Learning Again

This new year has gotten off to a start. A start. It feels new, rocky, overwhelming, exciting, tiring and frustrating. I want to get a million things accomplished and I want to crawl back into bed until spring. Everything to be done swirls around me and can feel overwhelming and I feel like the man in the picture below. In a place of safety in the midst of the storm, but feeling a little trapped too.

Google images

Our household is still full with three families. Many times it feels like 7 against 3. Or 7 and 1 against 2. Or 7 and 1 and 1 against me. I often feel like I'm in the center, offering stability and advice to everyone when what I want is for someone else to make decisions and take care of grocery shopping, chores, managing finances and offering encouragement on all of those things to everyone else. For someone else to listen to the concerns everyone has with everyone else when you have 10 people in a 1500 square foot home.

And we are going to grow by one. My niece and her husband are expecting a baby who will come as we transition from spring to summer. And I was not able to be excited for them.

I know some of it is my stress levels. I am working again; it is not full time, but it is something I can do and leave behind me when I walk out the door after my shift. And working is good, but it also means the time I had for studying and doing the household chores has been curtailed. I am still a student and this quarter has more reading than I anticipated and is pushing me in new ways which are good and difficult.

I keep reminding myself this is a season. And seasons come and go; the quietness of winter gives way to the new life of spring. Spring moves on to the growth and bursting life of summer who in turn gives way to the harvest of fall. And then fall moves over to the quietness of winter again.

But my quiet is not here. It is not around me, it is not in my home. And many times, it is not in me. The maelstrom of thoughts, intents, need-to-do lists, must-happen-now items, how-will-we-manage concerns seems as if it is only quieted at night in sleep.

Google images

Although it can be hard to remember in the midst of it, I can always be thankful I am not alone in the storm of my thoughts and life.

Changing Seasons

I always look forward to the Fall.  The weather cools and I'm more comfortable, kids in the neighborhood go back to school and a new Bible study starts at church.  This year, all of this has still occurred, but has taken on deeper meaning.

With the temperatures finally at a daytime level I enjoy and so wonderfully cool at night, my comfort level has been changing. It's always amazing to me when I see just how God intends to work in my life - it's as if I just woke up to the specifics of His grace at that moment.

I lost my job in July. I wasn't the employee I needed to be. No matter how unhappy I was, it was still a blow to the ego. But I also rejoiced in it. I had freedom to find what would make me happy, time to see what God would reveal in this next phase of life. So while I'm out of work and the comfort of that steady paycheck, I've also had time to enjoy my cousin and our relationship, time to vacation with my sister, her girls and my parents, time to clean out my house to make room for family. And He has shown me what I really need to be able to live.

Taking the dinghy back to the boat

Fall and kids going back to school has always meant the neighborhood was quieter during the day, but didn't overly affect my home since our children are grown and out on their own. In August, our little household of three (Rob, my cousin and I) grew to 10. We were able to step in and help Rob's niece, husband and children by providing a home to stay in for a time. And they have 4 school-age children and a 9-month-old. And school has taken on a more hands-on approach for the household.

I have also decided to go back to school. I start tomorrow to earn my degree in Social Work. It's only one day a week, for 11 quarters, but it's enough to have me checking my bag to make sure I have everything I need.

Fall Quarter 2012

Thankfully, I have Bible study to keep me grounded. We just started Beth Moore's new study on James and already it's encouraging me.

James 1:2-3, The Message (MSG)
Faith Under Pressure

^2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

I'm headed into a  new season with family, school and comfort levels. It's going to be exciting to see what He does with me and in me.

One Step at a Time

I was inspired to give Spark People another try after seeing the success of a woman at work. She too had been struggling with her weight, but she's taken the bull by the horns and really jumped into SP and Couch to 5K. And she looks great!

It really got me thinking about what I was doing - which was just thinking and not doing. At all. I kept coming up with excuses, kept feeling sorry for myself, kept thinking "if only."

* If only I had enough time
* If only I could afford a gym membership
* If only I could find the right program, motivation, etc

BUT: *If* I want to change, I *only* have to take a small step. Standing still isn't helping me, so a step forward will.

This week there were a couple of articles that really spoke to me. One about changing the "2 steps forward, 1 step back" to "1 step back, 2 steps forward." The idea of deliberately seeing the positive instead of the negative.

