I bought an audio version of the Bible to listen to every morning as I get ready for work and I signed up for the Powered by 4 reading community: http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/P4homepage.html What's your plan for this year?

Yes, we are under contract until June 2015. But then my oldest ds will be a senior so the big decision is whether to move then and let him start college a year early or stay until June 2016 and let him graduate with his class. Right now we are leaning towards 2015 but we will see what happens. I can't believe this our 5th year here already!

It is 2014 already in Malaysia and I want to wish you all a happy and blessed new year!!

I found the third book so boring that I was kind of glad when Tris died because I was sick of her. I finished it but at the end I felt like, "Whew, glad that's over!"

You got it!

In that situation, I would cook the sausage and chop the peppers and onions on the weekend and freeze that in individual bags. Then grab a bag, drop it in the pan, add eggs and cheese and voila! You could even throw it all in a bowl and microwave. I make egg sandwiches in the morning with a microwave. Just spray a bowl lightly with Pam, crack an egg in, microwave for one minute. Then add it to two pieces of toast and a slice of cheese. It slides right out of the bowl onto the toast. It's a favorite for my kids on busy mornings.

We eat at home 4 days a week and eat out 3 days a week. Her are my meals for January: Week 1 Artichoke/chicken/tomato pasta Indian pepper chicken with Indian-style cabbage and carrots Grilled cheese and tomato soup Chili Week 2 Spaghetti BBQ cheddar chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans Egg salad sandwiches and fruit Chicken tortellini soup Week 3 Buffalo chicken with potatoes and veggies Cajun chicken pasta Tuna melts and veggies Cheese/chicken/broccoli soup Week 4 Baked veggie pasta Chicken masala pizza Chicken salad sandwiches with fruit Fried rice and eggs sambal

When I am at home I have a tendency to wear the same things over and over again. But since I work full time and have to dress up every day, I have a pretty large wardrobe. I might be able to go down to 33 different outfits. :)

That must be very scary for you. Praying that all is benign and health is restored to you both.

How wonderful!

Health- figure out what is wrong with my hands (carpal tunnel syndrome? Arthritis? Other?), sleep more Fun/Hobbies- continue reading, create more digital scrapbooks Parenting- stop yelling so much (see "get more sleep" above) Self-Education- work on my 3rd masters degree Spiritual- either start faithfully attending one of the churches here (that differs greatly from us doctrinally) or commit to family worship and stop bouncing back and forth Financial- start prepping seriously for our re-entry into the US which will happen in 2015 or 2016 Home Management- start grocery shopping every 2 weeks instead of every week! Declutter and streamline in preparation for move back to US

No, I don't think it is nonsensical. I followed a few of the challenges this year and, while I accomplished those challenges, it sometimes forced me to read books that really weren't my style and I only read them to finish the challenge when I'd rather be reading something else. So this year I have only two goals: Read more than I did in 2013 Buy less than I did in 2013 (I am trying really hard to make more use of the library because I spend a lot of money on books!) Happy spontaneous reading in 2014!!!

Ok, final tally for the year... Finished: 58. Morning Glory by Sarah Jio 57. Good News of Great Joy by John Piper 56. The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley 55. Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper 54. Smart but Scattered Teens: The "Executive Skills" Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential by Richard Guare 53. The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli: Crazy Good Stuff I've Learned about Teaching by Rick Wormeli 52. Maya's Notebook by Isabelle Allende 51. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini 50. Big, Dead Place: Inside the Strange and Menacing World of Antarctica by Nicholas Johnson 49. God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China by Liao Yiwu 48. Allegiant by Veronica Roth 47. The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin 46. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 45. Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists by Anthony Amore (American Author, DD class 700) 44. The Gospel's Power and Message by Paul Washer (American author, DD class 200) 43. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Persuasive Writing by Gerald Graff (American author, DD class 400) 42. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (American author, DD class 800) 41. Mariana by Susanna Kearsley (Canadian author, DD class 800) 40. Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 200) 39. When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy by John Piper (American author, DD class 200) 38. Inferno by Dan Brown (American author, DD class 800) 37. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo (American author, DD class 800) 36. The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson (Canadian author, DD class 200) 35. Sandstorm by James Rollins (American author, DD class 800) 34. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Mexican Author, DD class 800) 33. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost (Dutch Author, DD class 900) 32. Bill Bryson's African Diary by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 31. The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer (American author, DD class 800) 30. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (American author, DD class 800) 29.The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (American author, DD class 800) 28. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (American authors, DD class 800) 27. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 26. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 25. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopian author, DD class 800) 24. Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams (American author, DD class 300) 23.The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (American author, DD class 600) 22. The Infernal Devices #3: The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (American author, DD class 800) 20. Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (British author, DD class 200) 19. The Infernal Devices #2: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 18. The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 17. God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts (British author, DD class 200) 16.The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Canadian Author, DD Class 800) 15.The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 900) 14. Prodigy by Marie Lu (Chinese author, DD class 800) 13. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (American author, DD class 900) 12. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (American author, DD class 500) 11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman (American Author, DD class 600) 10. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller (American author, DD class 200) 9. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (American author, DD class 300) 8. Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (American author, DD class 100) 7. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 6. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 5. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 4. The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies (Canadian author, DD class 600) 3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Australian author, DD class 800) 2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (English author, DD class 800) 1. The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch (German author, DD class 800)

I'm so very sorry this happened and that you had to deal with it under such stressful circumstances.

Praying that you are feeling better...

I have to disagree. Perhaps calling someone aunt this or that may not seem like a big deal but what if they asked for something bigger? What if a new stepmother insisted on being called "mommy" but your children didn't want to do that because they feel they already have a mommy? I think taking the child's comfort level into consideration is important.

It's a southern thing. It's cultural. It's not "weird," it's just different from what you would do. For instance, here you call anyone significantly older than you "auntie" and "uncle" even if you don't even know them! It's a cultural thing. "It's not weird, it's just different" is the motto we teach our children and all the students at my school who are living cross-culturally with other kids from 28 different countries.

I was 40 the year my youngest came along. I have contemplated more but in the end, I just "feel" too old. I don't have the same energy level I did with my first and second (my kids are all spaced 6 years apart). And my family feels complete. It didn't until we got DD. Now it just does. I can't really explain it.

Using the gift card would not bother me in the slightest. However, being locked into going to the same restaurant every year for my anniversary because of the gift card would. Does that make sense? I mean, if we WANT to go to that restaurant every year then I say it is a win-win. But what if I want to go someplace different this year but dh says no because we have a gift card to the other place? That might bother me.

I forgot about that one! The parent of one of my Korean students gave me underwear as a gift. I was told this is a fairly common gift in Korea but it definitely left this American girl scratching her head. :)

I got old bed sheets in one of those "bad Santa" games at our staff party. Also, a parent of one of my students gave me a book on how to be a better leader... A book HE wrote. I'm not sure what to think about that. Is that a hint? ;)

I love all things gluten-related. :) ESPECIALLY pasta. Yum.

I agree! Reading is my passion and it fits me as an introvert.

We are taking ours down the day after Christmas. It's dd's birthday so I want to focus on that. Plus, having my house out of order for Christmas messes with my OCD. I need things back in their rightful places as soon as possible so I can breathe easier.

If it were related to sex, drugs, alcohol abuse, gambling, etc. Then yes I would want to know. Anything criminal or abuse or addiction related. Other than that, I would stay out of it.