tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37561629404276668402024-03-04T21:50:34.487-08:00Lemon VerbenaCelebrating daily living and family life.Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.comBlogger1126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-700575003052879682018-05-18T18:09:00.000-07:002018-05-18T18:29:04.414-07:00Remodel Update<br />
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Wow! That last couple months have seen a lot of changes for our main floor and I think we are finally on the other side of chaos and will be finishing up over the next month. We tore into the main floor less than a week after spring break and while my mom and sister were in town. It was a crazy time to start, but we had been waiting for over a year to have our plans in hand and a contractor ready to go, so when it happened I wanted to get started right away. </div>
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Steve had to walk away from the master bath and guest bath remodels to focus on the main floor. We are literally so close to finishing those two bathrooms, and fingers crossed we can work on them this weekend, but we wanted to get this main floor completed, so we jumped in with both feet.</div>
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The main changes we made on the main floor</div>
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1. Turning the stairs to open up the entry way.</div>
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2. Create a new hallway into the main area of our home.</div>
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3. enlarge the office with a separate entrance.</div>
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4. Completely remodel the kitchen. </div>
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5. Build a wall to create a mudroom & pantry.</div>
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Here are a couple Instagram updates to let you know what has been going on along the way.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Renovation update. My kitchen is gone! Steve spent the weekend I was away (went to BYU Women's Conference) moving everything out of the cupboards of the kitchen and sold all our cabinets. I came home two boxes and boxes of kitchen items upstairs on the bonus room floor. I’ve spent the last couple days packing up kitchen items and trying to set up a mini kitchen in our bar area of our bonus room. So nice to have something like that for a mini kitchen for the few weeks I’ll be without a kitchen. I did the whole camp stove in garage/bathroom sink during our last remodel, and it wasn’t any fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">It has been crazy! We are in the boring phase of the remodel. Framing, electrical, picking up orders, a little bit of demo each day, and lots and lots of talking, measuring, and planning. I was telling my daughter Isabelle the other day that I am excited to get to the point where we can start to see it come together again. It’s super exciting in the beginning when you start to demo, but then you hit a point where it slows down with the fun things, then you pick up again as you get closer to the end. I’m grown up enough though to know that progress is progress, and every day we get a bit closer to the finished product. We’re hoping to be done by summer, which is mid June for us. We will probably have a few things to finish, but hopefully we will have a functioning kitchen and main floor in another month! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Its a mess you guys, the mess is real! Today, well today the sheet rock is going in the main floor as I type this! Can’t wait to see it all put together. I feel like we’re turning the corner in this remodel. Now we are starting to finish things off, so over the next few weeks we will be putting things back together after we have demoed everything. Excited to be getting closer.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Coming in the next few weeks.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Mudding and taping all the sheet rock.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Shiplap installed.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">New railing installed.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Tile and hardwood floors should arrive.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Base cabinets installed.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Countertops installed.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Demo main floor bathroom.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Tile in mudroom & main bathroom installed.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">All cabinets installed.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Install mudroom hooks and cubbies and pantry cupboards.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">So many other things to do like install and new front door, paint the exterior trim, paint or retain all interior doors, paint main floor walls and trim. One day at a time. Its coming together and it will be so pretty when it is finished and we will be so done to be done for awhile and chill out with all this remodel crazy. </span></span></div>
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Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-87107485810802217332018-02-28T09:17:00.000-08:002018-05-18T13:08:51.695-07:00Simple Days February <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Working</b>...on our remodel, the tile should be finished in the next couple of days! Also, we are working on listing a duplex for rent that we just purchased.<br />
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<b>Enjoying</b>...time with my kids. I have been more intentional about spending time with my children these past few weeks. We have been so busy these last couple of months, and I'm determined that through these busy days, I make time to spend with the ones I love most. I try to make the time afterschool until bedtime my time with my family. Steve and I spend time together after the kids are in bed. Of course a lot of that time with my family is spent driving them to their practices and encouraging (nagging) them to get their homework, chores, and schoolwork done. But in between the cooking, cleaning, and picking up, I have also been spending a good portion of that time reading, chatting, watching funny videos, and playing card and board games with them and it has been so much fun! Some days are better than others but I'm relearning that I always need to make this a priority, no matter how busy we are.<br />
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<b>Listening</b>...I found a new podcast called <a href="http://podcast.jennakutcher.com/" target="_blank">Goal Digger Podcast</a>, hosted by Jenna Kutcher and I have really enjoyed it. I have also enjoyed this new one about Harry Potter. It is called<a href="http://www.harrypottersacredtext.com/" target="_blank"> Harry Potter and the Sacred Text</a>. Also I'm often listening to audiobooks when I'm driving, cleaning, or working in my office.<br />
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<b>Pondering</b>...how sad I am that we live in a world where children go to school and don't come home. School shootings tear our hearts to pieces and I just want them to stop. I know it is a complicated issue, I just wish that we lived in a world where things like this never happened. I'm trying to do my best here in my home to teach my children and curate an environment of love, tolerance, and compassion. I would love to reach out and do more <br />
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<b>Reading</b>...The Wednesday Wars and Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me. Loving The Wednesday Wars, such a good story!<br />
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<b>Creating</b>...I thought of a Valentine's Day decor project to do but I never got around to doing it before the big day this year. Thinking of starting a cross stitch plant project soon.<br />
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<b>Watching</b>...<a href="https://www.nbc.com/this-is-us" target="_blank">This Is Us</a>. Loving it! More reading than watching going on around here though.<br />
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<br />Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-250095533071102762018-02-22T05:30:00.000-08:002018-02-22T05:30:12.944-08:00Books With Beckett || January 2018 Roundup<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Starting a new series on Instagram where I post some of the books that I’ve been reading with my youngest. I thought I would do a roundup here every few weeks so we could have it all in one place and I could post links to the books with the images. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Books With Beckett | This week we read </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2F1tesy" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Owl Moon</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">, </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2EroBuP" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Up and Down in the Garden</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">, <a href="http://amzn.to/2BsmF2d" target="_blank">Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2HbKsUL" target="_blank">Annie and the Wild Animals</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2Hf3WrE" target="_blank">I’ll be Home for Christmas</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2BpVTaV" target="_blank">Caves and Caverns</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2ChuKDT" target="_blank">Anna’s Goat</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2He5lOU" target="_blank">Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2BVI4Sv" target="_blank">Winter in the Big Woods</a>, and <a href="http://amzn.to/2nXHRpn" target="_blank">Winter on the Farm</a>. Favorite this week... Mine | Owl Moon. Beckett’s | Pete the Cat.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Books With Beckett | Some of our favorite books I read with Beckett this week. <a href="http://amzn.to/2ECIhuN" target="_blank">The Hat</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2EEchGD" target="_blank">My Little House Book of Family</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2nXipQN" target="_blank">The Story of Ferdinand</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2Ewtwuc" target="_blank">Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons</a>,<a href="http://amzn.to/2Bt5JJ8" target="_blank"> Pete the Cat Rocking in my School Shoes</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2EJuFxS" target="_blank">G is for Goat</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2HhyngM" target="_blank">The Bully Goats Grim</a>, and <a href="http://amzn.to/2EGufIF" target="_blank">Grumpy Goat</a>. My favorite: The Hat. Beckett’s favorite: The Story of Ferdinand. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Books With Beckett | Some favorites read this week. My favorite: <a href="http://amzn.to/2Ck7LYT" target="_blank">Over and Under</a>. His favorite: <a href="http://amzn.to/2EEdvSx" target="_blank">The Tooth Book </a>(he has it memorized.) Also read were <a href="http://amzn.to/2EIm9iU" target="_blank">We’re All Wonders</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2C0ZoG3" target="_blank">My Little Golden Book about God</a>, and <a href="http://amzn.to/2Hfyx8k" target="_blank">But No Elephants</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hEViMym54TnX6C5LEUMKwsp2qKtwRYTMV6HsXFQylSnveWjQwCZDk5agCLnrgsjmvYeA0io5C1WOi-bpbYGm7snETt0PCdk4-X2IzaEzrZj_0wJyvtYOfJp8XUKzJ0rIaWP5LSCrfEw/s1600/Photo+Feb+02%252C+8+43+12+AM_preview.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1489" data-original-width="1489" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hEViMym54TnX6C5LEUMKwsp2qKtwRYTMV6HsXFQylSnveWjQwCZDk5agCLnrgsjmvYeA0io5C1WOi-bpbYGm7snETt0PCdk4-X2IzaEzrZj_0wJyvtYOfJp8XUKzJ0rIaWP5LSCrfEw/s640/Photo+Feb+02%252C+8+43+12+AM_preview.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Books With Beckett || This week some of the books we read were <a href="http://amzn.to/2HfOgEw" target="_blank">Ginger</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2Hhy6KE" target="_blank">Insect Detective</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2C0rbpX" target="_blank">Toot and Puddle You Are My Sunshine</a> and <a href="http://amzn.to/2o3mLpL" target="_blank">Toot and Puddle Top of the World</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2EMcGXJ" target="_blank">Frog and Toad</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2C5Dam6" target="_blank">Snowflake Bentley</a>, and <a href="http://amzn.to/2EMiTD8" target="_blank">My Mother Is Mine</a>. My favorite: Toot and Puddle. Beckett’s favorite: Frog and Toad.</span></div>
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Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-53551467869276452902018-02-21T05:30:00.000-08:002018-02-21T05:30:09.641-08:00Chasing Slow Book Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner</div>
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This book was a breath of fresh air and a joy to read. A book on simple living but also a lovely memoir and thoughts shared on motherhood, imperfection, and living this messy, beautiful life. </div>
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Some favorite quotes from the book.</div>
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"People don't expire, not really. Their traces linger far past our flat calendar squares. Their fingerprints outlive our feeble clock's hands. Their work gloves and work phrases do too. The seeds they plant become trees - tall, proud - providing shelter for tomorrow, shade for today. Legacies for a hundred years more. And the seeds they didn't get a chance to plan? Well, I suppose it's our turn for those."</div>
