I know, I know, I’ve been writing a lot about reading. I bet you are getting bored.
But just in case you are still looking for some book recommendations, here is the full list of everything I read in the second half of 2018, both books that fit my 2018 Reading Challenge, and the extras I snuck in along the way!
Read more, friends.
New year, new beginning.
I am a person who gets completely inspired by planning ahead, but I tend to get overwhelmed by the reality of actually executing all my goals. I make resolutions and break them. I agree to things I regret when the time comes to follow through. Sometimes I give myself a goal in the middle of the week, only to forget by the time Sunday rolls around.
You guys. You should definitely do a reading challenge.
Do this reading challenge!
You guys. I can hardly believe that 2018 is almost over! It’s almost time to start the reading challenge of 2019!
Which also means it’s a good time to share my progress on my 2018 reading challenge. Doing a reading challenge has been very beneficial to me, and I hope you are challenging yourself to read more and different books, just like I did with the 2018 challenge. Just to refresh your memory, the challenge was to read 26 books, which is a rate of finishing a book every two weeks.
At my house, we like to eat our Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of the afternoon rather than at night.
But no matter how much I tell myself to save room for the big meal, my body still thinks it wants to eat at lunchtime. Obviously, the solution is appetizers! You cannot go wrong with these easy spice-candied nuts. I make them every year and they are a hit! My little ones love them, my adult friends and family love them—they are magical and delicious!
Question:
What do you serve your family when they visit for Thanksgiving?
I’m not talking about the big meal. I’m sure you do the whole turkey and pie thing. (Or maybe you like to order takeout Chinese, who knows?)
I’m talking about the rest of the meals. When your out-of-town family comes to stay for more than just a few hours…how do you work out feeding them while you are also prepping for the main festivities?
A weird thing happens when you have a newborn.
Suddenly, you find yourself revealing way more about parts of your body, your sleep habits, and bodily functions in general to your friends (and near strangers) than you ever would have otherwise. If you are breastfeeding, your entire life suddenly feels like it hinges on your ability to mimic a dairy cow. And if that is going poorly, for one reason or another, you may find yourself anxiously spending hours searching the internet, trying to figure out how to be a better cow.
Which is how I discovered lactation cookies.
She’s here, she’s here, she’s here!
Introducing my lovely little daughter, Violet. She started out a tiny little squirt, despite arriving nearly two weeks late! You will have to pardon my delay in posting (she is nearly 3 weeks old now!), but life with three kiddos has been beautifully exhausting.
I am still right in the thick of that twilight zone where I can’t remember when I last took a shower…but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t today. Between nursing constantly, homeschooling a kindergartner part-time, and spending the rest of the hours reading to a contrary preschooler, my days have been very full!
Violet is a bright spot of sunshine for us. She smiles constantly in her sleep (and is beginning to smile when awake, be still my heart!), adores staring at our black-and-white striped curtains, and is perfectly willing to let her older siblings hold her hand. We love her dearly and can’t wait to see how her sweet personality develops as she grows!
We love, you, Violet!
Kale salmon caesar is a metaphor for my entire marriage.
It represents a blending of taste buds and nutritional ideals, a desire for simplicity and for dinner around the table together.
To be honest, drenching salmon in caesar dressing is one of the only ways I can get every member of my family to eat it. I call it a win.
Hello, friends. It sure has been a while since I’ve written here, but I hope you’ll extend some grace to me! I found out on New Year’s Day that I am expecting a new little one, and wow has she been requiring all of my energy! (And so have my other two tots. All the energy and more patience than I have had to spare. Say a prayer for me, friends!)
