Ordinary Time

So those last five or so books on my reading list... They weren't very good or well written. The plot was pretty superficial, and I managed to figure out the murderer about two-thirds of the way through each book. In one there were even some pretty significant continuity errors. And yet, I kept reading them. I couldn't really figure out why, because I knew they weren't very good. Normally, I would read one (or two to give a series a fair chance), and then set them aside for something else. It took me a while to figure out why. My reading is a little bit all over the board, if you hadn't noticed. I enjoy mysteries, and tend to read them like a child eats candy... with as little benefit as that candy. After a bit of this, I feel the need for something more substantial, so that is when the "good" books come out. After having done that, I'll go back to the book candy. If I am feeling more than a little overwhelmed, the level of book I feel capable of readi...

As has become tradition, I will share my reading list from last year. My notations after each book are as follows: M = mystery; F = fiction; NF = non-fiction; RA = read aloud (usually during tea time); YA = young adult. An asterisks after any book means that I particularly recommend it. Ready? This list is 89 items long this year. 1. A Rule Against Murder - Louise Penny (M)* 2. Meddling Kids - Edgar Cantero (F) 3. The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny (M)* 4. Adopted: The Sacrament of Belonging in a Fractured World - Kelley Nikondeha (NF) 5. South Pole Station - Ashley Shelby (F) 6. Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive one of History's Most Iconic Extinct Creatures - Ben Mezrich (NF-ish) 7. Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny (M)* 8. Flow: the psychology of optimal experience - Mihaly Csikzentmihaly (NF)* 9. Recipes for Love and Murder - Sally Anderw (M) 10. Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks - Dave Holderread (NF) 11. Smart Moves: why learning is not all in your head...

Happy New Year everyone!! I'm always interested to see which posts were the most popular (determined via number of hits) through out a year. Here's the list for 2018: 20. A little play, a little learning, a little therapy... or new activity boxes 19. The gift of time 18. Apple Economics 17. January Thaw 16. Dog Name Poll 15. Acting as Translator 14  A Poem 13. Why I'm not going to my state's homeschool convention 12. Not the homeschooling poster child 11. Traumaversary 10.  Let's go fly a kite 9. Tired 8. Doing some mom bragging and begging 7. A post with an unpopular view 6. Coordinating dresses 5. Words matter 4. Brain damage and stress 3.  Unnecessary Trauma 2.  Adoption 101: Hills to die on and... 1. Why don't you adopt one of our children? Happy reading if you missed any of these.

This week of vacation has gone by much too fast, and I would like it to slow down. I'm not quite ready to go back to our usual schedule. So, since we're pretending it's Friday... P.'s passport arrived this week complete with Russian visa inside. This is very good news as other US students had some significant difficulties getting one. I will add that P. did this completely on her own, which is no mean feat, as this is a particularly tricky visa to apply for. We are now starting the countdown until P. leaves. It will be 19 days tomorrow. It feels much, much too soon, and I'm trying not to think about it.  The first coat of blue is done in the kitchen. It looks so much better already. It still needs the white paint and a second coat of blue. J. even pulled out the refrigerator and painted behind it.  I signed up for a quilting class today. I've done a little bit, but it's all pretty much self-taught. I'm quite sure there are easier and better ways to...

I can finally share the things I made which were keeping me so busy during the past month. It sure is nice to work in my studio with the door open again! First, there were the twelve pairs of Christmas pajamas that I made. It was crazy. Twelve is a lot. Most people got drawstring pants and a t-shirt, though TM got shorts and G. got a nightgown. The nightgown was more about how much fabric I had than a stylistic choice, though G. loves nightgowns, too. I had about 10 yards of fabric on hand, but came across about ten more yards of Christmas flannel at the thrift store. It was a shopping coup. I purchased the t-shirts on sale for $3 each. They were each embroidered with which North Pole job each person was. The other piece of the puzzle was finding embroideries with twelve different jobs. Here is Y.'s as an example. She is the Chief of Christmas Cheer. Other jobs included Head Elf, Elf in Training, Sleigh Mechanic, Gift Wrapper, Cookie Taster, Tinsel Stylist, etc. They were pr...

I've been AWOL, having decided to just enjoy Christmas with everyone home. We had a wonderful time. Christmas Eve, we spent the morning baking and getting things ready. Cinnamon rolls Table for 14. We always break out the good china, silver, and crystal for Christmas Eve dinner. Christmas Eve dessert is always a birthday cake for Jesus (yes, we sing). Everyone loved this year's version. In the afternoon, we go to the Christmas Eve service at church. At our new church, they always have a time for the children to come up and ring bells during a song. G. and L. cannot be pried out of their chairs, but R. is always game. M. stepped in and helped R. figure out what was going on.  After church, we come home and fix dinner. This year's dinner was great fun, with multiple people needing to resort to wiping tears off their face from laughing so hard. We sing carols around the piano, and then it's bed time for younger people. Older ones cle...

Happy shortest day of the year! I love knowing that from now on, the days will gradually start to get longer. I like daylight. This is good. My family is relived to know that Christmas will actually be happening. After 20+ hours in my studio, 4+ hours shopping, and another three spent in my kitchen this morning, nearly everything is done. I still have one more thing left to finish making, and the gifts are taken care of. Of course there is still the wrapping and the baking for the holiday, but that all seems rather manageable at this point. R., even though this is her third Christmas with us, is still confused. She is very, very excited about Christmas coming. We hear this frequently through the day. She knows she likes Christmas, and every time she tells us how excited she is, she hopefully asks if Christmas is tomorrow. Recently she has also added the comment that she wants to be a princess for Christmas. No amount of explaining has managed to convince her that Halloween and Chri...