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"And we have told the truth. I have finally told the truth that I've known but could not yet admit, that we are but fragile creatures, every last one of us. That, on most days, we're not perfect, but we're fine, and on some days, we're not fine, but we're okay, and on a few singular days of the year: nothing is okay, not even a little, and everything is terrible, and forever, amen. And that this fragility, this delicate nature of being, is the life we're commissioned to celebrate."</div>
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"We can inhale buttery popcorn and a chick flick today while rationing rice with turbaned women in Haiti tomorrow. We can fight the effects of rampant consumerism today and still purchase our mother a Christmas sweater tomorrow. We can explore - in equal measure, if we choose - art and science. Laughter and sorrow. Truth and beauty. We can lean in a lean out. We can conquer and retreat. We can teach and be taught. We are not either/ors. We are both/ands."</div>
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"I used to think the opposite of control is chaos. But it's not. The opposite of control is surrender."</div>
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"Novelist Stewart O'Nan once wrote of this. 'You couldn't relive your life, skipping the awful parts, without losing what made it worthwhile. You have to accept is as a whole - like the world, or the person you loved.' I am trying for this. I am failing at this. and I am no longer willing to call myself a hypocrite for the failings. I am no longer willing to fell this tension and to label it something, a judge dictating the sentence of another, the sentence of oneself. It is simply, not that simple. The whole of it never is. I must be all of my multifaceted self. You must be all of your multifaceted self. We must allow every part of us; we must learn in great form, in human messiness. And we must accept it all."</div>
Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-59417258045737758612018-02-19T05:30:00.000-08:002018-02-19T05:30:27.424-08:00Simple Homemaking || Embrace Your Role as a Homemaker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Who are you? What do you do? What do you love? If you made a list, what would it look like?<br />
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I'm a wife, a mother, a lover of chocolate, a reader, a person of faith, and a homemaker. My list could go on and I know yours could as well, and yours will look different than mine. My question for you today is that did homemaker make it on that list?<br />
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Is being a homemaker part of your identity? Is it something you celebrate, something you love?<br />
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<b>Making our house a home can be a joyful experience and I would dare say that it should be.</b> Maybe not always and maybe not everyday, but overall it can be something we love and enjoy. Just like a job in an office, at a school, or traveling from place to place, make your work at home something you enjoy. This may take effort to enjoy the work of homemaking. You may have parts of caring for your home that are boring or mundane, all jobs have aspects that aren't our favorite, but you can find ways to get those mundane things completed quickly and focus on the things you do enjoy. Embrace your home, whatever it may look like, make it yours, and embrace yourself as the caretaker, the curator of that home. As a homemaker we work with our physical space and add or let go of elements to our home to create an atmosphere that influences the feeling we get when we walk through the front door. It is about organization and hospitality, cleanliness and coziness. When we create a home we love and care for, it will become a place we celebrate.<br />
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I love the idea of embracing your role as homemaker, taking it on as part of a full and happy life. The time you spend in creating, curating, and cleaning your home will reward you with a home that works to comfort and care for those that live inside its wall. Your home can be a refuge to your family and friends or those that stop by for a visit. Your role as homemaker can be so much more then an extra list of chores to do when you find the time, it can be mindful and rewarding, a real part of how we cultivate a happy life.<br />
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Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-50928270212952638592018-02-16T05:30:00.000-08:002018-02-16T05:30:32.502-08:00Favorite Winter Picture Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2CjTfjH" target="_blank">Owl Moon by Jane Yolen</a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2CiXqMH" target="_blank">Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams</a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2nX6IJM" target="_blank">But No Elephants by Jerry Smath</a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2ssqGkl" target="_blank">The Hat by Jan Brett</a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2CjognO" target="_blank">Stopping by Wood on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost</a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2HeDcaL" target="_blank">Winter on the Farm by Laura Ingalls Wilder</a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2CiU6Ry" target="_blank">Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett</a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2CiXYlJ" target="_blank">The Day Daddy Stayed Home by Ethel and Leonard Kessler</a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2CiUbok" target="_blank">Winter Days in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder</a></div>
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Other Winter Book Lists.</div>
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<a href="http://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/2015/02/winter-picture-books.html" target="_blank">Winter Picture Books</a></div>
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<a href="https://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/2016/01/winter-picture-books.html" target="_blank">More Winter Picture Books</a></div>
Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-29925422652548547362018-02-14T05:30:00.000-08:002018-02-15T11:03:52.509-08:00Happy Birthday London & When Miracles Don't Happen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGWEfKOX8xQ7ywZj9a8MtqKvzcVWtuLnltsfHmyT_iY1XP4M1ds_dFUAzQSSkNy639aKQghAFihvvlL3Ryvo1JvmSnwNhstkjJzqFlQIu4vp2ggWxa1grt1eqgoYl3FgaHPibNidGN0s/s1600/LondonMoon_063+BW+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGWEfKOX8xQ7ywZj9a8MtqKvzcVWtuLnltsfHmyT_iY1XP4M1ds_dFUAzQSSkNy639aKQghAFihvvlL3Ryvo1JvmSnwNhstkjJzqFlQIu4vp2ggWxa1grt1eqgoYl3FgaHPibNidGN0s/s640/LondonMoon_063+BW+copy.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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We celebrated London's Birthday this last week. I can't believe it has been a year since we welcomed our little girl into our family and had to say goodbye. I shared some thoughts on instagram that day that I wanted to share with you here. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Celebrating this little girl today. One year ago today she was born and within the hour we had to say goodbye, such a short and beautiful life. She has affected me deeply, changed me in so many big and little ways. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I woke up this morning with a heavy heart and have been teary most of the morning, but the love and support of so many friends and family reaching out to us through messages, visits, and phone calls has lifted my spirits. There have been many sad moments this last year, so many times that I just ached for her to be with us. But even though I’m sad today, and so very wish I was celebrating this day differently, today I am choosing to celebrate her life. So I’m going to go get her a little cake and some balloons and have a little celebration for her this evening with our family. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So happy birthday to my baby girl, wish you were here with us. I’ll be eternally grateful for the time I had with you and for the knowledge that I will be able to see you again. Love you always. 🧡"</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I also thought I would share the 2nd part of a talk that I gave this last December. I was asked to speak on the miracles of Christ and just felt I should talk about our little girl and our experience with her. It was scary to share something so sacred as publicly as speaking in church, it has been scary to share so much here on the internet, but I have felt prompted to do it. I feel our story of London's life is to be shared, that it was part of her purpose in coming to our family, so her story could be shared, and that hopefully through it others are able to feel the peace, hope, and light that Christ can bring into the darkest of trials. The following is the talk I shared. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"I love miracles and am so grateful for them. Miracles testify that there is a loving
Heavenly Father that cares for us.
Miracles show us that there are miraculous things in the works that we
can’t explain any other way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Difficult questions.
Why do miracles sometime not happen?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It may seem a paradox to fiercely believe in miracles and
also firmly accept the will of God in our lives, but through the Atonement of
Christ and an understanding of Heavenly Father’s plan for us, it is possible to
resolve this paradox. We live in a
broken world, a world where bad things can and do happen, and we know we chose
to come here to be tried and tested. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As
many of you know in February of this year we welcomed and said goodbye to our 5<sup>th
</sup>baby, our sweet little girl that we named London Ann. My pregnancy with London was normal
and problem free until we found out at our 20 week ultrasound that our
daughter’s little body had not formed correctly and that if her broken body
survived delivery, she would not live for very long after birth. In addition,
because of the way her body had formed with the placenta there were dangers in
continuing the pregnancy. Our doctors
counseled us to deliver her as soon as possible to avoid complications. We took time to pray and ponder and after
seeking the Lord’s will we decided to continue with the pregnancy and deliver
our baby girl via C-section. London was born at 34 weeks
and was delivered without complication.
She lived for an hour after birth and then surrounded by our little
family she peacefully passed from this life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So many could ask where the miracle was in this situation
for our family? Our daughter was not healed and she only lived a short while
after birth. Did we lack faith or were
we not righteous enough to receive a miracle?
Did we not have enough priesthood blessings or say enough prayers? No, brothers and sisters, I can’t believe
that. I’ve seen too many righteous individuals
go through extremely difficult things to believe that we were not given a
miracle for one of these reasons. I know
that our desires were good in wanting another baby. We prayed for her, we were thrilled to know
she was coming, and we were completely devastated to learn we were going to
lose her. One thing I learn from
carrying this daughter of ours, feeling her move inside me, knowing that when I
would finally meet her I would have to say goodbye, is that Heavenly Father honors
our righteous desires. How could a
loving father not? He honors our desire
to be mothers, he honors our loss and our sacrifice. Those of us who have gone through hard things
know that if we let them they can change us, and if we try to focus on God’s
goodness throughout our trials, they can refine us and teach us things we could
learn no other way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">President Oak’s stated, “I have been speaking of miracles
that happen. What about miracles that don’t happen? Most of us have offered prayers that were not
answered with the miracle we requested at the time we desired. The will of the Lord is always
paramount. The priesthood of the Lord
cannot be used to work a miracle contrary to the will of the Lord. We must also remember that even when a
miracle is to occur, it will not occur on our desired schedule.” He concludes, “The revelations teach that
miraculous experiences occur ‘in his own
time, and in his own way.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And though the miracle of healing our daughter did not
happen for us, there were so many other miracles that did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The miracle of peace.</b>
It started in the ultrasound room, as panic began to consume me, a sense
of peace enveloped me and calmed me. This
feeling of peace and comfort came to me time and again throughout my pregnancy,
something I would have never thought possible beforehand. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The miracle of acceptance.</b> I believe in miracles, I always have, but in
this situation with our little girl, Steve and I both felt early on and accepted
that the blessing of healing was not going to come to our daughter in this
life, that her time on this earth would be short, and that there was purpose in
it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The miracle of her birth</b>, that she survived inside of me for 34 weeks, that
she survived birth, and lived for an hour.
