Bunk Beds

 Emry and Gyunay have been in the bunk bed that my inlaws originally made for Elijah and Malachi nearly 16 years ago. It's a very sturdy bed, and it's been well-used by all of these boys, but we had one big problem that had to be addressed: Gyunay was having trouble getting into and out of the top bunk.  (And Emry is scard of heights and won't sleep on the top.)  Simultaneously, Emry has grown quite a bit, and his clothes no longer fit in his very small dresser, so we also needed more drawer space.  Naturally, the room isn't getting any bigger, so I looked into bunk beds with stairs (instead of ladders) that also had storage, and we agreed to buy a new bed.  

Fortunately, I have a grown son who helps me out a lot around here!  Elijah took apart their old bed and started assembly on the new one.  He then had to leave, so Nathaniel and Emry continued work in the evening.  Elijah came back home and joined in, with Gyunay acting as gopher.

Emry was excited to learn how to use the drill.

Before bedtime, they had the main bed together.  It also has a trundle.  Since the stairs were not completed, Gyunay slept in the trundle the first night.

But the next day, Elijah made the stairs, complete with drawers!

I re-arranged all of the boys' clothes, so everything now fits in the storage available. The boys love their new bed, too.

And here is a picture of them after their cooking class earlier in the week:

They made superbowl appetizer trays.  They still have two more classes, and they are really looking forward to them.

Winter Fun

 We are just coming out of a very cold week.  We got snow, but it was powdery due to the cold, so no snowmen.  On the last couple of days, though, it was a bit warmer and the kids were able to enjoy a rare pleasure: sliding on the pond!

Malachi was bummed that he missed it.  We don't get such a hard freeze very often.

Other happenings in the past two weeks include:

Lydia does parkour now:

Gyunay loves swim lessons:

Emry and Gyunay are very fond of the fake fire place upstairs.  I'm excited that we can finally use the real fireplace downstairs again without my lungs dying.  Nathaniel has to make the fire, but it's been really nice.

We did take down the tree about a week ago.

And the lap dogs are still very much lap dogs:

Book Review - Double Take by Lynette Eason

 I recently started Double Take by Lynette Eason, and I had to finish it quickly because the suspense was really well-done.  I've read several of her books, and I always enjoy them, but I think this one was perhaps the best yet.  This one starts out with a bang and doesn't let up.  I was also very happy to see the Christian element woven into the characters' lives.  Sometimes Christian fiction just has characters who pray before meals or mention God when things get dicey, but this one has more of a faith relationship between several characters and God.  I also enjoyed the romance element in this one very much.  The mystery involved is really great and kept me guessing.  Overall, I thought it was well written and a lot of fun.  I highly recommend this book. 

I received a copy from the publisher, but all opinions are my own.

LST 325

 

I was able to take Elijah, Malachi, and Lydia to the LST while we were in Evansville.

I had taken Elijah and Malachi 11 years ago and have long wanted to go back, so I finally took the opportunity.  LST stands for Landing Ship Tank, and it was a crucial vessel in WWII.  The shipyard in Evansville produced more LSTs than any other shipyard during WWII.  

Evansville was a hub of war production, producing LSTs, Thunderbolt planes, ammo, and more.  On a personal note, on my father's side, my great-grandfather was the head of the electricians on the LSTs.  My grandfather also worked at the shipyard until he was drafted.  On my mother's side, my great-grandmother worked at the airport where they tested the planes and then had to make repairs onsite.  I don't know if she was a riveter, but she would have been called a "Rosie" regardless!

It was a good tour.  I'll have to get to the new WWII museum some other time, as it was closed when we were there.  

December Harvest Totals and Arcade Fun

 The December harvest is quick to report: 96 eggs.  On the plus side, one of the four pullets laid her first egg today.

Also during Christmas break, we enjoyed some time at an arcade.

After dinner with Jeff at a delicious Mexican restaurant, we headed to the arcade, which was mostly empty.

Everyone had a blast.  I really appreciated the skeeball.  Emry tied me for highest skeeball score of the night.  The kids were impressed by Jeff's skills on Ms. Pacman.  Overall, it was a win for all, and we will have to visit again in the future.

2023 Reading List

 So here is my reading list for 2023.  I will admit that the very last book on the list was technically finished this morning, but otherwise, these are the books that I read in their entirety this past year.  

Fiction

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Everything is Just Beginning by Erin Bartels

Brave Water by Sarah Robsdottir  (YA FIC)

When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin

Willy Finds Victory by Joan Stromberg  (J FIC)

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel

The Hurricane Sisters by Dorthea Benton Frank

The People's Princess by Joan Stromberg  (JFIC)

Under Fire by Lynn H. Blackburn

The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green

After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot

The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark

The Long March Home by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee

In the Shadow of the River by Ann H. Gabhart

The Orphans Find a Home by Joan Stromberg  (JFIC)

Old Men Don't Walk to Egypt by Corinna Turner  (YA FIC)

An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpugo  (JFIC)

This Is Where It Ends by Cindy K Sproles

The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden

The All-American by Susie Finkbeiner

The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark

Letters From my Sister by Valerie Fraser Luesse

He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Code Name Edelweiss by Stephanie Landsem

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder  (JFIC)

On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser  (JFIC)

Into the Fire by Irene Hannon

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barrat

Non Fiction and Biography

Journey into the Whirlwind by Eugenia Semyonovna Ginzburg

The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport

Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates Jr.  (J NONFIC)

St Katherine Drexel by Susan Helen Wallace (JBIO)

Suffering with a Purpose by Hubert Van Zeller

The Silent Knight: A History of St. Joseph as Depicted in Art by Elizabeth Lev

The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft by Ulrich Boser

Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conquest of Darkness by Warren H. Carroll

Mexican Martyrdom: First Accounts of the Religious Persecution in Mexico 1926-1935 by Wilfrid Parsons

How the Church Has Changed the World by Anthony Esolen

The New Relativism: Unmasking the Philosophy of Today's Woke Moralists by Karlo Broussard

The Word Set in Stone: How Archaeology, Science, and History Back up the Bible by Dave Armstrong

The Fourth Cup by Scott Hahn

The Spirit of Father Damien: The Leper Priest - A Saint for Our Times by Jan De Volder

Father Damien and the Bells by Arthur and Elizabeth Sheehan  (JBIO)

Evansville in World War II by James Lachlan MacLeod

Converts and Kingdoms: How the Church Converted the Pagan West by Diane Moczar