Dancing with Daffodils

I have been loving January. It is clean, simple, unscheduled and snowy. Where we live, as soon as there is even a mention of snow, everything shuts down, so we had a Sunday with no church and a Monday of no school. I love that after such a busy December with lots of outside commitments, January is when we actually get family time. I love that I don't have to feel guilty for sitting under a blanket and reading a book all afternoon because there isn't anywhere I have to be or any fun I should feel like I should be having on such a cold and cloudy day.  The only downside has been my children. I am not sure what is wrong with them lately but I think for all of the reasons I love January, they are struggling. The amount of fighting in our home lately has reached unprecedented levels and I was about ready to buy myself a ticket to a far-away island yesterday. I don't like contention at all and get very stressed when there is yelling or arguing. The constant need to mediate thes...

I did it! Literally minutes before the big, glass ball dropped, I finished reading my 35th book for 2018. In a previous blog post, I shared the first 17 that I read for the year and here is the rest. 18. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. This book wasn't quite what I expected but I ended up really liking it. I am intrigued with Russian culture and history from the time that I spent living in Ukraine. At first it felt like it was moving slowly but then I came to appreciate that it was more philosophical in nature. I loved the main character and found it to be a very interesting story. 19. The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes. I think I would say this is the best book I read all year. I loved the story, it was a unique story especially as far as time and place and I loved the characters. I also am a big fan of books that have a family mystery and that jumps back and forth between time periods unraveling the story. I have recommended this book to many people and they have...