The miracle of a smooth c-section with no complications for me during her
birth. The miracle of being able to
celebrate her life and the happiness we have felt knowing she is ours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Brothers and sisters, my heart aches to hold her and there
is an emptiness, a place in our family where she should be, and I have had plenty
of hard days and dark moments of heartache and pain. But I will be forever grateful we were all able to meet her
and hold her, and feel so blessed to know she is a very real part of our
family. We know that we will see her and
be with her again and that brings us so much peace. I wish all of you could have met her. It was a sacred experience to be in the room
with her for her short life, to feel of her sweetness, her goodness. We feel so
blessed to be able to call her our little girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So
when we speak of miracles we must always consider God’s will, his plan for us,
and the trials and heartache of this broken world that we live in. And if we are going through our own personal
Gethsemane, look for miracles, they may not be what you expect to find, but
they are there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, the atonement of Christ is the greatest miracle of
all. President James E. Faust spoke of
the greatest event in all of history. He
states, “That singular event was the incomparable Atonement of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus the Christ. This was the
most transcendent act that has ever taken place.” He continues, “The nature of the Atonement
and its effects is so infinite, so unfathomable, and so profound that it lies
beyond the knowledge and comprehension of mortal man.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Because of the atonement of Christ all that is lost will be
restored, all that is broken will be made whole, all that is wrong, unfair, and
unbearable will be made right. He gives
us peace in this life as we endure our trials and a promise of miracles to
come. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’m grateful for a Heavenly Father who provides a plan of
happiness for each of us. For
commandments, service, scriptures, family, temples, and all the many gifts we
have been given in this life to move forward and progress. I believe in miracles and am grateful for
them. I’m grateful for a Savior. I know He lives. I love this time of year to celebrate his
birth, to marvel in the miraculous miracles that surrounded his arrival into a
broken world. A virgin mother, a new
star, angels appearing to shepherds, all to welcome a babe born in a manger and
prophesied to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And the greatest miracle of all, that through
His miraculous atonement I have felt the peace and reassurance time and again
that one day all will be as it should."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-90045812192163682882018-02-13T12:37:00.001-08:002018-02-13T12:52:02.996-08:00New On the Stack February 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Excited to read these titles. I actually took this photo towards the end of January, just gathering all the books on and around my nightstand, and I have already finished The Sun is Also a Star and reviewed it<a href="https://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/2018/02/january-reads.html" target="_blank"> here</a>. Such a good read. I'm currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird with my 14 year old, Booked, and I'm working through Savor a daily read. I big old stack of books is the best. <br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2F2Phig" target="_blank">The Sun is Also a Star by Nicole Yoon</a><br />
Why did I pick it up? National Book Award Finalist<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2ss7yTN" target="_blank">The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery</a><br />
Why did I pick it up?<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2ssJG2q" target="_blank">Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner</a><br />
Why did I pick it up? Recommended by Modern Mrs. Darcy<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2su933B" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://amzn.to/2su933B" target="_blank">Soldier X by Don L. Wulffson</a><br />
Why did I pick it up? Nephew's Favorite Book<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2GbcSg5" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://amzn.to/2GbcSg5" target="_blank">Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin</a><br />
Why did I pick it up? Love her podcast Happier!<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2EAWd8P" target="_blank">The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg</a><br />
Why did I pick it up? <span style="color: #666666;">Recommended from a friend.</span><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2EqBGVc" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://amzn.to/2EqBGVc" target="_blank">To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee</a><br />
Why did I pick it up? Reading it to Oldest, one of my favorite books.<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2EExDUo" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://amzn.to/2EExDUo" target="_blank">Savor by Shauna Niequest</a><br />
Why did I pick it up? Loved her other books.<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2Erisif" target="_blank">A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini</a><br />
Why did I pick it up? Recommended on the internet, loved the cover.<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2CifIh1" target="_blank">Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me by Karen Swallow Prior </a><br />
Why did I pick it up? Loved the idea of a book about books.<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2HedL8W" target="_blank">Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard</a><br />
Why did I pick it up? Recommended on the internet.<br />
<br />Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-73193289624410113302018-02-12T05:30:00.000-08:002018-02-13T12:53:00.617-08:00Foggy Mornings & Favorite Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been rainy and foggy and wet and drizzly, basically a normal winter in the Pacific Northwest. Just very warm for this time of year and not a dusting of snow or a chance of freezing rain. We have been plugging along with school and work, lots of basketball and band.<br />
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Our remodel is moving forward, with lots to do and it is keeping us busy. We also are in the process of purchasing a rental which is adding extra to dos to our lists. We knew jumping into all of this that it would be a bit crazy for a few months, but we are planning on it being busy and trying to embrace the mess and chaos of it all.<br />
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We have been enjoying playing a new to us game called <a href="http://amzn.to/2ssL8BU" target="_blank">Clank</a>. It is a strategy deck building game, so every game is different and so much fun. I'm loving playing games with my kids, they are so smart and strategic. Games have been a favorite throughout my life and with Steve not loving games, it is fun to have other game loving folks living under the same roof as me. So if you didn't marry a game lover, choose to raise game lovers. Life lesson.<br />
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Speaking of games, I also bought the game <a href="http://amzn.to/2CihajH" target="_blank">exploding kittens</a> to gift to the family this Christmas and it has been a fun one. Easy to learn and fun to play with everyone. <br />
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I have always loved January, the calm that comes after Christmas, the momentum that comes with a new year. So we are just moving forward through the busy days of January, reaching out to accomplish goals and spending time with those we love most.</div>
Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-41986327530031525342018-02-09T10:58:00.001-08:002018-02-09T11:50:00.050-08:00Valentines Day & Pink Inspiration From Around the Web<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some things I have loved this Valentine's Day season from around the web. Feeling all sorts of pink this year.<br />
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Do these things for your sweetheart. <a href="https://jonesdesigncompany.com/create/free-printable-love-coupon-book/" target="_blank">Free Valentine Coupon Book</a> and <a href="https://www.thedatingdivas.com/get-the-7-days-of-love-program-free-when-you-sign-up-for-our-newsletter/" target="_blank">7 Days of Love for Your Sweetheart</a>.<br />
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These are my <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sees-Candies-lb-Nuts-Chews/dp/B0042GWKYM/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1517624072&sr=8-1&keywords=see%2Bcandies&th=1" target="_blank">Favorite Chocolates</a>.<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2BPts2O" target="_blank"><br /></a>Add more pink to your life. <a href="http://amzn.to/2BPts2O" target="_blank">Blush Office Chair</a><br />
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I want to make these! <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/42784265186858289/" target="_blank">Cute DIY Hearts</a><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2EcOg9G" target="_blank">Love This!</a><br />
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Single on Valentine's Day, <a href="http://amzn.to/2DYHy3P" target="_blank">Buy This</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.thedatingdivas.com/" target="_blank">Great Ideas for Date Nights</a><br />
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Pretty pink items for your home from Target. Favorites are <a href="https://www.target.com/p/rose-linen-quilt-cotton-fieldcrest-174/-/A-52784968#lnk=sametab&preselect=52770022" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://www.target.com/p/herringbone-throw/-/A-51035913?lnk=rec|adaptpdph1|related_prods_vv|adaptpdph1|51035913|4" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="https://www.target.com/p/earthenware-vase-short-pink-project-62-153/-/A-52704404#lnk=sametab" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2EBnaXl" target="_blank">Favorite Perfume</a><br />
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<a href="https://abeautifulmess.com/2017/02/10-ways-to-celebrate-valentines-at-home.html" target="_blank">Love this blog post! Celebrate Valentines Day at home.</a><br />
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Also found this idea, <a href="http://www.livingly.com/Valentine's+Day+Gifts+For+Him" target="_blank">DIY Valentine's He'll Actually Love.</a><br />
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Pretty pink items to wear. I love <a href="https://www.carlyjeanlosangeles.com/collections/basics/products/carlys-favorite-t-shirt-tunic-rose" target="_blank">these tees</a> and they are so pretty in pink. A couple other things you can find <a href="http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pcid=5151&vid=1&pid=149190002" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=201983022&cid=5151" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Also, <a href="http://www.livingly.com/The+Most+Romantic+Words+Ever+Written/articles/999DofG5jjQ/loved+love+more+love+Edgar+Allan+Poe" target="_blank">The Most Romantic Words Every Written.</a><br />
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Wishing you and yours a romantic and pink Valentine's Day.Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-14644960162121617672018-02-07T05:30:00.000-08:002018-02-08T21:00:16.269-08:00January Reads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHeUYtfuTMtKvamtriiojQoGJ-7JkPkdNi7OPl3DqX7vPQ74s1eqJupXRp6El0RlyzyRdObEudfk4jqUEUY1_Pls6iEYh8wF3SHAjrNaCakCwZJzAyhBPXqslaeuZpwYBT8rili9grJM/s1600/January+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHeUYtfuTMtKvamtriiojQoGJ-7JkPkdNi7OPl3DqX7vPQ74s1eqJupXRp6El0RlyzyRdObEudfk4jqUEUY1_Pls6iEYh8wF3SHAjrNaCakCwZJzAyhBPXqslaeuZpwYBT8rili9grJM/s640/January+2018.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2mnkfJm" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Why I Read It || My daughter recommended it to me. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I Thought || I enjoyed it. It is set in the Florida Keys, an adventurous story of a young girl learning about life in 1935.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white;">Audiobook, Book on CD</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2mpP2Fk" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Why I Read It || As a blogger and podcaster I have loved her style and minimalistic approach to life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I Thought || I liked her simple approach to getting rid of items, tips on what to keep, and her suggestions on a minimalistic wardrobe.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">How Did You Read It || Hardbound Book, Own It</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2mnJVFr" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Not For Me</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Why I Read It || Won a Young Adult book award.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I Thought || I had a really hard time with the main character and her choices. It also had some content that wasn't great to read.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">How Did You Read It || Hardbound, Library Book</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2DpOyHu" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Marvelous Work and a Wonder by LeGrande Richards</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Why I Read It || My Dad read this book before he decided to attend the LDS church and serve a mission.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I Thought || I enjoyed it, lots of basic information about the LDS church and its doctrine. Since this was a lot of information I was familiar with it took me a LONG time to read.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">How Did You Read It || Hardbound, Own It</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2mJi7vo" target="_blank">May B by Caroline Starr R</a><a href="http://amzn.to/2mJi7vo" target="_blank">ose</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Loved It!!</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Why I Read It || Recommended on the Read Aloud Revival podcast. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I Thought || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Such a good book, I read it in one sitting and loved it! Recommended it to my daughter, she read it and loved it. I want to purchase it. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">How Did You Read It || Hardbound Book, Library</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2DAzPZp" target="_blank">The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It A Lot</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Why I Read It || Recommended on the Internet</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I Thought || A boy and a girl falling in love, in one day, in New York City. It may sound a bit cheesy, but it isn't. It deals with race, immigration, sacrifice, and parental love in a way that makes you think and ask those deeper questions. With the two main characters, the author was switching back and forth between these two narratives, but she also shared from various other points of view from other characters in the book to enrich the sto</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ry. Loved this form of writing style. It did have some language and a couple spots where it was a bit too descriptive.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">How Did You Read It || Hardbound Book, Library</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2rAQieB" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini</span></span><span style="color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Why I Read It || Recommended From the Internet</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I Thought || The story of Elizabeth Keckley, who was Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker while she was in the White House. Rich with information about the Civil War and about the Lincoln family.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">How Did You Read It || Book on CD, Library</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2DwvaaJ" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2DwvaaJ" target="_blank">Kilmeny of the Orchard by L. M. Montgomery</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Loved It</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Why I Read It || My challenge to read all the L. M. Montgomery book.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I Thought || I really enjoyed it. Just a sweet, lovely story with a bit of family drama and an intense ending. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How Did You Read It || Audiobook, </span><a href="https://librivox.org/" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">Librivox</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2DRCfGi" target="_blank">Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Loved It</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Why I Read It || Reese Witherspoon's January Book Club Pick</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I Thought || It is a book by Brene Brown, so many things to think about. It delves into the idea of being brave and how we need connections with others. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">How Did You Read It || Audiobook, Audible App</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2GIUIDM" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2GIUIDM" target="_blank">A Simplified Life by Emily Ley</a></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Why I Read It || Love her instagram account and what she shares online.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I Thought || Such a great book about simplifying your life with a focus on decluttering, simple schedules, mothering, and more.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">How Did You Read It || Harbound Book, Purchased It</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">January Summary</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">Books Read || 10</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">Hard Copies || 6</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">Audiobooks || 4</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">Read Alouds || 0</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">(Need to work on reading aloud those chapter books!)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-47345912362348131142018-02-05T05:30:00.000-08:002018-02-02T16:22:00.725-08:00Yarn Pom Pom Wreath<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIXZU09xiu-IMe7uZFVWsGiT0nFGXrMaqzDfQHwyz5oMqHYS8G4KCcPeAGsbfGSsS8T8_1cjMZOEU8N_sdVGnujw42ZqDXYXu3Jzf6VY8ACrHf-xcFbLoZ-SG3MfRKl0F3LaiO0QKSqQ/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIXZU09xiu-IMe7uZFVWsGiT0nFGXrMaqzDfQHwyz5oMqHYS8G4KCcPeAGsbfGSsS8T8_1cjMZOEU8N_sdVGnujw42ZqDXYXu3Jzf6VY8ACrHf-xcFbLoZ-SG3MfRKl0F3LaiO0QKSqQ/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Today I wanted to share a winter wreath. This one I did a couple winters ago and it is still a favorite and I actually keep it up year round.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivu00kbRwfNQ69BKKvt2_PlAK59ZnCct5hOrXrNxRyNoJVVP2b4zixzXy_OD4Fz66ln5Vkun3lX1nkUzI0lKPiQeJwTVDcZ_5pbjwsLgF_-Zdfeoz8idbSM7GxLOBJ8PeILmEpscfeh58/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivu00kbRwfNQ69BKKvt2_PlAK59ZnCct5hOrXrNxRyNoJVVP2b4zixzXy_OD4Fz66ln5Vkun3lX1nkUzI0lKPiQeJwTVDcZ_5pbjwsLgF_-Zdfeoz8idbSM7GxLOBJ8PeILmEpscfeh58/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It is now happily paired with a couple boxwood wreaths in my office. I roughly followed this wreath tutorial <a href="http://here%20is%20another%20wreath%2C%20because%2C%20well%20you%20know%20i%20love%20wreaths.%20%20this%20one%20i%20did%20this%20last%20winter%20and%20never%20got%20around%20to%20sharing%20it%20with%20you./" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEg1IvD2oIn-EsqrHyCNGzgmJF2yi7Fp9Ibs10Retcfq5R0-Avq_jXmk9MYSiLz5iySQ9AlNabZFucJzxWCHSTUbBYcRFLavmNgCLH7jtLlNDivEW-hu8t9xnnyEWK7wNhU6gOI4qk9A/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEg1IvD2oIn-EsqrHyCNGzgmJF2yi7Fp9Ibs10Retcfq5R0-Avq_jXmk9MYSiLz5iySQ9AlNabZFucJzxWCHSTUbBYcRFLavmNgCLH7jtLlNDivEW-hu8t9xnnyEWK7wNhU6gOI4qk9A/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was such a fun wreath and one that I had wanted to make for a a long time. I made a bunch of poms with my pom pom maker. My maker is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XZU8L8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000XZU8L8&linkCode=as2&tag=lemoverb01-20&linkId=ACJXC5NLJRQ7CSY7%22%3EKnifty%20Knitter%20Pom%20Pom%20Maker%20With%20Bag%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=lemoverb01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000XZU8L8%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank">this one</a>. I tied each pom pom to the foam wreath with yarn. They slide around the wreath a bit when handled, but when it is on the wall it isn't a problem. I nice wintery wreath.</div>
Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-67356096139959938562018-02-02T15:34:00.000-08:002018-02-02T15:34:28.562-08:00Holiday DIY Workshop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZqCiSDtPHVccbVVc6sDT24vv5OHC9zmeh66kI0o1befmDzZb6WbjiHKgW9CjkSnfOZOm5LHjf-zl8tase2QsyGt7zG4PcqAB6zmPCnbjNUNXewCuGIsKQObTTdkXRsr2_Zajtad_MTg/s1600/IMG_4228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZqCiSDtPHVccbVVc6sDT24vv5OHC9zmeh66kI0o1befmDzZb6WbjiHKgW9CjkSnfOZOm5LHjf-zl8tase2QsyGt7zG4PcqAB6zmPCnbjNUNXewCuGIsKQObTTdkXRsr2_Zajtad_MTg/s640/IMG_4228.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Funudh3U0LK-FtmE-9a1Kb5Dp_OEM51LxrFDEFabVas98bU3no1BhZa3vu5U-isN8D9iI__2a1Jxb8C4GMrny4Vs_K9vdMUeoM8yfmnHB6nKH1AbGm61Q0Ihwfyundrp1EN-TvqFDOk/s1600/IMG_4229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Funudh3U0LK-FtmE-9a1Kb5Dp_OEM51LxrFDEFabVas98bU3no1BhZa3vu5U-isN8D9iI__2a1Jxb8C4GMrny4Vs_K9vdMUeoM8yfmnHB6nKH1AbGm61Q0Ihwfyundrp1EN-TvqFDOk/s640/IMG_4229.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I hosted a Holiday DIY Workshop in December. My goal with these workshops have been to share with people how easy it is to make simple DIY products made with essential oils. It was fun to sit around and share this passion of mine with others and be inspired to learn what others are doing with oils in their home. Everyone left with a variety of products ready to use in their own homes. <br />
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I thought I would share a recipe we used from the workshop for a Holiday Room Spray. Since this is made with Young Living essential oils it has all the health benefits and none of the toxins. If you want to find more information about Young Living oils you can find a post on it <a href="https://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/2017/05/essential-oils-starter-kit.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jnYoQpsARANhm5OctQSe0DRhtUvkO1oEg5LF0IePcy6qQnhjFp_6NnxZTsnzZ7QZldp2MyOZd914p7KuSwh9D5l3B7WUJ2_FRy2geWl0Alf3S6FltNxy6SBrYOQCeeatZCFIc72y_4s/s1600/426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jnYoQpsARANhm5OctQSe0DRhtUvkO1oEg5LF0IePcy6qQnhjFp_6NnxZTsnzZ7QZldp2MyOZd914p7KuSwh9D5l3B7WUJ2_FRy2geWl0Alf3S6FltNxy6SBrYOQCeeatZCFIc72y_4s/s640/426.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Holiday Spray</span></u></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: medium;">Items </span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">4 oz spray bottle</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">distilled water</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">14 drops orange </span><span style="font-size: medium;">essential oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">6 drops cinnamon essential oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">2 drops clove or nutmeg essential oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">1 1/2 T vanilla extract</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: medium;">Directions</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Fill bottle 3/4 the way full of distilled water, add the essential oils and extract, shake and spray. </span></div>
Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-36576070072122901962018-02-01T05:30:00.000-08:002018-02-02T12:22:55.497-08:00Kid's Reading Goals 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Below are a list of books I would like to read to the kids or encourage them read on their own this year. I will use this list as a reference guide when I'm requesting books from the library, choosing read alouds, or when my kids want recommendations. We will see how this works this year and will definitely report back.<br />
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<b>Jakob's Reads 2018 (14 Years Old)</b><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Bp8I1r" target="_blank">To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Bnf8OJ" target="_blank">The Work and the Glory by Gerald Lund</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2BnG5BC" target="_blank">Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2F68iiM" target="_blank">Animal Farm by George Orwell</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2F6egQV" target="_blank">1984 by George Orwell</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DwiTTF" target="_blank">Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2rysnwq" target="_blank">Watership Down by Richard Adams</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2E6Xthn" target="_blank">The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DzvpC6" target="_blank">Canoeing With the Cree by Eric Sevareid </a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Dyu1jc" target="_blank">The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Dy8Cqb" target="_blank">Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DzQnkj" target="_blank">Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DAnCUm" target="_blank">The Man of the Family by Ralph Moody</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DKDvuU" target="_blank">The Arabian Nights</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Bs4CWo" target="_blank">The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DC54Dy" target="_blank">Carry on Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DAfLq0" target="_blank">Laddie by Gen Stratton Porter</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DAoMzo" target="_blank">The Chosen by Chaim Potok</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2nb5gm1" target="_blank">Frankenstein by Mary Shelly</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2E6Cr29" target="_blank">Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2E85eTW" target="_blank">Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DMIQBV" target="_blank">Great Expectations by Charles Dickens</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DCjQKw" target="_blank">The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DMdgEc" target="_blank">The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2BuiRtQ" target="_blank">The Story of King Arthur by Howard Pyle</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DQfd2D" target="_blank">City of Embers by Jeanne Duprau</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2FiMOzq" target="_blank">Endangered by Eliot Schrefer</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Gjv344" target="_blank">Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee</a><br />
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<b>Isabelle's Reads 2017 (11 Years Old)</b><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Gd1oJV" target="_blank">Books by Beverly Cleary</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DyFm6B" target="_blank">Happy Times in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2E4yA5F" target="_blank">Matilda by Roald Dahl</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DyLM5J" target="_blank">Mother and Daughter Book Club Series by Heather Vogel Frederick</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2BocPuC" target="_blank">Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2rwvQeF" target="_blank">Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2E45LX8" target="_blank">Little Women by Louisa May Alcott</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2G6qQRf" target="_blank">Little Men by Louisa May Alcott</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DvL0Cx" target="_blank">Little Women: A Modern Retelling by Laura Schaefer</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2E0vYWt" target="_blank">Daddy-Long-legs by Jean Webster</a></span></span><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2BnHmZA" target="_blank">Betsy Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2F6Vcli" target="_blank">Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Fh5KhJ" target="_blank">Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DyXQ2N" target="_blank">Doctor Doolittle Series by Hugh Lofting</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DxbyDv" target="_blank">The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Spear</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Dz3HFs" target="_blank">The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2EaAHVQ" target="_blank">The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Series by L. Frank Baum</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Fj6K58" target="_blank">The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Gg1sc1" target="_blank">The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2GiJjKL" target="_blank">The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson</a><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Karter's Reads 2017 (9 Years Old)</b><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2G7mrNX" target="_blank">Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2GaTr7Z" target="_blank">James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Gb7ZVa" target="_blank">Witches by Roald Dahl</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2F9GZ75" target="_blank">Matilda by Roald Dahl</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2FcUmnk" target="_blank">Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2E6JMin" target="_blank">Mr. Tucker by Gary Paulsen</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2GifppW" target="_blank">Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DyXp8N" target="_blank">Hatchet by Gary Paulsen</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2BtUVXk" target="_blank">Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(85 , 85 , 85); font-family: "amazon ember" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.25;"> </span></a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2E6EZgJ" target="_blank">The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Dz3WjW" target="_blank">Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Burnett</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2BrUUU9" target="_blank">Old Yeller by Fred Gipson</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DAADh1" target="_blank">The Defender by Nicholas Kalashnikoff </a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2EbfVp6" target="_blank">The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2BttPzK" target="_blank">The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2GlA6RS" target="_blank">The Arabian Nights</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2GiLpKD" target="_blank">The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2FhXf6c" target="_blank">Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2EbW34X" target="_blank">The Edge of the Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2EbW8Wj" target="_blank">The Cricket in Time Square by George Seldon</a><br />