The other article shot holes in my excuses - I did watch TV off TiVo, so what's an extra half hour wait while I get in a quick walk? Or taking the commercials as an opportunity to quickly get some housework done?

I've been tracking my food this week to get back into the habit. Next week, I'll continue tracking food, but add walking to the routine.

One step at a time.

Quick update, anyone?

Well, I haven’t done what I thought I would several weeks ago which is write up the year so far. Books have continued to be read, a little bit of knitting continues to happen and I continue to allow other things to prevent me from blogging.

I have a book club meeting tomorrow – the first official “We’ve read a book and plan to discuss it” meeting. We chose C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce. Surprisingly, we didn’t have that on the bookshelf so off to Powell’s we went to remedy this glaring omission. (There are plenty of others we lack as well, but this was a definite necessity)

I enjoyed this quick-to-read book. I had been concerned I wouldn’t enjoy it, the possibility it would be a slog to read or that it just wouldn’t speak to me. Instead, I’ve found myself re-reading sections and thinking about past bible studies, my own personality when compared to the ghosts in the story and am very glad it was chosen. I’m looking forward to tonight’s discussion with the girls.

I’ve knit the second Whirligig shrug. The first was knit for a co-worker’s new daughter, the second for my youngest niece. I need to wash and dry them, sew a label into them and wrap them up all pretty for gifting.

We’ve done a little bit of yard work. This year I actually managed to put flowers into the two planters we have placed near the front door. We planted a fir in the front yard that’s likely to get rilly rilly big, but hey, since we don’t plan on living in the house another 30 years, it won’t be our problem.

All right, enough chatting. Back to work.

I'm still here . . . I think

Half the year is officially past and what do I have to show for it?

Well, I’ve read books in there. Just under 40, I think. Mostly fiction, but I did have a couple of non-fiction in there too. Most recent was a book about a company that provides “bio-remediation" or the removal of bio matter from scenes of death, violent or not. Very fascinating.

Some knitting. A couple of baby sweaters. Some dishcloths.

Working. Bible studies.

I have pictures and need to work up some real posts. It’s a long holiday weekend, so I think that’s what I’ll do.

Happy Easter!

Tulips are spring to me. They're a simple flower with a short time frame to be enjoyed. They aren't fussy and high maintenance. They don't mind giving way to other showier flowers. They just grow, be what they are and then die away until next spring when it starts all over again.

It's Easter Sunday and families are gathering to enjoy a holiday dinner together. Rob & I are at home rather than heading out to Hillsboro because of the rotten cold I have. It kept me home today rather than going to Easter services and risk passing it on.

Rob said it was a great message today and I'm sorry to have missed it. They also did communion and knowing it's also Resurrection Sunday would have given it even greater weight and meaning.



Right now, Rob is pretending to watch TV, but he's really just napping in his chair. I'm tapping away on the computer, wandering around FB, Ravelry and Google Reader.

I finished a few knitting projects in March: a sweater for Gavin, a mug cozy for Rob, some legwarmers for Khylee.



I still have a hat for Samantha, another hat for Erin, and a baby sweater for a little girl due this month.

I've been doing a little bit of reading in March as well. A bit of a slow month for the books since I've only read three. All by Nora Roberts/JD Robb. The first was The Lost, an anthology with 3 other writers. The Robb story fit in with the Lt. Eve Dallas "In Death" series. It was followed by a library book, Kindred in Death. The last is an old Silhouette by Roberts, Enchanted. It brings back the Donovans from an earlier trilogy, but focuses on a different branch.

I did finish a library book yesterday, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. This was very interesting, humorous and a great break from fiction.

What's Been Happening

Well, we gained a grandson in January: Gavin Russell.
Grandpa Rob is in love. Of course, it doesn't hurt when the pumpkin causing the love also wears a shirt saying "My Grandpa is the Best."

We've been wondering what our cats do when we're gone. The answer appears to include the word "Party."

And I finally finished Mom's sweater. I have a button to sew on and 2 ends to weave in. Yay!

I just wrapped up a sweater for Gavin as well. It only needs buttons. Now to knit:
Legwarmers for Khylee
Hat for Erin
Hat for Katherine
Socks for Rob
Monster doll for Gavin and Joshua

And to read the pile of books from the library.

