Photos-December

Henri looking for more gifts under the tree...

Valerie ready to see family

showing off the Angry Bird hat Carter got from Kari for Christmas (another post later will show the awesome jailbird outfits from Alcatraz for the little ones)

The park

Cousins abound

Lights at the park

The ducks were sure we had something to share...

Paul and I got a date night out...

Videos will come later, they are loading slowly.

2nd annual reading list

I tried again to read 52 books this year. I suspect I didn't make it due to our trying to move this summer as well as taking 2 bible studies, which uses my "reading" time up.  But I made it to 34, which is perfectly respectable. There were a lot of historical fiction and "harder" books this year as well, I noticed, mostly due to the book club selections.

January
1. The Lacuna-Barbara Kingsolver (it was really long, but a great historical fiction!)
2. The professor & the Housekeeper
3. The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society
4. Bringing up Boys

February
5. Madame Bovary
6. When Everything Changed, Gail Collins (The amazing journey of American Women from 1960 to the present)
7. Knitting Circle
8. Restless Virgins

March
9 The Last Time they Met-Anita Shreve (on cassette tape-
10. Still Alice (for bookclub-on CD)

April
11. Homecoming-Belva Plain
12. Jewel-Bret Lott
13. Playing the Enemy (Nelson Mandela)-on CD
14. Hotel on the corner of Bitter & Sweet

May
15. Let the Great World spin on CD
16. Let's Panic About Babies
17. Chelsea, Chelsea, Bang Bang, Chelsea Handler-
18. I'm a Stranger here myself, Bill Bryson (CD)-

June
19. The Help-CD

August
20. Didn't I feed you yesterday? CD-on our cross-country road trip

Sept
21. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
22. Half-Broke Horses, Jennette Walls
23. Her Fearful Symmetry-CD
24. Memoirs of a Geisha
25. Suck It, Wonder Woman!-Olivia Munn
26. Breakfast at Sally's
27. Picturing Will
28. Made to Crave
29. Mudbound-CD
30. Unbroken
31. Created to be his Help Meet
32. Leap of Faith-Queen Noor
33. The 19th Wife
34. Innocent Man-John Grisham

Henri's preschool show

Henri's class was pretty much there to wiggle bells and look cute, but Henri did appear to be trying to join in the songs.  He does have a good memory for songs. It would be longer, but the memory card in my camera was all full after this video.

How to tire 3 kids out after a holiday play....

Carter's gingerbread house

When Carter asked me to take a picture of his gingerbread house from school, I thought, "ah, how sweet."

I didn't realize it was because within 5 minutes it would look like this and the picture would be the only memory of it we would have...

Valerie's current favorite pasttime

Why you should check on your children when they are giggling uncontrollably

especially in the bathroom.

More craftiness

The kids and I are enjoying entering the holiday season...

The best part about not being "too busy" is that I'm able to do some of the crafty things I've been wanting to...

Making lots of bread and other cooking.  A friend got me in on a deal on some extra lean hamburger, so I used the 10 pounds of hamburger  to make two salsbury steak meals (harder than I thought) about 24 beef & bean freezer burritos; 50 large meatballs and a small meatloaf. 

The boys and I started eggnog last night (we add the cream today and try it...)

I decorated the front porch. The wreath I got from my in-laws for Christmas and I love it because it doesn't die and I can use it fall and winter.  The new part is 3 ornaments I got from Target for $3 each and put on the window with suction cups.

I dressed up some hand sanitizer for the boys' teachers that I got on close out for 50 cents each...

I used plastic milk cartons to make sandwhich holders for Carter to take to school...

I used up some leftover papers to make some cards to give out as packages of cards for gifts...

I joined pinterest, an online vitual bulletin board that basically organizes your favorites with pictures where you can see everything. Today I tried the first idea I've pinned... baked potato soup for dinner, using potatoes and carrots that have been languishing in my vegetable bin.