Snow Day!

 

We were all happy to have a snow day today!

The big boys made me a bit nervous having a snowball fight on the roof.

Snowball fights and sledding were the activities of the day.  Although they talked about building a snowman, no one ever actually started one.  We got 2.5 inches of snow, so a decent amount.

Egg Tower

The kids were very excited that we filled up our egg tower.  This is only a few days' worth of eggs, since we are consistently getting 6 eggs a day now.  I am very happy to have eggs again!  The kids are, too.  Several of them really enjoy eggs, and all of them will eat them.  I see scrambled eggs on the menu soon.

 

A Blanket and a Handsome Cat

Over the last couple of years, I have been crocheting squares.  I finally made enough to attach them into a blanket.

It has been a hit with the kids.  Several of the kids like to cuddle up in blankets on the couches.

Also, Lydia did a photo shoot with Panther:

He didn't seem to mind the bandanna.

 

Art

 It has been a while since I brought out collage materials, so I read Wag a Tail by Lois Ehlert to the boys.  I showed them her collage-style illustrations and gave them the materials to make their own pictures.  

They enjoyed making creatures with fabric and buttons.  Lydia even came and made one, too.  Emry was really impressed by the collage art, so we got some more Lois Ehlert books from the library to enjoy.

2020 Reading List

 I realized that I never posted my 2020 reading.  Here it is, only including books I read cover-to-cover.

Non-Fiction and Memoirs/Biographies

Witness: Voices from the Holocaust, ed by Joshua Greene and Shiva Kumar

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke

Courage and Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in WWII Denmark by Deborah Hopkinson

The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife, and the Missing Corpse by Piu Marie Eatwell

Because of Romek: A Holocaust Survivor's Memoir by David Faber

How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas Woods Jr

Defying Hitler: The Germans Who Resisted Nazi Rule by Gordon Thomas and Greg Lewis

Assume the Worst: The Graduation Speech You'll Never Hear by Carl Hiaasen

Start a Home-Based Plant Nursery by David the Good

Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Biography by Laura Ingalls Wilder, ed. by Pamela Hill

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Our Mothers' War: American Women at Home and at the Front During WWII by Emily Yellin

I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran and Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa by Charles Brandt

How to Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman

How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons

Fiction 

Collateral Damage by Lynette Eason

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (JFIC)

Chasing the White Lion by James R. Hannibal

Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney (JFIC)

The Traitor's Pawn by Lisa Harris

Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia Macneal

A Desperate Hope by Elizabeth Camden

Hadley Beckett's Next Dish by Bethany Turner

A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

A Dream Within a Dream by Mike Nappa and Melissa Kosci

The Key to Everything by Valerie Fraser Luesse

Appalachian Summer by Ann Gabhart

Acceptable Risk by Lynette Eason

Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick

The Key to Love by Betsy St. Amant

Burden of Proof by Davis Bunn

Nothing Short of Wondrous by Regina Scott

The Love Note by Joanna Davidson Politano

Sacred Treason by James Forrester

Active Defense by Lynette Eason

Lydia Photographs the Chickens

 

I let the chickens into the yard for a while today, and Lydia took some pictures.

At least 3 of the pullets have started laying, and the americanas have resumed laying, too, so we are getting 2 or 3 eggs a day now.

Panther was not impressed with the poultry. 

Book Review - Active Defense by Lynette Eason

 

Lynette Eason's latest suspense novel is full of twists, action, and tugs on the heartstrings.  This is the third in a series, but it is easily a stand-alone novel.  Readers of the first two will enjoy snippets of the previous characters, but this story is all about Heather and Travis.  I also really liked the addition of Ryker to the story.  Some of the plot was a bit too complicated to seem realistic, and the horse part seemed a bit drawn-out, but overall, it was still a fun read. 

I received this book from the publisher, Revell, for the purpose of writing a review, but all opinions are my own. 

Zoo and Cabbage

 

The cabbages in the sunroom have been growing slowly.

There's also some lettuce on the left, which seems to be doing very well.  

Yesterday, I took the kids to the zoo.  

It was actually a pretty nice day for January.  It was in the upper 40s and sunny, and there was certainly no crowd.

This giraffe really wanted to get close to us.  

Unfortunately, due to winter and covid, there were so many animals we couldn't see.  I told the kids that maybe in March it will be better.  We did still have a great time, and some of the animals were really showing off for us, like the giraffe and the seals.

Family Time

It's been nice having 2 weeks off of school.  We've played lots of board games and card games.  Some of us also worked on this 1000 piece puzzle:

I've never actually done a puzzle that big before.  It took a few days, but it was oddly satisfying.  We may do another in a few weeks.

We've also been rearranging some furniture and things.  This time, it's for our new fridge.  We are spending our stimulus check on a second fridge (and a new stove, since our old one is almost caput).  The boys helped me move the food storage rack I made for potatoes, onions, etc down to the laundry room.  That is now our makeshift root cellar.  The fridge will go in the library/pantry room, on the wall directly behind the stove, so it will be very convenient to the kitchen.  I'm so excited to have a second fridge.  We could really use one, and I think it will make my life easier.    

 

December Harvest Totals

 As expected, December's count is very low.

Carrot - 1

Eggs - 10

Onion -1

Radishes - 3

Turnips - 6

Plus some mint, arugula, chives, thyme, and oregano