My sister was able to visit for a bit today, so I made some sourdough cheese crackers. She is a big fan of Cheez Its, so I wanted to make something like those delectable crackers. This recipe was easy to put together and used sourdough discard, which is always a plus.

Have you been baking this week?

I’m moving along on my socks. I hope to reach the heel flap tomorrow. It is too hot to knit big projects, so I’ll be sitting in the air conditioning working on socks until the heat breaks.

July was a crazy month for me, so I distracted myself with novels. I read five books this month, and you probably know how they will all end.

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez. A widow saves a dog. The dog is owned by a famous musician. Bada bing, bada boom, they love each other. This author really wants to write a good book, but just can’t get there. I give this book one out of five stars.

The Upside of Falling Down by Rebekah Crane. An eighteen year old woman is the lone survivor of a plane crash. She is left with amnesia. She runs away from the hospital to find herself, but ends up finding so much more. Predictable, but not bad. I give this book two out of five stars.

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center. You just can’t go wrong with a Katherine Center book. In this novel a woman finds herself on a hiking trip. I was cheering for the characters and loved seeing them develop. I give this book three out of five stars.

Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane. Georgina is fired from her horrible waitressing job. She gets a job at a pub. The pub is owned by her high school love. Guess what happens. This is a fun read, with the exception of a sexual assault. I give this book two out of five stars.

Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson. This book is a fun story about trying to save a yarn shop. I really liked this book, but it ended abruptly. It needs an epilogue or a few more chapters to finish it off. I give the book two out of five stars.

Are you reading anything good?

I’m ready for the weekend. This week has been full of unpacking, exploring the neighborhood, appointments, and more house frustrations. On Wednesday night John discovered that the basement drain was clogged, giving us wet carpet. On Thursday Kevin, the plumber that we are now on a first name basis with, was here to install our new water heater, so he cleared the drain too. Now we wait to see if the carpet will dry out or we will have to tear it out. It has been a week.

This afternoon a surprise came in the mail. It was a box filled with gifts from Bonny. She sent candy, a mask (rainbow dogs!!!), a book (we have the same taste in books), a knit bluebird of happiness (it is already up in my yarn room), a beautiful skein of blue yarn, purple yarn so I can make an emPower People bandana, and her leftover WYS Christmas yarn so I can use her leftovers and my leftovers to make my sister Christmas socks.

It was the perfect box. It made me so happy. I’m now going to sit down and cast on an emPower People bandana and ignore my current WIPs and house issues.

Have a great weekend!

On Wednesday nights I sit down with my knitting and a glass of wine and Skype my best friend. She lives about 350 miles away, and chatting away on the computer makes it feel like we are actually hanging out.

Tonight, while we were chatting, she mentioned that her birthday was yesterday. Did I call her? No. Did I text her? No. Did I realize it was her birthday until she mentioned it? No. I apologized. She was understanding and doesn’t even seem annoyed.

I’ve known Kirsten for 27 years. We met when we were in high school. We were in the same sorority at The University of Iowa (Yay! Hawkeyes and Alpha Xi Delta!!). We hung our sparadoically in our twenties, as our twenties were all about establishing careers and drinking. She moved back to St. Louis when we were in our thirties and we started hanging out more. Since having kids it is rare that we go two months without seeing each other.

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful friend. I can call her and talk about anything with her. I know she will listen without judgement and give me a solid opinion and advice. I dream of her moving to the Des Moines area so I can see her every week.

I am embarrassed I missed her birthday. I am happy I can tell you how great she is.

Have you ever forgotten an important birthday? Please share it with me in the comments to I feel like less of a flake.