Not much to do around here.

It's November already?!

I can't believe it's already the last full week of November and the holidays are about to knock on the door. I knew the holidays were coming and have been thinking about knitted gifts for a select few, but I'm still woefully unprepared.

Let's see, Sean and Erica are expecting a little boy, Gavin, soon. Her original due date was late January and pulled in to mid January, but with the latest appointment (baby's going into a head down position and 6.5 lbs) we're anticipating her going at the end of December.

Erin's still in school, working an on-campus job and just took on a seasonal job scanning tickets at Snoqualmie Summit. She'll be down at Thanksgiving, but with the ski season opening up soon, I imagine she may need to go right back. She's coming down with her boyfriend, David, and staying at her mom's but we'll see her a bit.

I've managed to knit a hat and scarf for a gift basket, but neglected to take pictures (Lame!). I've finished a scarf for a gift and will be casting on for a hat for someone else's gift.

I've continued to read - I'm up to 78 books for the year - and the reading has interfered with the knitting.

There are photos from 2 events on the camera in need of downloading and touch-ups before I send out copies to people.

But bible study is wrapping up and that will give me back a few hours on Sunday and Monday to get these other items done.

I need to get back into regular blogging. I'm spending a lot of time at Facebook (Hello, Farm Town. I'm looking at you). I need to shoot for a weekly update. That wouldn't be too much would it?

I just need to focus.

Getting stuff done

Am actually getting some knitting done lately! Finished these Natalya gauntlets for Erin, knitted in Pingouin yarn on size 8 DPNs. This is the second time I've knit these for her, but this time it's in a yarn that won't felt in the wash. The first pair didn't have the individual fingers like this pair and that's what she wanted this time.



Have other things going on:

* Finishing Mom's sweater
* Attending the Portland Sail for the Cure for Mom. She's coordinating the Sail in San Diego and I'm going to scout out how Portland does their set-up.
* Knitting a sweater for Khylee's upcoming 7th birthday
* Knitting something for Gigi's upcoming birthday
* Knitting a hat & gloves for the November Creative Exchange "Warm & Cozy" basket
* Knit Christmas gifts for 4 nieces and 1 nephew
* Knit a baby blanket for the new grandson, Gavin, due in January

Mixed in all of that is:

* Bible study through November
* Dental appointments
* Women of Faith in October
* Required time off in the October-December time frame (2 weeks!)

It's going to be busy! I'll just need to be focused and patient like Smudge and Tribble.

Sock Summit!

Today was Day 3 at Sock Summit 2009. I didn't take any classes, but I did go down as a volunteer today from 7am to 1pm. I worked at the ticket desk selling the marketplace tickets and show books. Great group of ladies led by JoAnn (on ST-2). If there was a lull, everyone was picking up their knitting.

After I was done at 1pm, I made my way into the Marketplace. Lots to see and buy, let me tell you. I'd made a plan by reviewing all the vendors online, going to their websites and deciding to try to spend my money at the smaller booths rather than the larger store booths. Gotta support the independent sellers.

I bought the yarn below:


L to R: Black Watch from RabbitWorks, Andes Mints from StitchJones, South Pacific and Blackbewwie from Lisa Souza, Coffee Haus and Swamp Thing from Rainy Days and Violet from Wool Candy.

Then I also got the accessories below:


L to R: Lovely little triangular bag from Knit Purl Sew What, another project bag from Wendy Sloneker and some pewter sheep stitch markers from KnitWit Momma (at the Mama Llama booth).

I definitely bought more than planned and am trying to convince myself that some of it will be for Christmas gifts. And as Christmas gifts, they don't really count right?

On the flip side of yarn, here's my current to-read pile. A few books were started, but really all of it is just waiting for me to pluck it from the pile and get settled down.

The End is the Beginning

It's been a difficult day here. I spent an hour on the phone with the daughter who doesn't understand why her father felt the need to ask that she not argue with her brother in the car today. She was insulted and proceeded to argue. Youth always thinks arguing will change the minds of their parents, don't they? Suffice it to say, she was un-invited from joining her father to pick up her brother.

