Because I was pretty much absent this past month, I thought I’d use my first Sunday Coffee in awhile to bullet up a miscellaneous post of books and life. Here’s how my month went:

Moving: This consumed most of the month. First the decision to move, then beginning the process, then having to move the date up drastically…it meant a month of construction and packing. There was a sudden flurry of activity in our house, which meant me spending a week in a hotel because I just don’t deal with chaos very well, and then a week of packing/loading/etc while the boys were in school. We had a weekend off for wedding stuff, and left on Monday the 29th. Our trip went really well, including two extremely well-behaved kitties, and we arrived mid-afternoon on Tuesday. Things have not been easy since our arrival, so we’re just trying to take things one day at a time.

Family: My sister got married last weekend! It was our family’s last evening in Texas before the move and it was wonderful to see everyone and be able to have that happy moment to share with all the family before we left.

Olympics: I mostly missed the 2012 Olympics because I was on vacation without a lot of TV access at the time. I wasn’t going to miss them this time, even if I was packing and working on the house at the same time! I took breaks from work to watch swim heats and gymnastic routines, and I had the TV on for hours at a time while I listened for events that I was interested in. I set up my packing station right in the middle of the living room so that it would be easy to multi-task. Ha!

Crochet: Most of my yarn art this month revolved around winter accessories and a few other larger projects which will be saved for later individual posts. I did, however, want to feature a project that was technically finished at the very end of July. I made this bookmark for Allie for a book swap, using embroidery thread and the tiniest hook ever. (Well, no, not the tiniest. There are smaller hooks. But still. After using larger hooks for so long, the 1.5-mm hook was just so small!) It was my first thread project and it came out really lovely. I plan to make a similar bookmark for myself when I find the time. [slightly-modified pattern from Crochet Nirvana]

Additionally, I was able to make a gift of homemade place-mats and coasters for my sister and new brother-in-law, done in their favorite colors. [Pattern via Moogly; Yarn: Lily Sugar’n Cream cotton]

Books: I expected books to fall to the side this month, but I ended up stress-reading quite a bit, and listening to audiobooks while I worked. I read six books total, including the phenomenal Bellweather Rhapsody, and at some point I might get to reviewing all the books I didn’t review because moving. I also participated in the above-mentioned book swap (not realizing I’d be moving partway through!). I got this lovely package from Erica before we left Texas:

She chose all my most-wanted books, and got my a mystery Harry Potter figure that turned out to be Hermione! I’ve been carrying her with me as a talisman as I deal with all this moving-related stress.

I think that’s about all for now. I’m not sure I’ll be back to blogging full-time for awhile. Things will be different while I’m living with my in-laws and with minimal stuff, plus worrying about selling a house and buying/renting a new house. My brain will likely be consumed with Other Things for a time. Hopefully I’ll be here enough to keep up with y’all a little, though!