I'm in southeastern Ohio. Temps have been in the 60s (f) for the last two days. Our normal seasonal temperatures are much closer to freezing.

Here's what I've read so far this year. The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother by Eve LaPlante Elsewhere: A Memoir by Richard Russo My book club reads biographies during January so I picked two. While I like Richard Russo I didn't love his memoir. And The Untold Story seemed very obvious to me. From reading LMA I just assumed that her mother was the major figure in her life. The book was interesting but not earth shattering. The Best Bad Luck is YA but well over the page limit and it's an interesting read. Set between the Civil War and WWI. A black family moves to Alabama.

Here is my 52 in 52 recap on my blog. Thanks so much for hosting this, Robin. I loved going back through what I've read and answering these questions. It was fun to revisit some of the reading I've done and to celebrate the accomplishment of meeting this challenge. I'm looking forward to next year!

For us Christmas Eve means dinner by candle light, church, And watching "It's a Wonderful Life".

Thank you so much. Several of these were already on my library reserve list. I'll be adding to it. Has anyone read one of these that they'd recommend as a read aloud?

I am looking for a suggestion for our next read aloud. We are studying World War I so something from that era is preferred. Dd14, ds10 and dd8 will be my listeners. Any ideas?

I've been reading Uncle Tom's Cabin for-ev-er! and I finished it this week. It was a worthwhile read but not one that was easy for me. Completing that novel allowed me to do some lighter reading. I've flown through several other books. Here's my list for the week: How I Came to Sparkle Again by Kaya McLaren The Three Incestuous Sisters: An Illustrated Novel by Audrey Niffenegger Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Calling Invisible Women is a book that I'll be recommending far and wide. It was an entertaining read but it made me think in a brain stretching kind of way.

:hurray: Nice job! Thanks.

My picky ds10 suggests: The Redwall books Lord of the Rings The Hobbit Chronicles of Narnia The Lion's Whiskers and Other Ethiopian Tales Mr. Tucket series The Warrior series Call of the Wild White Fang Peter and the Star Catchers Hank the Cow Dog

I'd make a big pot of pasta e fagioli, an antipasto tray, a large salad, and crusty bread.

Just a plug for those that deal with alopecia... It is devastating for a child/teenager to lose their hair with no clear explanation as to why. So little in know about the causes of alopecia and alopecia universalis is not a cureable disease at this time. No, alopecia is not cancer but a child or adult with alopecia may desperately need a wig too. My daughter has alopecia and while hers has been treatable I am so blessed that there is an organization like Locks of Love that is trying to learn more about alopecia and how to treat it.

We love pancake sundaes. On special occassions we top our pancakes with sliced banana, strawberries, chocolate syrup, vanilla yogurt and cherries. YUM! We also love pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon butter and maple syrup.

:iagree:

Yes, I got impatient and double posted. How do you delete a post now?

I'm making pecan pie, pumpkin pie and apple dumplings.

I finished two books this week, The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle and Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Depending on your taste, both books were engaging and worth reading. Currently I'm reading Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

That was the plan but we will have company from Wednesday to Wednesday so I think we are going to take that time off instead. Maybe we'll do a lighter schedule and more time for NaNoWriMo and pleasure reading. That would seem like a vacation for my crew.

Here are mine: home and farm.

When you are ready to list the house, list it. There is no perfect time or secret formula. If you can keep the house neat and impersonal and still enjoy the holidays do it. If you can't then wait. We've bought and sold during every season of the year. It's a matter of the right person finding the right house. One thing is almost certain though, you probably won't sell it until you list it.

We've been feasting on pumpkin since the beginning of October. In fact, I'm enjoying a piece of pumpkin pie right now.

Here are the things I enjoy about my kitchen: double convection oven double dishwasher granite counter tops storage space These are the things I don't enjoy: glass stovetop white cabinets

Halloween pictures from home and farm.

What do you have in your house that you like? Is there a room that you are pleased with? It's almost impossible to redo an entire place on a budget but redoing a room on a budget is pretty simple. First, check with your landlord and ask about painting. Even a light neutral can make a huge difference in bringing a place to life. Second, do you have pictures/art that you can hang? Choose what you love, get photos printed and enlarged. Check yard sales, Goodwill, thrift stores, etc. for frames. Spray paint them all the same color and group them together. If you pick a color you love for the frames and print the pictures in black and white you'll create a wall that will draw attention and make you smile for very few $$. After that, think about where you can add a pop of color to draw from the frames. Maybe a throw pillow, a blanket, a vase, or a plant. Take your coffee table cover the top with foam and then use a staple gun to secure fabric over the foam and the top.

We were in Atlanta for a week this summer. We spent half the day relaxing and swimming at the hotel pool. On the other half days we saw the zoo, the Center for Puppetry Arts and the MLK Jr. National Historic Site. All three were worthwhile places to visit. We spent the entire day one day at Stone Mountain. That day was the kids' favorite.

A flashlight and extra batteries.