We are struggling right now with adult children (if you can call 19 and 21 adults) who wish to live their lives according to their wants, but who also call us to help them with meeting their needs. How do you support adult children without actually giving them support? Rob and I are trying to lives that embody our Christian beliefs. Trying to love those around us, trying to give over the momentary troubles of today to God in order to focus on the race before us, trying to make right choices on a moment by moment basis. Some days are harder than others and so it is today.

Today brought home to me how much their respect for us and our choices feels like lip service given by them. The expectation of respect for their choices also comes with the expectation we will still provide money when they need it. We are a private lending institution with the names of Dad and Gina.

Don't get me wrong, they love their father. They don't forget Father's Day, they call him on his birthday, and try to give some thought to Christmas gifts for him. But they don't understand they pain they cause him, the grief he has over their choices, his difficulty in sharing his thoughts about their choices.

And, we are so tired. Tired of being taken for granted, tired of being argued with, being told our values, way of thinking, personalities and thought processes are "stupid." Tired of being forgotten (that one is me - no regular Mother's day or birthday greetings for this stepmom). Tired of putting our own financial needs to the side. And you know it's time for a change when you realize you are giving more than a passing thought to moving and not leaving a forwarding address.

We are going to be grandparents. Our son is in a struggling relationship and now she's pregnant. He's determined to be in the child's life, but they have a difficult road ahead of them. They are not married, but living together, can barely make ends meet anyway and now a child is on the way.

Our daughter is in college, but living with her boyfriend. We committed to providing tuition, but all other expenses are hers. There is great struggling for her in wanting to truly be on her own doing whatever she wants and still needing us because she's struggling to make ends meet as well.

When they decided to live with their significant other, we cut off support for living expenses. It may seem harsh, to cut off our children only because they chose to live with their significant other. But as Christians, we will not lend support to sin. But, oh, how we've struggled with it. Who wants their child to have to struggle when it's a simple thing to buy groceries, hiking boots, give money because they lost their wallet?

But, we've reached the point of drawing a tough line and living by it with them. We've felt our hearts being tugged by pity and sorrow for their choices and it's costing us emotionally and monetarily and it is taking a toll on us physically.

We will be putting into action the ability to say no. To say to them "No, we can't help you." To say to ourselves "No, they need to be able to do it themselves." and to say to others "No, they have made the choice to be adults."

We don't know what will be before us once we begin, but oh how glad we are to know we will not be walking this difficult path alone.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Feeling (way too) Hot Hot Hot!

The temperature in the house (after having the window A/C on for 30 minutes) and the outdoor temperature. The sensor is on the front of our garage and gets the afternoon sun.

Weather Bug says it's only 104 out, but it's just too darn hot!

Mental Floss Quiz!

Harry Potter Character or Hideous Skin Disease?



Score: 92% (11 out of 12)

I did better than I thought I would!

Happy Fourth!

Happy Independence Day! It's one day after Mom's birthday (Hi Mom! Did you get my voicemail?) and only a couple of days from my birthday.

But today, we celebrate the birth of our nation the best way Americans can: with food, fireworks and family.

On the agenda today:

1) Go to the Red Cross and donate platelets.



Done. It didn't look like I'd be able to since my iron reading wasn't high enough. But they tested on the other hand and the reading came out fine! And once I was hooked up, my platelet count was high enough to do a triple donation. Score! And just because I was willing to come in on a holiday, I received the above t-shirt, a coupon for 2-for-1 tickets to a Portland Beavers game and an apple pie!

2) Go eat and blow things up at the BIL's. They live out on Sauvie Island and there will be bbq'ing, lots of food, target shooting (for some), knitting (for me) and lots of family. Four generations stuffing their faces and enjoying the heck out of one another.

3) Keep knitting on Mom's sweater. The second sleeve is almost done on her CeCe and about ready to join all the pieces to finish the yoke.

4) Share yarn-y things.

This is the yarn I bought at the Dancing Ewe the last time I was in Ellensburg. In the clearance for only $3 each! 100 g skeins of Allhemp6 in an awesome shade of green.



And these were knit last month for a baby shower. The happy parents opted to not know the sex of the baby so what to make that could work for a boy or girl? How about Blu jeans? Easy peasy to knit and a definite hit with the parents. This may become my go-to baby gift.

My head is spinning!

