Valentine's Weekend

This weekend was wonderful. DH & I attended a new church mixer as we are helping to mentor a new young pastor as he starts a church in the Memphis area. We don't plan to leave our home church but are helping out for the time being. This weekend was the first event. I worked the registration table, hubby worked security and our daughter provided child care. It was a family event for us. We did have a candlelight luncheon that was catered by Coletta's Italian Restaurant. Hmmm...good. The highlight of my day was watching my hubby line dance for about 20 minutes with our daughter. He did pretty good for his first try since he claims to have 2 left feet. When we got home, DH gave me a small container of my favorite chocolates. Couldn't be more perfect than that. Then on Sunday, DH surprised me by renewing my Threads subscription for 3 years. I would say that was a good Valentine's day present. All in all, it was a great Valentine's Day weekend.

"The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard"

Had read a bit about this book in our local newspaper and thought the title was intriguing so I ordered the book from Barnes & Noble. It is a fascinating look at the early 20th century and the development of Los Angeles along with Hollywood. Young girls flee their families and farms in search of a dream. The main character is a young girl named Nell who is unhappily married at a young age (17) with 2 infants. She has worked on her parents farm and then on her husband's family's farm in rural Kansas. It is a hard life. Her only skill is sewing in which she excels. A visiting preacher tells her about California and she dreams of a better life for herself. Sewing for the town folk, she saves enough money to buy a train ticket to Los Angeles. Then she runs away from her husband and children. The story continues for the next 20+ years as she marries again and has another child. She sews for the high society ladies of Los Angeles and ends up with a job at Universal Studios where is a costumer. Just when her future is the brightest, her 2 older daughters turn up on her doorstep and turns her world upside down. The story does not have a happy ending. In fact, it leaves you wanting more from this author. According to the excerpt, the story is based on the author's grandmother's life. The author is Erin McGraw. I loved the book and read it over a weekend. Maybe there will be a sequel. I certainly hope so.