headache morning - a bad excuse to skirt my responsibilities

Don't you just hate mornings when you wake up with a headache?
I think I'm just crabby because yesterday was so beautiful, and I was hoping it would last, but no... today is warm and muggy. Yesterday was cool with a nice breeze!

Oh well. To cure my headache I'm drinking coffee and shopping. I've looked through my new embroidery book and have decided to make my soon-to-be-born cousin, Tayla Lynn, a baby blanket (I know! yet another baby!) so I had to look for cute, but not too bold, pink fabrics. The momma, my cousin Connie, is decorating in the traditional Winnie the Pooh style, so I'll have to make a Pooh Pillow too. It's so exciting!

I haven't started on Max's quilt yet. I've got the fabric, but no ideas on how to make it funky.

Also on shopping... check out www.tradeasone.com, which is where I did my shopping this morning. While making coffee, I realized we were out of beans, so I had to get online to order them (nowhere in Stillwater can you buy both Fair Trade and Shade Grown beans, you can only get one or the other) and I went to the website above to buy them this time. I also like 963 coffee and Cafe Humana because they both give their revenue to the missions field (I'll put links to all three site to the right). But, on Trade As One, you can get other cool items other than coffee. Check out what I got.

It's a big bag (I never used to carry big bags, but for work I need to, and I use them for grocery shopping) made by Guatemalan village women (who are paid a fair wage so they can support themselves) from recycled ikat and recycled embroidered silk blouses.

I also got this, which I've been eye-ing for some time because I don't like my current coasters. These are made by women in the Philippines from recycled newspaper.


off topic...
today's post is going to be long because I'm procrastinating again. Gosh, now I feel guilty so I'd better hurry up.
I'll do reports on my summer reading as I go, but I'll keep it short -- promise.

ABARAT by Clive Barker.
Finished yesterday.
It's interesting to read a fantasy novel written by someone who is completely different than you. In fact, I do it a lot, because almost all the best fantasy authors are strange -- in a different way than I am strange, of course.
This book was fun for me, but I doubt any of you would enjoy it. It was a little grotesque, but even the grotesque pictures (the author did all his own illustrations and man is he a good artist) were creative and interesting to look at. With some I had to flip the page quickly. So -- overall, very creative but I don't recommend it even though I kind of liked it and am going to read the next installation.

THE SECRET MESSAGE OF JESUS by Brian McClaren.
Almost finished. It's an amazing book, I'll write on it, because it deserves it's very own post. The only complaint is the title, because it is misleading. I would have titled it something like "returning to the message of Jesus" or "the mysteries of Jesus' message." I'd change it because, with the title as is, it makes it seem like Mclaren is saying he's got a secret that no one else knows, which isn't what he is saying. Anyway, I strongly recommend this book -- in fact, you may get it for Christmas. ;)

OK I better get some chores done. While doing my chores, I'm going to listen to ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Carson Levine.