So much going on. So much that defies understanding.

The daughter is wrapping up her first year of college. School until Spring Quarter was going well with an A average. But now . . . now . . . it's changing all too quickly.

Once engaged to be married in December, it was broken off in April. Once planning to move in with 3 other girls into a campus apartment, now moving in with a new boyfriend and another couple. Once a strong student, well, still a strong student but one that's going to repeat a class and take an incomplete on another in order to "keep the A average."

Rob and I have always held that we would not provide living expenses should she make the adult decision to live with someone. Adult decisions require adult responsibility. She will now be taking on all expenses for herself with the exception of medical, vision and dental coverage. She knew this, expected it. Except she forgot two other things: Her cell phone? Hers. Her car insurance? Hers.

These last two were shocks to her system. She hadn't planned on paying for those. But, they are part of an adult life and as an adult living with her boyfriend, they are part and parcel as well.

What does this mean for Rob and I? Well, a lot of prayer for our kids who are not following the path we'd hoped they would follow. A resolve to stand for our beliefs as Christians and not underwrite their lifestyles (both will now be living with significant others). A desire to show love to our children while encouraging them to rediscover the faith they've abandoned.

And maybe a few more weekend getaways. For peace of mind, you know.

Happy Mother's Day

Mom - who raised 3 daughters and a son



My sister Chris - raising two daughters of her own


My sister Kim - just starting out with her first, a daughter

Pictures of the recent fun

Our vacation location: The Plan Sea out of Chula Vista



Plenty of room for 6 adults and 1 baby. As long as most of the time is spent on deck!

Rob's favorite plants appear to be palm trees. He loves taking pictures of them or being photographed with them. This is out along the jetty where there's a park and path. It was a beautiful morning and we passed a couple of groups doing tai chi in the park.



Dad made sure they had a PFD for Giselle on board. Is she conveying an acceptance to wearing it or astonishment over Dad's hair?



Mom also got quality time with Gigi. Here they are, both in their fleece. Although I think Gigi's was footed and Mom's was only a jacket.



Here's the entire Barrera clan: Tony, Kim and Gigi. They got to enjoy nicer weather than what was happening back home in the Mid-West.



Mom & Dad had a kayak moored along side the boat. Rob spent some time tooling about the harbor. I'd hoped to be able to give it a try myself, but the wind was picking up with Rob came back in. Maybe next time.

Where has the time gone?

It's been over a month since I last blogged. Facebook has taken over my life. It's so easy to hop on and see what little things people are doing. And I'm totally caught up in Hatchlings (find an egg! watch it hatch! feed the pets!).

But much has happened in the last few weeks.

March
* I went to Chicago in March and had a lovely time with my newest niece. Since she's only 4 months old (at the time), I also was able to spend time with her parents, my sister and her husband.
* I returned to Vancouver in time to sleep in my own bed and then head out to Ellensburg to visit our daughter. We spent quality time with her in the emergency room where she was checked out for a concussion from a car accident the night before. We went over items for her to do for her upcoming trip to Scotland, paid for Spring quarter and returned to Vancouver on Monday in time for me to . . .
* Teach at bible study that night and again on Tuesday morning
* I vegged out the next two days and then cleaned the house in time for my other sister to arrive with her girls for a quick visit. We had my brother's kids, her girls and our son overnight for a very full house.
* I was happy to return to work for the last two weeks of March.

April
* We went to San Diego to visit Mom and Dad and had the opportunity to see Kim, Tony and Giselle in SD as well.
* We learned first the delay of our daughter's wedding and then the cancellation of it within a 24 hour period
* Rob just celebrated his 46th birthday

I'm looking at the calendar and we still have an upcoming visit from my brother-in-law, 3 more weeks of bible study, another week off in May for me and an anniversary trip for us to Eagle Crest.

All of these things going on and I need to take my health back in hand. I keep going back and forth about doing WeightWatchers again and trying to get up the energy to workout. I need to, but the "want to" aspect is running quite low.

I have pictures. I need to upload and share.

2 weeks off? Yeah, right

So, I had two weeks off from work scheduled. I'd planned to work on my teaching for bible study, catch up on knitting and TiVo, working on items for the Women's Retreat and just enjoying myself.

