Currently

Reading ... in the Bible, a few Psalms.

In other books I read Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. I read the Hunger Games series ten or so years ago. It's a series that has stuck with me even though I've never done a reread. When I heard about this book and that Haymitch was going to be the main character I knew I had to give it a read.

I heard it's a really emotional read and everyone I heard talking about it was saying how much they cried while reading it. I tend to get teary easily while reading. If something is sweet, if something is sad you will find me reaching for tissues. Some books have me sobbing. Knowing myself and knowing the Hunger Games I made sure to have a box of tissues within easy reach and settled in to read.

There may be something wrong with me, because yes, it was sad. Yes it had some emotional scenes, but I shed nary a tear. My breath didn't catch, there was no rapid blinking, no lumps in my throat, just nothing. 

It was a really good book, but I think I emotionally distanced myself before I started reading and as such never got truly immersed in the story.

Writing ... menu plans, grocery lists, and working on brainstorming and scheduling some projects Sharon and I want to tackle after the holidays.

Watching ... an episode of Restoring Galveston almost every evening. It's one of our favorite house flipping shows. We had a ton of them recorded and we're finally getting to watching them. The couple who is doing the renovations is so sweet. Not only is it fun watching the old houses transform under their talented vision and craftsmanship, but their relationship with each other is also a pleasure to see. All around a feel good show.

Listening ... I would love to have some Christmas music playing, but Steven doesn't like music on a normal day, and Christmas music takes it to new heights of torture for him, so I'm choosing not to play any when he's in the house.

Baking ... not exactly baking, but I used the oven to soften Rolos and then pressed pretzels into them. They are some of our favorite Christmas treats. Besides making the Rolo Pretzels I also made quite a few batches of rice krispie treats, but that's all we're doing for this year's Christmas goodies.

Earlier today I delivered a celebration cake. I was nervous doing the hour long drive with a cake riding in the back of our vehicle, but it all turned out okay and I was able to deliver an intact cake.

I did breathe a huge sigh of relief once it arrived at the venue, and was safely handed over.

Cooking ... I get to have the night off of cooking thanks to the birthday party we will be attending. 

Last evening I made turkey burgers and seasoned potato wedges. 

Feeling ... content and happy. 

Disliking ... ice. There's a freezing mix happening right now and the roads are getting interesting. I'm glad I get to be in the passenger seat tonight when traveling to and from the birthday party. LV is better at bad weather driving than I am.

Loving ... books. That I love reading is no surprise I'm sure. Seeing my TBR pile makes me feel happy everytime I look at it.

Playing ... our week has been somewhat chaotic so far and time to sit down and play a game did not happen that often. The only game that made it to the table so far this week was Munchkins. 

Cleaning ... other than the daily dozen and weekly seven, the only additional cleaning was washing all the bedding. 

I was going to tackle several shelves in the storage room today, but then the cake delivery request came up, so I did that instead.

Currently

Reading ... in the Bible, Ruth. Plus a few Psalms, and other passages from various books of the Bible as I'm doing a study.

In other books I read Once Upon a Christmas Carol by  Melody Carlson. It was only a novella, but somehow it felt loooong. 

Writing ... it's that time of year when I start writing out goals and plans for the new year. There are a few items on my 2025 goals that I didn't get completed, so I'm carrying those over into my goals for 2026.

Watching ... various YouTube videos of what people are getting their children and teens for Christmas. I can't really explain why I like them. It's not as if I needed the inspiration for gifts, having already planned what we will be doing. But somehow I find it rather enjoyable.

Listening ... to my 2025 recap playlist. I was surprised at how little music I listened to this year. Even so, I'm enjoying listening to a lot of my favorites in one playlist

Baking ... that idea I had for a new cookie invention last week. It was successful, but I want to make a few minor tweaks to the recipe before sharing it. They turned out to be what I call a delightful tea cookie. It had a snap to it while still being somewhat chewy. Exactly what I was looking for to enjoy with a cup of my favorite tea.

Cooking ... my menus lately have been on the boring side with hamburger, potatoes, and salad. Made different ways, but still very basic. 

Time to pull out my cookbooks and browse my Pinterest boards.

