbish, tables filled with dirty dishes, no stock in the kitchen, and customers being served off ham in their sandwiches... Not a great start! 

When her temp agency calls to let her know another position has come up, she feels she has no choice but to go back to the city, her boyfriend, and the harsh judgement of her family. But this position is horrible too, and the judgement of her family is getting her down... 

A candid conversation with her best friend gets her mind ticking... A phone call from her only friend in the village with bad reports about the cafe staff makes up her mind...

Deciding to leave her new job and to go back to her cafe. 

A decision that pushes the tension in her relationship to breaking point... 

So Evie and her best friend pack up all of Evie's belongings and jump in the car without looking back. 

The hurdles just keep coming, it seems nothing can go right for Evie, but she is determined to finally succeed. Her cafe grows in strength and popularity, regaining the joy that it had under the hands of her Aunt. Finally Evie belongs, this is her village, and they embrace her and her cafe. 

Light reading, enjoyable read, good fun.

52in52- Book 3 - Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee

A very late night last night involved tea, spa bath, bubbles, and book! On the 7th day of Jan I am celebrating finishing another book! 

Go Set a Watchman is something of a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960, which has become classic literature and a staple for students to study. Harper Lee was born in 1926, this year she is 90!! And last year (2015) she released Go Set a Watchman. If that's not inspirational, I'm not sure what is. 

Another book following the life of "Scout" - Jean Louise Finch - who is now in her mid 20s and has been living in New York for a number of years. She is back home in Maycombe and is broken by what she sees and hears from the local men in the county regarding the push to prevent the Negro population from having equal rights. Something Jean Louise doesn't even think is a question- everyone is human and should be treated as such. 

 It is well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it, it has been a bit over a decade since I've read To Kill a Mockingbird! Perhaps that's one that needs revisiting. 

Only a few days left of our holiday. We have seen so many friends and loved ones and were even able to help by looking after our friends children whilst she put on her nurses hat and went to assist with a serious boat incident that occurred next to the cafe we were eating at. Very emotionally draining to witness incidents like that, but so blessed to have been there to (attempt) to entertain the girls whilst their mum saved the day! Today we are avoiding bush fires to try and venture back to Perth. Might take 4 hours longer than it should... But that's all part of the adventure isn't it! 

God bless! 

52in52 - book 1 - Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe - Max Lucado

All resolutions start full steam ahead and with great promise and motivation, I hope to make this one last the distance- 52 books in 52 weeks. Today I read Max Lucado's Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe, written with Candace Lee and Eric Newman. It's a 180-odd paged book centering around the life of Chelsea, a woman who's "fresh start" in life following the break down of her marriage and death of her mother is turning out to be her biggest challenge yet. Her guardian angel "Mannie" devises a plan to help her find her way back to where she needs to be to put her life back together.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it was light and yet encountered some heavier topics that have become far too normalised in our society.
I highly recommend it and I am sure I will read it again in. The future!