Instead, I'm in Chicago, without knitting (I know!), watching very few shows I would normally watch (change can be good), wrapping up my teaching notes, trying to remember the time change so I can call people regarding the retreat and trying to stay well.

Sis Kim put out an SOS last week; she had strep and a cold and Gigi was getting out from under a cold bad enough to have them worry about pneumonia. Tony had his hands full with them and work so Mom went first and then I went out and took her place.

Gigi has been a sweetheart. Sure, we battled by the River of Endless Tears one afternoon (hers, not mine!) but we've managed to bump along just fine. She has the sweetest smile that I can't seem to capture on camera. And she's started rolling from her back to her tummy. When she rolls to her right side, her arm gets trapped under her. But for some reason rolling to her left worked better.

She's a drool bomb. Good gravy! She woke up from a nap one day and the entire side of her face was wet - even her hair!

I've got pictures I'll upload later. In the meantime, I'm glad I had the opportunity to come out.

The Big Read

Taken from Steph's blog.

The Big Read said that, on average, adults have only read six books on this list.

(It's interesting to see collections as a single work and then specific works within the collection called out. Have I read the complete works of Shakespeare? No. Different plays and sonnets? Yes. From what I understand, the list is a compilation from a poll which is why both collections and singular works are both listed.)

So ... copy this list, mark the ones you've read and see how you compare to the average.

I've made the ones I've read bold and italicized the ones on my to-read list.

1 Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
2 The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien)
3 Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
4 Harry Potter series (JK Rowling)
5. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
6 The Bible (I've read parts, but not all. The begats and the laws drag me down)
7 Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
8 1984 (George Orwell)
9 His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman)
10 Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
11 Little Women (Louisa M Alcott)
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Thomas Hardy)
13 Catch 22 (Joseph Heller)
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier)
16 The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien)
17 Birdsong (Sebastian Faulks)
18 Catcher in the Rye (JD Salinger)
19 The Time Traveller's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
20 Middlemarch (George Eliot)
21 Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
22 The Great Gatsby (F Scott Fitzgerald)
23 Bleak House (Charles Dickens)
24 War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
26 Brideshead Revisited (Evelyn Waugh)
27 Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
29 Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)
30 The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame)
31 Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
32 David Copperfield (Charles Dickens)
33 The Chronicles of Narnia (CS Lewis)
34 Emma (Jane Austen)
35 Persuasion (Jane Austen)

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

37 The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin (Louis De Bernieres)
39 Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
40 Winnie the Pooh (AA Milne)
41 Animal Farm (George Orwell)
42 The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney (John Irving)
45 The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins)
46 Anne of Green Gables (LM Montgomery)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd (Thomas Hardy)
48 The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
49 Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
50 Atonement (Ian McEwan)
51 Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
52 Dune (Frank Herbert)
53 Cold Comfort Farm (Stella Gibbons)
54 Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen)
55 A Suitable Boy (Vikram Seth)
56 The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)
57 A Tale Of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
58 Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Mark Haddon)
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
61 Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
62 Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
63 The Secret History (Donna Tartt)
64 The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
65 Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
66 On The Road (Jack Kerouac)
67 Jude the Obscure (Thomas Hardy)
68 Bridget Jones's Diary (Helen Fielding)
69 Midnight's Children (Salman Rushdie)
70 Moby Dick (Herman Melville)
71 Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens)
72 Dracula (Bram Stoker)
73 The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
74 Notes From A Small Island (Bill Bryson)
75 Ulysses (James Joyce)
76 The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
77 Swallows and Amazons (Arthur Ransome)
78 Germinal (Emile Zola)
79 Vanity Fair (William Makepeace Thackeray)
80 Possession (AS Byatt)
81 A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)
82 Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
83 The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
84 The Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishiguro)
85 Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert)
86 A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
87 Charlotte's Web (EB White)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
90 The Faraway Tree Collection (Enid Blyton)
91 Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
92 The Little Prince (Antoine De Saint-Exupe)
93 The Wasp Factory (Iain Banks)
94 Watership Down (Richard Adams)
95 A Confederacy of Dunces (John Kennedy Toole)
96 A Town Like Alice (Nevil Shute)
97 The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas)
98 Hamlet (Shakespeare)
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl)
100 Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)

It appears I've read 18 of the 100. Better than average.