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2020 Reading Recap: I Read 100 Books Last Year & Recommendations

  I've always been a fairly voracious reader but this was the first year that I actually read 100 Books!  I guess I can now say there is at least one good thing to come out of 2020.  As a child I'm pretty sure that I read 100 Books in a year but this was my first time hitting that milestone as an adult.   Since January is the time for bookish friends to think about their 2021 List of Books to Read I thought it would be fun to share a list of the 100 Books that I read this past year mostly in order.  My list is pretty haphazard and includes a lot of fiction this past year.  I usually do try to intentionally read a mixture of books from a variety of topics: Christian Living, History, Motherhood, Personal Growth, Fiction, and children's books that I read aloud.   Personal Observations When life feels crazy (or I'm planning to ride in the car with 3 kiddos) I always reach for easy fiction reads.  Well life must have felt crazier than I thought because I read a lot of fictio
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This Week's Goals (Thanksgiving Week) & Recap

  Here is a picture of Sarah Beth wearing her helmet on a recent vacation in Florida this month.   She had to wear it 23 hours a day and it was tough! Last Week's Goals & Recap Marriage, Mothering, and Family: 1) Continued faithfulness with Sarah's physical therapy and helmet.  (She has torticollis and plagiocephaly.). We are overjoyed that Sarah learned to crawl in the last month but she still needs to work on strengthening her neck muscles.  One of my least favorite exercises is tilting her to the side and holding her in that position.  She also hates it but it is really important.   OUR GIRL GOT HER HELMET OFF!!!!!  We are over the moon thrilled.  She still has torticollis and we will need to continue therapy for the time being.   2) Begin a new read-aloud with Eli & Eva.  I would love to read a sweet Christmas book together this year.  Anyone have a suggestion for me?    We read 1/2 of The Family Under the Bridge.   3) Enjoy an at home date night with my husband.   

This Week's Goals

One of my monthly fun goals this month is to visit 10 parks or playgrounds with my kids. With the Christmas season quickly approaching I decided it was high time to jump back into blogging.  Despite not blogging for most of the past year, I have continued to set monthly and weekly goals.  I find such encouragement in reading other people's goals that I have decided to begin sharing my goals again.   Marriage, Mothering, and Family: 1) Continued faithfulness with Sarah's physical therapy and helmet.  (She has torticollis and plagiocephaly.). We are overjoyed that Sarah learned to crawl in the last month but she still needs to work on strengthening her neck muscles.  One of my least favorite exercises is tilting her to the side and holding her in that position.  She also hates it but it is really important.   2) Begin a new read-aloud with Eli & Eva.  I would love to read a sweet Christmas book together this year.  Anyone have a suggestion for me?   3) Enjoy an at home date n

December Reads

It feels amazing to be reading again!  After the birth of Sarah Beth I pretty much took a break from reading for a month or two.  I binge watched a few shows during those early newborn days and feel like I'm pretty much caught up on anything I remotely cared about as far as television!  Honestly I'm also just not that coordinated in the early days of nursing to breastfeed while also holding a book in one hand.   Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic: Lessons in Everyday Elegance by Jennifer Scott:  I absolutely adore the elegance and poise that Jennifer Scott exhibits on a daily basis.  Personally I have always enjoyed etiquette and appreciate all the insights that Scott shares.  I've read two of her other books  Lessons from Madame Chic  and  At Home with Madame Chic  years ago and I found them absolutely fascinating.  I also recently started watching her youtube channel entitled The Daily Connoisseur which I would commend to you. Just Open the Door by Jen Schmidt

Sarah Elizabeth

It is with great joy that we share the birth of our daughter Sarah Elizabeth born September 27 at 11:00 am.   Weight: 9 lbs 1 oz Length: 20.5 inches

Sew a Fleece Cape or Poncho: Simplicity 8524

When I originally started working on this project I told Evangeline I was going to make her a poncho.  She let me know that she didn't have any desire for a poncho.  (That's exactly what every seamstress wants to hear halfway through a project!  Guess I've still got some work to do with those manners.)  I decided to call this project a cape and she was elated!  Kids can be so funny!  Evangeline loves watching me sew when she isn't busy working on her own art projects.  It's been a while since I actually sewed a pattern that involved fleece fabric! I picked up this adorable fleece fabric from JoAnn Fabrics last spring along with Simplicity Pattern 8524 (D0852). The pattern includes some great tips for sewing with fleece so be sure to read those if you end up making this pattern.  I did use a ball point needle and tried out some new zig-zag stitches on my Babylock.  I ended up using stitch #9 on my Babylock Soprano which worked like a dream.    Design and

May Reads

Ah May Reads.  Two thumbs up for summer reading.  Our library actually pays adults in library cash to read.  Translation: If I spend lots of time reading this summer I won't actually have to use real American currency to pay those pesky library finds.  If I actually return my books on time (I usually don't) then I can spend it all at the used book sale.  It's a fabulous win win either way.  Here's a look at what I read in the month of May.   The Read Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie: I have enjoyed listening to Sarah Mackenzie's podcast "The Read Aloud Revival" for years.  When I found out she was writing a book on reading aloud to your children I jumped at the chance to read it.  I loved this book.  Mackenzie's book was such an encouragement and just a plain delight to read.  Not only does reading aloud have the power to change your family, but it also has the power to change the world.  Reading remains a high priority in our family and I hope to