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<b>Beckett's Reads Books & Authors 2017 (5 Years Old)</b><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2EatdSN" target="_blank">Toot and Puddle Books by Hollie Hobbie</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DKb0NK" target="_blank">Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2FcuA2n" target="_blank">Beatrix Potter Books</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DJ7mnj" target="_blank">Eric Carle Books</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DxoLvT" target="_blank">Charlottte's Web by E. B. White</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2BugcjL" target="_blank">Aesop's Fables by Aesop</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2E9O4We" target="_blank">Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2Gi6MLY" target="_blank">Books by Tomie DePaola</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DJdlZs" target="_blank">Books by David Macaulay</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2BuhWJP" target="_blank">ABC Picture Books</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2BsgWG8" target="_blank">Books by Aliki</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2naCfH4" target="_blank">Books by Marion Bauer</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2E8o4KN" target="_blank">Books by Barbara Cooney</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2nc28GJ" target="_blank">Books by Charlotte Voake</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2E7CiLQ" target="_blank">Books by Charley Harper</a>Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-21464620689301614532018-01-31T05:30:00.000-08:002018-01-31T05:30:03.715-08:00Favorite Reads of 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyPdh4qq_CtJ5drbJrNNA9v5bGCeGSkl84xfclOKKUGSHApikGKF7QBAyVIcwnLNo4rH7VrI7-HWzDI6t41zWKQ21cONgmT1dooZduN692WfN3MF7SrtJwgmRIlKFL3o93i12dr1kyMI/s1600/Favorite+Books+of+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyPdh4qq_CtJ5drbJrNNA9v5bGCeGSkl84xfclOKKUGSHApikGKF7QBAyVIcwnLNo4rH7VrI7-HWzDI6t41zWKQ21cONgmT1dooZduN692WfN3MF7SrtJwgmRIlKFL3o93i12dr1kyMI/s640/Favorite+Books+of+2017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As I looked through my 2017 list of books read, I thought I would share my favorites here with you. I chose 7 that I loved reading from this last year. </div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2BvMr1Z" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2BvMr1Z" target="_blank">The One In a Million Boy by Monica Wood</a></div>
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Such a lovely, sweet story of unlikely friendships, loss, and redemption. </div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2DMsCJd" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2DMsCJd" target="_blank">Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier</a></div>
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A classic that is very readable, haunting, and beautifully written.</div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2DESNOq" target="_blank">Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren </a></div>
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Such a great read aloud. Sweet and friendly and fun. </div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2DE7jGg" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2DE7jGg" target="_blank">Pilgrim's Inn by Elizabeth Goudge</a></div>
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The writing and imagery in this story are beautiful. I love this story of sacrifice and redemption.</div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2DBCi5H" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DBCi5H" target="_blank">Women and the Priesthood by Sheri Dew</a><br />
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A book about women in the LDS church.<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2GmgVag" target="_blank">The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines</a></div>
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The story of Chip and Joanna Gaines. A story of faith, love, and hard work.</div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2DOFiz1" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2DOFiz1" target="_blank">Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte</a></div>
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One of my all time favorites. I reread it this year and continue to love this story.</div>
Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-20084337986121855732018-01-29T05:30:00.000-08:002018-01-29T10:53:24.815-08:00Simple Homemaking | An Office Space<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJCE5pIJDzTfYUo_3ihSPI0Op_-oi6dmTRfBz8NkQX3nbVogTD8Q9DIKYzYApLTBj9a-pvtO4HlcElacRid9wZfVFRs1lA8Q4YSINH4UgfZ3fe_dlThjDHiXg7UGnBXbMldBL0aXWJQo/s1600/445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJCE5pIJDzTfYUo_3ihSPI0Op_-oi6dmTRfBz8NkQX3nbVogTD8Q9DIKYzYApLTBj9a-pvtO4HlcElacRid9wZfVFRs1lA8Q4YSINH4UgfZ3fe_dlThjDHiXg7UGnBXbMldBL0aXWJQo/s640/445.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It is so nice to have an office of your own, a place where you can care for all the office tasks that a homemaker must deal with. The phone calls, the computer work, the permission slips, the bills to be paid and all the other items that must be dealt with to run a household. These tasks vary for each of us. Some homemakers take care of all or some of the finances, some do not. Some of us may have a part or full time job outside of the home, some may work at home, some may homeschool, some of us may volunteer, some may have children in multiple schools, some may plan all the vacations or be in the mist of purchasing property.<br />
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I find myself this year with many things to keep me busy in the office. Each year brings a minor changes to my routines and responsibilities. I have always managed all the finances in our home. I'm coordinating most of the planning, ordering, and purchasing of the remodel we are in the midst of right now. This year I have four children in four different schools, coordinating with their schools and all of their various extracurricular activities sometimes feels like a full time job. I have various responsibility at church. We are in the process of purchasing a rental, a duplex, and I'm just beginning the adventure of figuring out all that will go into managing this new adventure. I also do the bookkeeping for my husband's business.<br />
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I find a dedicated place to work a must to keep myself on track and feeling like I can manage all the things that need to be checked off the list. Here a few ideas for how to manage your office work and space.<br />
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<b>Create a Space </b>| Whether this is a dedicated room, a desk set up in another space, or a mobile basket and laptop that you set up at your dining room table, have a place that you can use to sit and work on all these office task.<br />
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<b>Going Digital & Paperwork</b> | Paperwork can overrun a home quickly, especially if you have children. From mail to schoolwork, from flyers to insurance forms, this could be a homemaking post in and of itself. Go through all the papers as soon as you can. I go through it as soon as it comes through the door or when I find piles from my kids laying around the house. I'm ruthless when it comes to getting rid of papers. Have a system for going through paperwork quickly, only keep what is absolutely necessary, and recycle what you don't need. Go digital as much as you can to limit what comes into your home and what you have to file away. Use your phone to snap a photo of paperwork where you may need the information and use an organizing app on your phone to file it away. <br />
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<b>Physical Inbox</b> | I find an inbox a must (mine is an actual wooden box), a place where myself and my family can put all the paperwork that has to be dealt with later. I go through my inbox 1-2 times a week, take care of what needs to be done, and then recycle or file when the item is completed.</div>
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<b>Dedicated Time & A To Do List</b> | I like to dedicate one day a week to office work, another couple hours a week to my church calling, and another couple hours of week to blogging. Always have a running to do list of things that need to be done when you sit down to work in your office. I make these list up when I plan on Sunday. Then you always know what needs to be done. Group task together like making phone calls, printing, sending emails, and filing.</div>
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<b>Keep Your Space Tidy </b>| This is the hardest for me. I have so many different things to do and often find myself in the middle of a project and I don't want to put it all away because I will come back to it eventually. Then it sits out and I come back to my office to work on something else that needs to get done and I'm working in a messy space which I find so distracting. I'm realizing that it is worth it to clean up after each project, even if I haven't finished, storing these items away to finish at a later time is worth the couple minutes just so I can maintain a tidy space. Starting your office work in clean space is inspirational and makes for a better workflow. Beware of piles that can spring up all around you. They seem to multiply but really don't take that much time to go through and put away if you can stay on top of them. </div>
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<b>Make It Inspirational</b> | Add something pretty, an inspirational quote, pretty pens, a pretty planner or to do lists. This can be so simple or very elaborate. Just take the time to make your area pretty.<br />
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<b>Office Supplies</b> | Having functional and pretty office supplies can really make a difference in your office space. Keep it simple, only keep what you use often. I find pens, post-its, scissors, paperclips, a stapler, and tape are what I use daily. <a href="http://amzn.to/2Egfx8R" target="_blank">These</a> and <a href="http://amzn.to/2Ect29t" target="_blank">these</a> are my current favorite pens. I've also recently purchased some of <a href="https://www.target.com/c/school-office-supplies/hearth-hand-with-magnolia/-/N-5xsxrZ2l26w#type=products&lnk=Homeoffice" target="_blank">Magnolia's Hearth and Hand office supplies</a> and have loved the look of them.<br />
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<b>Keep It Simple </b>| Don't complicate things. If you currently don't have a space dedicated to work, start by finding and making a space. If you currently have one and it is a mess, start by decluttering and organizing. If you have a space and it is working but could use some freshening up, maybe take a couple of these tips to improve and make it that much more inspirational and functional.<br />
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I know that I will be working in my office over the next few months to make it more functional. Also, as part of this remodel we will be transitioning our office space, so I plan to take advantage of this time to continue to streamline the space to make it as user friendly as possible. There may be some of us as homemakers that feel that we don't need an office, but with all the many office related task that we have to accomplish throughout our days, a space dedicated to this type of work will serve us well as we manage our homes.<br />
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What type of office space do you use? What things do you find helpful as you manage the office work of your homes?</div>
Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-87596156975786654072018-01-28T05:30:00.000-08:002018-02-08T21:04:59.585-08:00Something More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T2pw-PTSQ8Ao2LjRkfVrce423hmxVbrnZX7f9e5n9ar2-Zz3ahXev7fDevLmfNRPWQH6KN_006j4iJhYf7gFbCpHHJip4IoL9yewHHUpUJNy695LFQ2-aXhn3KwH6cmkefoZaKBueiA/s1600/LondonMoon_185+BW+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T2pw-PTSQ8Ao2LjRkfVrce423hmxVbrnZX7f9e5n9ar2-Zz3ahXev7fDevLmfNRPWQH6KN_006j4iJhYf7gFbCpHHJip4IoL9yewHHUpUJNy695LFQ2-aXhn3KwH6cmkefoZaKBueiA/s640/LondonMoon_185+BW+copy.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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He comes to my office, my five-year-old boy.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">I was working away on my computer, getting things done. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">It is a Friday, a day where he doesn’t have school and he gets to stay home with me. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">He comes up and asked me, I hear him quietly say,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">"Mama, how will Jesus come again?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">I turn to him, "I don’t know baby, he'll come down from the sky."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">He persists in his questioning, "But when will he come?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">I thoughtfully respond, "I don’t know, hopefully someday soon."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">He asks in earnest, "And will he bring London with him?" </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">"Yes baby he will bring London with him." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">"But I want her here now." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">I take him in my arms, "I want her here now too baby." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">My baby girl has a birthday in a couple weeks. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">If she were here with us she would be a year old. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">We celebrated my other baby's first birthdays with a big family party, balloons and gifts, and giggling, happy 1 year old eating their first piece of cake. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">This birthday will look different.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">Over this last year I have thought of her so very much.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">The time when she should’ve been a week old, then a month, then three months, and finally now a year has gone by. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">I have a feeling that this way of marking the days will continue for the rest of my days.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Unfulfilled</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"> dreams, all the what ifs.</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">But we will celebrate her day, with cake and balloons. A white cake with pink writing, for our baby girl.</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px;">We will write her notes, visit her grave, and bring her flowers.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">Over this last year I've had to remind myself over and over again that Heavenly Father has a plan and he loves us.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">She is in my thoughts always, and I find so much joy in the knowledge that she is ours, our beautiful daughter. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">But intertwined with that joy is of course the grief, the bitter disappointment that she is not with us.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">The ache that I carry with me to hold her in my arms.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">So I wait to see her again, of course it feels like it will be a lifetime away, and maybe it will, but always worth the wait. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">I’ve always looked forward to the Savior second coming.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">He will fix our broken world, make all the wrongs right, be the perfect king and leader.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">But now I also wait for something more.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">Because when I see Him again, I will see her again.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14.6667px;">My grief and loss will be filled with joy that will overflow.</span></div>
Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-9945037176973021142018-01-26T05:30:00.000-08:002018-01-26T05:31:05.458-08:00A Winter Survival's Guide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq16B7nVyQpkFpYTWttLwtI6oSjAqtwGX34cBnAiq3SreFX-XRqkl2iTtoSiE0ZJOviTYv5Uq6TlBSWpg9pqvcVP1wqkhHjCJk35eA_0bsvRs3rzjkrjtmO5dQF-T9kjSSrM4XUVLPb0A/s1600/063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq16B7nVyQpkFpYTWttLwtI6oSjAqtwGX34cBnAiq3SreFX-XRqkl2iTtoSiE0ZJOviTYv5Uq6TlBSWpg9pqvcVP1wqkhHjCJk35eA_0bsvRs3rzjkrjtmO5dQF-T9kjSSrM4XUVLPb0A/s640/063.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Some things to enjoy during this winter season.<br />
<br />
Something Pretty<br />
<a href="http://jonesdesigncompany.com/holiday/winter-essentials-free-art-print/" target="_blank">This Free Print</a> from Jones Design<br />
<br />
Something Warm and Nutritious<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393332578/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0393332578&linkCode=as2&tag=lemoverb01-20&linkId=BDD6DHY2U5VQK3MY%22%3ELove%20Soup:%20160%20All-New%20Vegetarian%20Recipes%20from%20the%20Author%20of%20the%20Vegetarian%20Epicure%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=lemoverb01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0393332578%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank">This book.</a><br />
<br />
Something Sweet<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004YVOG1U/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004YVOG1U&linkCode=as2&tag=lemoverb01-20&linkId=KBRQKSG4Q2W6NFTS%22%3EGhirardelli%20Chocolate%20Intense%20Dark%20Bar,%20Sea%20Salt%20Soiree,%203.5%20oz.,%206%20Count%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=lemoverb01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004YVOG1U%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank">Sea Salt Soiree</a><br />
<br />
Something For Your Dry Skin<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VMGT3A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004VMGT3A&linkCode=as2&tag=lemoverb01-20&linkId=XYZBOXRRFLVTDMOO%22%3EBurt%27s%20Bees%20%20Honey%20&%20Shea%20Body%20Butter,%206.5%20Ounces%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=lemoverb01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004VMGT3A%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank">Body Butter</a><br />
<br />
Something to Diffuse ||<br />
Diffusing Essential Oils<br />
<a href="https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/idaho-blue-spruce" target="_blank">Idaho Blue Spruce</a> and <a href="https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/tangerine-essential-oil" target="_blank">Tangerine</a> or <a href="https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/orange-essential-oil" target="_blank">Orange</a><br />
<br />
Somewhere to Record Your Goals<br />
<a href="http://gettoworkbook.com/" target="_blank">Get To Work Book</a><br />
<br />
Something to Watch<br />
<a href="http://www.pbs.org/show/victoria/" target="_blank">Victoria</a> or <a href="https://www.nbc.com/this-is-us" target="_blank">This is Us</a><br />
<br />
Smell Good<br />
Buy a new perfume, this is <a href="http://amzn.to/2DQiU64" target="_blank">my favorite right now.</a><br />
<br />
Something Healthy<br />
Sauteed Veggies with Parmesan Cheese (I like the zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli mix from a bag, sauteed in avocado oil, sea salt, and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.)<br />
<br />
Something to Read<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DszT0C" target="_blank">The Secret Keeper</a> (haunting, historical, mystery), <a href="http://amzn.to/2roUCNJ" target="_blank">Emily of New Moon</a> (young adult, haunting), <a href="http://amzn.to/2FTDbrQ" target="_blank">Chasing Slow</a> (nonfiction, simplify), and <a href="http://amzn.to/2DPh9Gf" target="_blank">May B</a> (written in verse, middle grade, short and such a sweet story to read in an evening)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3756162940427666840" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3756162940427666840" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3756162940427666840" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3756162940427666840" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-1245137348636254072018-01-25T05:30:00.000-08:002018-01-25T05:30:16.781-08:00Let The Remodel Begin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I cannot tell you how excited I am for this remodel to begin. At the end of this next month we will be celebrating our 2nd year in this home, which is unreal. I thought that this remodel would take no longer then a year to complete. Well, after two years we are finally starting, beginning this last month in our guest and master bathroom.<br />
<br />
Tile has been going in these last couple weeks. Steve has done all the demo and plumbing in both bathrooms, and building two new walls in the master bath. I did end up helping just a little with the demo in the guest bath one night, which I was very proud of myself for doing. We spent an evening together taking out the shower and toilet, chipping away at the tile. <br />
<br />
I've been working mostly on the design end. Visiting showrooms, choosing and rechoosing the tile and plumbing fixtures, and ordering and picking up items. Steve has had a lot of late nights working in the bathrooms with the demo, plumbing, and building.<br />
<br />
In the master bath we are splurging on two vessel stone sinks in white and an amazing freestanding bathtub also in white. Steve has been able to purchase them at a discounted price with his plumber's discount. Steve built a wall that will surround the master shower and we will do a frameless shower glass wall and door. We also demoed into our closet and created a small room for the toilet to separate it from the rest of the bathroom. We are doing white matte subway tile in the shower and 1/3 way up all the walls. The floor will be a matte hex 1x1 tile and we will do a matte penny tile for a backsplash. Our countertops are pictured above, they are this amazing quartz that looks like marble. We will have them in all the bathrooms and the laundry and possibly in the kitchen as well. I have these beautiful gold light fixtures to go above our soon to be purchased round gold framed mirrors in the master, one on each side of the vanity. Steve is also splurging on heated floors and some fancy toilet seat that is heated and has a bidet settings. Our faucets will be rubbed oil bronze (though I tried for gold, Steve wasn't a fan.) I'm also still looking at putting a small chandelier above the tub. We are also planning to do shiplap up the half shower wall and behind both mirrors above the sink.<br />
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The guest bath will have that same subway tile in the shower and on the surrounding walls. The shower floor will be the hex and square tile shown in the photo above and the floor is this cool star patterned tile, made to look like those popular patterned cement squares, but they are ceramic. I have a fun black farmhouse style light fixture to go above the mirror. We are planning to eventually frame out the mirror. The shower sits in the corner and is a bit tricky, so we haven't decided if we will be purchasing a frameless or almost frameless glass doors and walls.<br />
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Anyway, that is the update. I will keep everyone posted on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/callielmoon/" target="_blank">instagram account</a>. We are hoping to get these bathrooms mostly done in the next 3 weeks and will be moving onto the basement bathroom next. Working with our cabinet guy on the kitchen cabinets and am getting so excited. I'll share details on that later. Also working with an engineer on our plans to turn the stairs, opening our entry, and creating a hallway into the living room. <br />
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Hoping we are getting closer to moving forward on these projects in the next couple months, fingers crossed. Feeling blessed that all this is actually happening, the mess and extra busy isn't even bothering me because it just means it is actually happening. Moving forward and getting things done is a good thing.Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-880439365481987442018-01-24T05:30:00.000-08:002018-01-24T05:30:22.185-08:00Book Inpiration from around the Web<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheqD4-UpNgG5hyphenhyphenuB4Kafb_zm4gz9w_Zd4yKAaBX3s6tGNnNgoxMJcbLlXxg453rI3Q1gf901k0XgOv-4Fb0cwl3HphkvCrsUnaQ5Ne6q6tvzE9yrNLdRMF1xymCxPk0shHWEb0oa0ejo/s1600/IMG_4181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheqD4-UpNgG5hyphenhyphenuB4Kafb_zm4gz9w_Zd4yKAaBX3s6tGNnNgoxMJcbLlXxg453rI3Q1gf901k0XgOv-4Fb0cwl3HphkvCrsUnaQ5Ne6q6tvzE9yrNLdRMF1xymCxPk0shHWEb0oa0ejo/s640/IMG_4181.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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So many lovely bookish inspiration from around the web. Sharing some links here with you today.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Bookish Articles & Podcasts</u></span></div>
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<a href="http://deliberatereader.com/goodreads-hacks-someday-shelf/" target="_blank">Goodreads Hacks: Using A Someday Shelf</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.hollywoodhousewife.com/2015/06/books-to-simplify-your-life.html" target="_blank">Books to Simplify Your Life</a></div>
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<a href="http://emilypfreeman.com/10-best-books-2017/" target="_blank">The Ten Best Books I Read in 2017</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.smartestpersonintheroom.com/show-notes/2017/12/21/ep-28-books-reading-2017-part-ii" target="_blank">Books and Reading 2017 Podcast Episode</a></div>
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<a href="http://deliberatereader.com/2018-reading-resolutions/" target="_blank">2018 Reading Resolutions</a></div>
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<u style="font-size: x-large;">Great 2018 Online Book Clubs</u></div>
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<a href="http://deliberatereader.com/2018-book-club-selections/" target="_blank">Deliberate Readers 2018 Book Club</a><div>
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<a href="https://modernmrsdarcy.com/reading-challenge-2018/" target="_blank">Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Practical Book Lovers Instagram Accounts</u></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/annebogel/" target="_blank">@annebogel</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/laura.tremaine/" target="_blank">@laura.tremaine</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/theunreadshelf/" target="_blank">@theunreadshelf</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Beautiful and Inspirational Book Lovers Instagram Accouts</u></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/therusticwindow/" target="_blank">@therusticwindow</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/bluestockingbookshelf/" target="_blank">@bluestockingbookbookshelf</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/bookotter/" target="_blank">@bookotter</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Children's Book Inspiration</u></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/readaloudrevival/" target="_blank">@readaloudrevival</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/readingisourthing/" target="_blank">@readingisourthing</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/books4kids/" target="_blank">@booksforkids</a></div>
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Of course you can check out my <a href="https://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-reading-goals.html" target="_blank">2018 Booklist </a>here and <a href="https://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/search/label/Book%20Reports" target="_blank">my monthly-ish reviews of books</a> here.</div>