Feeling ... excited. Some of the plans and goals for the new year has me feeling excited. I would start now, but the holidays are already a busy time. It seems wise to wait to be starting some new time consuming projects until things slow down a bit.

Disliking ... badly plowed roads that are slick and slippery with slushy snow.  So far ditches have remained Mary Ann free. My goal is to keep it that way, which means allowing more time to get to my destinations.

Loving ... a clean kitchen. It never stays spotless for long, but those few minutes a day when it is, it brings me a soul-deep feeling of joy

Playing ... a word salad type of game with Steven. 

We've also been pulling out the fast little games that can be played in only a few minutes. Somehow that seems to be all the time we have for games these past few days. Especially when sledding is an option.

Cleaning ... repeatedly sweeping the front porch and porch steps to try to keep it free of snow.

Currently

Reading ...  in the Bible I read Esther. 

In other books, I'm reading The Christmas Basket by Debbie Macomber. I find Christmas books are usually light little fluff reads. They're a good time, but quite forgettable. 

I am also in the middle of doing a reread of a series that I already read twice this year. 

Steven is also doing a reread of one of his favorite series and it brought up a discussion on how we would rate books. After some debating we came to an agreement that the following star ratings is the most accurate way to sum up the books we read.

5 stars = perfection. Would not change a thing. Will definitely read again.

4 stars = loved, would read again

3 stars = don't regret. Had a good time, but it was forgettable and will not read again.

2 stars = did not like. Will not recommend.

1 star = loathed it.

Any books we abandon or can't make ourselves finish we will not rate.

But then there are some other books that don't fit into that basic 1  to 5 star rating system. We went ahead and added two more categories.

6 stars = that top tier feeling. The books that mean so much to you that the characters feel like close friends. They're everything. Multiple rereads will have you feeling the same things you felt the first, second, and third time you read them. They don't grow old. 

0 stars = burn it, try to forget it ever existed.    Only two books fit in this category for me. I couldn't burn them because I had borrowed them from the library, but I'm trying my best to forget they ever existed.

Writing ... addresses on the envelopes of the Christmas cards we are sending out. I've already sent the majority, but still have a few here waiting until tomorrow when I can pick up some stamps for mail sent outside of the United States.

Watching ... Sharon and Steven sledding. Sharon had the day off work yesterday and Steven convinced her to join him sledding. He didn't have to put forth much effort in the convincing part before she was bundling up and heading outside to join him.

Listening ... to the wind, and the sound of traffic passing the house. Both sound cold. The wind has a sharper whistling sound, and whatever they put on the road to treat it for ice and snow gives traffic a different sound that I associate with cold.

Baking ... I haven't baked anything this week, but I have some plans that I'm actually quite excited to try.  I want to try making some new cookies that so far only exist in my head.  I know baking is much more of a science than cooking, but I kind of understand it, and Rosie Mae is really good at creating new recipes so I'll have her check it before I waste ingredients. If I'm successful I'll share the recipe here on my blog, if not I'll only talk about the results in a future "Currently" post.

Cooking ... last evening I made glazed lamb meatballs and a side of cauliflower sautéed in bacon drippings instead of butter.  A salad would have been a lovely addition, but Aldi and Walmart lettuce were both rusty when I did our grocery run, so we are having a salad-less week.

Feeling ... somewhat cozy and festive. There's something about being in a warm house, with a lit Christmas tree while there's snow right outside the window that makes everything feel delightful.

Disliking ...  Amazon. I do like Amazon to a certain extent, but it has been a headache this year. Completely losing a package. Resending the order in multiple packages one of which claims it should arrive by the 23rd when it was originally supposed to arrive towards the end of November. Another item arrived yesterday, but they sent the wrong thing so I have to deal with doing a return.

Loving ... peppermint tea. I'm not the biggest tea drinker, but I've recently been loving a daily cup or two of peppermint tea. 

Playing ... I dug out most of our winter and Christmas themed games and brought them downstairs. We've only played one of them so far since sledding seems to have replaced board games for now.

One afternoon Tim and Rosie Mae stopped in after having had other errands in our area, They saw the stack of Christmas games, Santa's Workshop caught Tim's eye and he was immediately interested in playing. We've never played it before so the setup, reading the instructions, watching a video on gameplay all took some time, but once we got it figured out it was quite fun. Certainly a game that we'll be playing again and again. Especially during future Decembers. 

For anyone who likes strategy based games or has played Everdell or Forges of Ravenshire and enjoyed them, I think you would love this one too. Worker placement and resource management are a big part of this game.

Cleaning ... on the agenda for this afternoon. I want to do a deep clean and update to our medicine cabinet. The update will have to consist of simply a list of things we need to get to have the cabinet properly stocked. Hopefully we can get those items tomorrow.

I know there are some expired items in there, and other things that need to have their stock replenished. A recent injury reminded me of how important a properly stocked medicine cabinet is.

Currently

Reading ... in the Bible I read Philippians this morning.

In other books I was excited about the book That's a Great Question, I'd Love to Tell You by Elyse Myers.

I stumbled across some of her content online earlier this year and have thoroughly enjoyed her little stories about the happenings and experiences she has had in her life. When I heard she has written a book that had only recently been released I immediately requested it from the library and then tried to wait patiently until my turn came up to pick it up.

Finally the library sent an email saying that they have it and I can come get it. The eager little girl part of me was wanting to immediately go and pick it up. The more mature part of me thought it will be perfectly fine to wait until Saturday when LV and I go run some errands and make a stop at the library instead of making a special trip.

Saturday arrived. We went to the library. Once again the mature side of me won out and I set it in the back in a box with the other books we got instead of reading it while we were driving. 

Once we got home and took care of a few other Saturday related tasks I settled in to read the book. But, but, but ... what a disappointment. After all my eager anticipation it more than fell flat. It had two, maybe three chapters I enjoyed. The rest were anywhere from thoroughly boring to just plain dreadful.

I almost feel guilty for not having loved the book, but I am glad I didn't wasted gas on making a special trip to go pick it up.

Writing ... many many texts, several lists, and a short letter.

Watching ... snowflakes drifting lazily through the air. Everything looks as if it had received a dusting of powdered sugar overnight.

Listening ... to some softly playing Christmas music. I want to decorate for Christmas this afternoon. We don't do much, but I always like the festive air the bit we do lends to the house.

Baking ... nothing. But Paige ever so generously baked up a lot of desserts and brought them over for our Thanksgiving spread yesterday.

Cooking ... our big Thanksgiving meal yesterday. It was so nice having help doing it. Once again Paige contributed a lot to the cooking making the best mac-n-cheese casserole as well as a few other side dishes. I find it so enjoyable having daughters and daughter-in-law to work with like that!

Feeling ... a bit tired, but happy. Twas an absolutely beautiful Thanksgiving yesterday. After we ladies spent the morning cooking, the guys so generously offered to care for the clean up afterwards. One of them washed, the other dried, the third put everything away, while the fourth provided childcare.

Us ladies played several rounds of Skyjo until they were done.

Lovely is the only way I know how to describe it.

Disliking ... injuries. LV is on the mend after hurting himself last week. Wound care is not something I will ever enjoy. 

Loving ... family time! It's the best.

Playing ...   Skyjo. 

I'm going to go ahead and recommend it as a relaxing game where you can simply enjoy playing. No need to wear out your mind with layers of strategic thinking and planning in order to play.

Construction was also played yesterday. Somehow it became a Thanksgiving day tradition for the past decade already. 

Steven and I also played several games a day so far this week. 

Cleaning ... nothing that noteworthy other than an enhanced type of the daily dozen in order to be ready for our Thanksgiving celebration.

Currently

Reading ... in the Bible, I'm still in Isaiah while also enjoying a daily Psalm or two.

In other books I read  At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon. It was such a cozy comfortable read. I had heard a lot about the Mitford series from people who have read and loved it. In fact quite a few of you had recommended the series to me after I expressed my need for a light read after a particularly heavy series I had read.

I immediately requested it from the library and was able to pick it up several days later. I started reading it, made it maybe three chapters in, and had to set it aside. I could tell I would love the book, but it wasn't the right time with the other series still wanting to remain front and center in my mind.

I returned it to the library since there were others waiting for it. I placed another request but this time had to wait a while. This time when I borrowed it, I was ready for the read, and I enjoyed it a lot. Mitford became a cozy friendly book home, and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series as well.