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Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-2412666516531834502018-01-22T05:30:00.000-08:002018-01-22T11:44:23.909-08:00Simple Homemaking || The Power of a Minute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jXyZyRQU7aFISfiYd5QSwC0Cfi5bpYMrc96Mvouol-fFT2UYupW9yR_ATvI8aqJ4byxb6Mibfj3c62XsUzhwruFYl2oVGQZnxHtVTv3IuT8YZjLP9AWW_v1n8R_0gASnykkkc4FS0SE/s1600/IMG_4239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jXyZyRQU7aFISfiYd5QSwC0Cfi5bpYMrc96Mvouol-fFT2UYupW9yR_ATvI8aqJ4byxb6Mibfj3c62XsUzhwruFYl2oVGQZnxHtVTv3IuT8YZjLP9AWW_v1n8R_0gASnykkkc4FS0SE/s640/IMG_4239.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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"The poet, Robert Frost, was asked, soon after his eightieth birthday, how he managed to crowd so many interesting, important things into an unusually vital lifetime. He said, "Learn how to do the things you HAVE to do more quickly and effortlessly - save minutes - and you will gain an extra hour or more every day to do the things you really WANT to do -- to see friends, listen to music, or look at pictures...help others in your community, civic, church, and religious activity...make the projects for which you're always saving plans...read, or perhaps even write a little poetry." --<a href="https://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/2018/01/simple-homemaking-book-review.html" target="_blank">The Art of Homemaking by Daryl Hoole</a><br />
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I absolutely love this. Saving those minutes each day really adds up. There are a lot of things we need to do as homemakers, those mundane daily task that we may not enjoy. Whether it is dishes, laundry, scrubbing a bathroom, or all of the above, if we can take those task, complete them quickly, efficiently, and habitually we can have more minutes to do those things that bring joy and connection into our lives. </div>
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In the spirit of focusing on using those extra minutes for joyful activities I made a list in my bullet journal, I have been trying to use one this year, of all the activities I could do with those extra minutes. Right now in my life we are heavy into a remodel and working on buying a rental which is taking up a lot of my time, so I'm working even harder on getting those "work" related task done quickly and trying to save minutes each day for joyful endeavors. Those minutes really do add up and have the ability to make all the difference in a contented life. <br />
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Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-23690775081879582112018-01-19T10:58:00.000-08:002018-01-26T15:04:54.456-08:00Simple Homemaking || The Art of Homemaking Book Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-4N7D9q35hwRvIl7HGgH6XUpRQlP_oHw2c3TVr6m_jvAg26ijNUpD2xTG8DBCQT2i7pUnxkbr72UCvxbSOP2pTdcz9eM01UQYH5yfV_FC_iR5aEknXPrQ_TriSp_TWw60pKbwl6_x94/s1600/IMG_4368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-4N7D9q35hwRvIl7HGgH6XUpRQlP_oHw2c3TVr6m_jvAg26ijNUpD2xTG8DBCQT2i7pUnxkbr72UCvxbSOP2pTdcz9eM01UQYH5yfV_FC_iR5aEknXPrQ_TriSp_TWw60pKbwl6_x94/s640/IMG_4368.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2mQKqbi" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The Art of Homemaking by Daryl Hoole</span></a></div>
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This is one of the first homemaking books I read and I loved it. It was written by Daryl Hoole years ago, I think I first found it at my parent's home a few years after I was married and borrowed it to read. This book was published in 1979 and is filled with practical tips on homemaking and family life. Some of her chapters in this book are The Ideal Homemaker, A Place for Everything, Meet the Minute, Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan, and From House to a Home, also a chapter on Family Traditions and another entitled On Husbands. <br />
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This book is a simple guide on ways to organize your time in making your house a home. I love how she sees homemaking and being a homemaker as a profession, as your life's work. She talks a lot in this book about finding systems to quickly and efficiently finish the monotonous work of a homemaker so you can find time to focus on family, creativity, and enjoyable activities. A great read to pull you out of a homemaking funk.<br />
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Here are a few passages from the book. She gives a tip on clutter below.<br />
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<i>"To begin with, don't have unnecessary items around, cluttering the room, distracting from the furnishings and gathering dust. don't overfurnish your home."</i><br />
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Another tip on clutter.<br />
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<i>"Another great aid to orderliness is to remove anything which doesn't add to the decorative scheme of a room. If it isn't pretty, put it away whenever possible. I don't care for the counter top in my kitchen to be adorned with boxes, bottles, packages, and other assorted containers. if you allow this to happen, your kitchen will never look sparkling clean and attractive, no matter how much you scrub it."</i><br />
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And one more from the book on traditions and family life.<br />
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<i>"A wonderful way to put the heart in a home is to enjoy family traditions. These traditions repeated throughout the years, become the very essence of family life." </i><br />
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Also, I adore her dedication at the beginning of the book. <i>"To my daughter's, Jean, Diane, Elaine, Becky and Nancy, (5 girls!) who I hope will grow up to be happy homemakers." </i> By the way, she wrote another book with one of these girls when she was all grown up, a more modern take on homemaking which I have read and will be reading again later this year.<br />
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Such a wonderful, practical, old fashioned take on homemaking.Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-35166491554998565382018-01-18T05:30:00.000-08:002018-01-18T05:30:58.261-08:00September through December Reads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Reporting On My Final Reads of 2017<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2EzTyZ6" target="_blank">The Go-Between by Veronica Chambers</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When Cammi’s mom gets cast in an American television show and the family moves to LA, things change, and quickly.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Overdrive</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2CWvSxZ" target="_blank">The Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Loved It</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Bird in the Tree takes place in England in 1938, and follows a close-knit family whose tranquil existence is suddenly threatened by a forbidden love . . . .</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Book, Library</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2gT5Wgl" target="_blank">Pioneer Girl by Laura Ingalls Wilder</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About ||H</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">idden away since the 1930s, Laura Ingalls Wilder s never-before-published autobiography reveals the true stories of her pioneering life.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Book, Library</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2FxOIge" target="_blank">Daily Rituals by Mason Currey</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || So So</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || A collection of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">161 inspired—and inspiring—minds, among them, novelists, poets, playwrights, painters, philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians, who describe how they subtly maneuver the many (self-inflicted) obstacles and (self-imposed) daily rituals to get done the work they love to do, whether by waking early or staying up late; whether by self-medicating with doughnuts or bathing, drinking vast quantities of coffee, or taking long daily walks.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Book, Library</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2Fsyu8i" target="_blank">Some Writer! by Melissa Sweet</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Caldecott Honor winner Sweet mixes White’s personal letters, photos, and family ephemera with her own exquisite artwork to tell the story of this American literary icon.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Ebook, Kindle Library</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2CWUXIY" target="_blank">The Problem With Pain by C. S. Lewis</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">C.S. Lewis, one of the most renowned Christian authors and thinkers, examines a universally applicable question within the human condition: “If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain?”</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Overdrive</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2qZ63f4" target="_blank">Go Forward With Faith by Sheri Dew</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Loved It</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">You can always tell when you study the life of a prophet that the Lord has had His hand in his life from the beginning, says Sheri Dew, author of </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Go Forward with Faith</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. She also wrote the first biography of Ezra Taft Benson.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Overdrive</span><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2EAXVDj" target="_blank">Half Magic by Edward Eager</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">It all begins with a strange coin on a sun-warmed sidewalk. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Jane finds the coin, and becasue she and her sblings are having the worst, most dreadfully boring summer ever, she idly wishes something exciting would happen. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">And something </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">does: </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Her wish is granted. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Or not quite. Only half of her wish comes true.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Overdrive</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2r2JxSA" target="_blank">The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">An intellectual and emotional thriller that is also a different kind of murder mystery, THE FACT OF A BODY is a book not only about how the story of one crime was constructed -- but about how we grapple with our own personal histories.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Overdrive</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2gQ0G9A" target="_blank">The Mapping of Love and Death (Maisie Dobbs #7) by Jacqueline Winspear</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Loved It</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Maisie Dobbs is hired to unravel a case of wartime love and death, an investigation that leads her to a doomed affair between a young cartographer and a mysterious nurse.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Overdrive</span></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2mn1vJW" target="_blank">Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Loved It</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Jane Eyre follows the emotions and experiences of its title character, including her growth to adulthood, and her love for Mr. Rochester, the byronic master of fictitious Thornfield Hall.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Librovox</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2FxSdDE" target="_blank">A Lesson in Secrets (Maisie Dobbs #8) by Jacqueline Winspear</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Maisie finds herself financially independent, thanks to a bequest from her late mentor, Dr. Maurice Blanche, and open to new challenges exactly at the moment the British Secret Service seeks to recruit her in 1932.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Overdrive</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2EzRhx2" target="_blank">Taken by Erin Bowman</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Gray Weathersby has grown up expecting to disappear at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. They call it the Heist—and it happens to every boy in Claysoot. His only chance at escape is to climb the Wall that surrounds Claysoot. A climb no one has ever survived . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Overdrive</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2mn0EZD" target="_blank">The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the traditional name for the unfinished record of his own life written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Librovox</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2FwcJoj" target="_blank">Pilgrim's Inn by Elizabeth Goudge</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Loved It</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Post World War II story of the Eliots. an interesting and exciting story, from the 86 year old matriarch to the Little twins. Love and family life.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Book, Library</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://amzn.to/2CVlTsK" target="_blank">The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || So So</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When she was suddenly given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, journalist and archetypal Londoner Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: the happiest place on earth isn’t Disneyland, but Denmark, a land often thought of by foreigners as consisting entirely of long dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || Book, Library</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2qVVJ7v" target="_blank">The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Loved It</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In this gently humorous tale, master storyteller Astrid Lindgren takes us through a year in the lives and customs of six Swedish children living on a group of three farms in the countryside.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Book, Library</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2FvEDAN" target="_blank">Letters from Father Christmas by J. R. R. Tolkien</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien’s children. Inside would be a letter in a strange, spidery handwriting and a beautiful colored drawing or painting. The letters were from Father Christmas.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Audible</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://amzn.to/2mnkfJm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666;">Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas</span></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Loved It, Liked It, So So, Not For Me || Liked It</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">What's It About || </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Count of Monte Cristo" is an expansive adventure novel with a huge cast of characters, all revolving around the young sailor Edmond Dantès.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">How Did You Read It || </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Audiobook, Librovox</span></div>
Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-87323332093612731712018-01-17T05:30:00.000-08:002018-01-22T11:06:39.831-08:00Winter Revisited<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFO12Ti5fI0lnFPgfsRD92RYhCUcrnoqXajwen7vTKAkIyWzQ8gaLxDFYS9TY23PAyq1lK42DW46Kbi6JcWxWij12jjtoLIRzCaY1A0A_qoTePPRfnVPnFJF0nrwpAXfNDwdvkm71j1E/s1600/084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1298" data-original-width="1298" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFO12Ti5fI0lnFPgfsRD92RYhCUcrnoqXajwen7vTKAkIyWzQ8gaLxDFYS9TY23PAyq1lK42DW46Kbi6JcWxWij12jjtoLIRzCaY1A0A_qoTePPRfnVPnFJF0nrwpAXfNDwdvkm71j1E/s640/084.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love this time of year. The cold days and dark nights seem to slow us down a bit, awakening in us thoughts of reading by the fire or cuddling on the couch for a movie night. Sharing some past wintertime posts.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/2015/02/winter-picture-books.html" target="_blank">Winter Picture Books</a></span></li>
<li><a href="https://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/2016/01/winter-picture-books.html" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">More Winter Picture Books</a></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/2016/01/winter-round-up.html" target="_blank">A Winter Round Up of Favorites</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/2015/01/favorite-authors-jan-brett.html" target="_blank">Jan Brett Books</a> perfect for wintertime.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/2016/02/yarn-pom-pom-wreath.html" target="_blank">Yarn Pom Pom Wreath</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Wintertime is a great time to catch up on scrapbooking. Check out the way I scrapbook here, <a href="http://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/search/label/Project%20Life" target="_blank">Project Life Posts.</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Reading is a favorite wintertime past time. You can see all by <a href="http://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/search/label/Book%20Reports" target="_blank">book report list here</a>.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A few other wintery articles/podcasts/videos from around the web.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://modernmrsdarcy.com/cozy-books/" target="_blank">16 Books to Cozy Up With This Winter</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.sortaawesomeshow.com/shownotes/2018/1/17/4sg9jb5s836wvbma009a3rmlvlalto" target="_blank">10 Little Luxuries to Get you Through the Winter Podcast Episode</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6v8K-MkZGg" target="_blank">Farmhouse Front Porch Decorating Ideas Video</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://cottonstem.com/five-cozy-comfy-winter-looks-im-mommin/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Five Cozy, Comfy Winter Looks</span></a></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<a href="http://lemonverbenablog.blogspot.com/search/label/Project%20Life" target="_blank"><br /></a>
Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756162940427666840.post-62598106091162719622018-01-15T20:48:00.002-08:002018-01-19T18:07:46.181-08:00Reviewing 2017 Booklist<div>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I feel great about my 2017 reads. I read most of the books on this list and will finish the few books I didn't read throughout this next year. I was also happy that I was able to abandon a couple books in 2017, which has always been hard for me. </span></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Looking forward I know that in the coming year I would love to work on reading aloud to my kids. I have been thinking about the reason this has become a bit more difficult in the past couple years. I think with my kids being further apart in age making it hard to read the same books and having different activities to attend most nights of the week so we aren't all together are the biggest obstacles to overcome. I know I still love to read to them and all my kids still really enjoy it, so I want to work on it and read more books to my kids in the coming years. Love connecting with them through books.</span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"></b></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61Ch9aXdxOYjGUywYVpiN9O8SNjrHu0KLm05RiaixPeIIRimufZ0vLGsg3yAMs1v3Bw4ttQK3pUBQaThZJrQVf5OCBTg8m4EUfY0KsSUkxTE7JDeTDv9gx_cUQBezHQb4LQECyZ6f6-I/s1600/Yearly+Booklist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1500" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61Ch9aXdxOYjGUywYVpiN9O8SNjrHu0KLm05RiaixPeIIRimufZ0vLGsg3yAMs1v3Bw4ttQK3pUBQaThZJrQVf5OCBTg8m4EUfY0KsSUkxTE7JDeTDv9gx_cUQBezHQb4LQECyZ6f6-I/s640/Yearly+Booklist.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">January 2017 </span></b><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jxzvju" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2ja1mtB" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Women and the Priesthood by Sheri Dew</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2iiyXgE" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose </a>(Abandoned this book, kids weren't interested.)</span><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2j9X8SK" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">February 2017 </span></b><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2if9s4p" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2j9YP2H" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"> &</span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jxKcmk" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"> My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jlJ1Y1" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling </a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strike><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jlEJQl" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Kitchen House</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"> & </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jxzxYG" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Glory of Everything by Kathleen Grissom</a></strike><b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;">March 2017 </b></span><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic ||</span><a href="http://amzn.to/2imkzHy" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"> The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2if94Dj" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2j9Ps39" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Winter of Fire by Sherryl Jordan</a></span><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2imgG5m" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The One In A Million Boy by Monica Wood</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">April 2017 </span></b><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2iiEhka" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Oh Pioneers by Willa Cather</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2imhkzI" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Team of Rivals by Doris Goodwin</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2j9U3SK" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Silver Crown by Robert C O'Brien</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2imgCCu" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">May 2017 </span></b><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2j9YSeP" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas </a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2imhcjw" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2ja4c21" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction ||</span><a href="http://amzn.to/2j96fTm" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"> The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera </a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;">June 2017 </b></span><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2j9e6jZ" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2if9bhU" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Pioneer Girl by Laura Ingalls Wilder</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2iiAovu" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2iiCsn0" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Wonder by Emma Donoghue</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">July 2017 </span></b><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jseDet" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Problem of Pain C. S. Lewis</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jFkuw9" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Bossypants by Tina Fey</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><strike><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud ||</span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jFpktp" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"> The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin</a></strike></u><strike><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jFt1zf" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead</a></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">August 2017 </span></b><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jfQElx" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jFosoA" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Go Forward with Faith by Sheri Dew</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jFmhS3" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Sarah Bishop by Scott O'Dell</a></span><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jlH91e" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Mapping of Love and Death: A Maisie Dobb's Novel by Jacqueline Winspear</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">September 2017 </span></b><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jfWAL8" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Autobiography of Ben Franklin by Ben Franklin</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jfR4sb" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Parenting with Love & Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay</a></span><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jFKwiV" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Half Magic by Edgar Eagar</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jg6vAk" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin</a> (Abandoned, didn't like the context.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">October 2017 </span></b><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jh47Jk" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Pilgrim's Inn by Elizabeth Goudge</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2kuunBs" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Some Writer! by Melissa Sweet</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jT4Ezq" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Calico Bush by Rachel Field</a></span><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jT1z2c" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley</a></span></strike><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">November 2017 </span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2j6jkOo" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Possession by A. S. Byatt</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jgGP2o" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Booked by Karen Swallow Prior</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"> & </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jgvOy6" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Articles of Faith by James E. Talmage</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jqQvuA" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Ember Falls by S. D. Smith</a></span><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2k5e79v" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Taken by Erin Bowman</a></span></strike><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">December 2017 </span></b><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Classic || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jgwyTU" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Letters From Father Christmas by J. R. Tolkein</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nonfiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jgAuUS" style="background-color: white; color: #33aaff; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell</a></span></strike><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Aloud || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2kuulJM" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Magyk by Angie Sage</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fiction || </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2jr1413" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Mrs. Lincoln Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also Read in 2017 ||</span><br />
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2Dlwh0g" target="_blank">The Daughter's Walk by Jane Fitzpatrick</a></span></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2mzYXrL" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Bridge Across the Ocean by Susan Meissner</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2DjV0Sw" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2DBkQit" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen Flynn</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2FFj2FU" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The Dry by Jane Harper</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2DAg0lR" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">I See You by Clare Mackintosh</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2reCFBM" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2DePpOb" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Into the Water by Paula Hawkins</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2Dgxki3" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Labgirl by Hope Jahren</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2DmeNkq" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Lesson in Secrets (Maisie Dobbs #8) by Jacqueline Winspear</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2DgxpST" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2mAbmft" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2D9leUn" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Quiet by Susan Cain</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2DAjaWF" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Matter by Blake Crouch</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2DAiyAb" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Still Life by Louise Penny</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2DzYo9A" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2DjO5J6" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Moccasin Trail by Eloise McGraw</span></a></strike><br />
<strike><a href="http://amzn.to/2racZpF" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Growing Up by Brad Wilcox</span></a></strike><br />
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Calliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160276138391738690noreply@blogger.com0