Writing ... nothing worth noting. Though I did get some 2:00 AM inspiration that I jotted down on random bits of paper and tucked them into a writing folder so I don't forget once I sit down to get a chunk of writing done. 

A chipmunk has made its home under, or inside a tree stump next to the walnut tree outside our kitchen window. It was sitting there and I wanted to take a quick picture. Chipmunks as we know don't hold still very long and it changed position mid snap. I was thrilled with the results. The resulting photo is basically begging to have a cute chipmunk story written about it. 

Watching ... a few YouTube videos. I find the best tutorials on there.

Listening ... to the ticking of the clock in the kitchen. The house is almost too quiet at the moment. The furnace isn't running, the refrigerator too, is silent. The neighbor's rooster is taking a break from his usual morning "happy to be alive" declarations. No birds are singing. Traffic seems to be taking a break as well. 

For right now it's only the sound of the keys on my laptop as I type and the too loud ticking of the clock. I'm not used to this level of silence. 

Baking ... for years I have been searching for a brownie recipe that is as good as the boxed brownies. Most times they were a disappointment though one or two have been decently good though still not quite at the level of what you get from using a box mix. 

This week my searching has finally yielded what I've been looking for and I successfully made the best chewiest, fudgiest homemade brownies. Reading the recipe I knew I had to try it. The directions were so different from any other brownies I've ever tried making. It required a finely chopped bar of baking chocolate and cocoa powder that was melted in boiling butter. Next the sugar, eggs, and flavoring was supposed to be beat for precisely five minutes. I'm not sure what difference it would have made had I added or subtracted 15 seconds to the beating time, but I was committed to this recipe, so precisely five minutes of beating is what I did.

The next step that was different from any other brownies I've made was taking the pan out of the oven midway through baking and slamming it on the counter several times and then returning it to the oven.

The end results. Brownie perfection!

Yesterday I tried a new recipe for a peach cobbler that we took along to Kenneth and Paige's last night. It didn't turn out as good as the brownies, but still an okay-ish dessert.

This morning I stirred up a triple batch of our favorite chocolate chip cookies that we'll be taking along to our homeschool co-ops Thanksgiving celebration later today. I had debated making my favorite cookies as well. A Cranberry Orange cookie. It seemed a little more holiday themed, but do I really want to go to all that effort when children most likely would prefer the chocolate chip cookies anyway? In the end I decided no, I'm not going to be making them and stuffed my softened butter back into the refrigerator instead.

Cooking ... this week's menu has been different. On Monday LV brought hoagies home for supper from a fundraiser thing. On Tuesday we had a very basic meat and potatoes type of meal, something we were all craving after the hoagies. On Wednesday I branched out and made a fall themed pizza. The sauce was made with pumpkin and turned out to be absolutely delicious. Definitely going into our keeper recipe files. Then last night we went to Kenneth and Paige's where she had prepared delicious Philly Cheesesteak and salad. I'm almost feeling spoiled having only had to cook twice so far this week.

Feeling ... slightly sluggish. I don't get headaches often. Maybe once or twice a year. This morning I woke up with one and it has me feeling sluggish on top of having the pain of a headache. To everyone who deals with headaches often. You have my sympathies! 

Disliking ... lost mail. I had placed an order on Amazon for the majority of our Christmas gifts almost two weeks ago. They shipped all but one item in the same package. It got lost in transit. I finally gave up and reached out to Amazon so they reshipped, but this time in multiple packages. One of those is currently delayed or lost as well with their cheerful little message is saying if it doesn't arrive by December 16th to ask for a refund. They've never allowed that much time for a lost or delayed package before so I'm wondering if I need to order something else or trust that what I had wanted will arrive in time?

Loving ... the song Holy Forever by Chris Tomlin. I usually wake up with a song in my head and it will be the one that I will unconsciously find myself humming or singing throughout the day. Usually it's a different song every day, but I've had this one for quite a while already and I'm still loving it.

Playing ... daily games with Steven. He has a favorite that we play every day, Then we also add in other games as well. This week those have included Life on the Farm, which I lost spectacularly. Pass the Pandas, Perpetual Commotion, and Dutch Blitz. We're also on a kick of playing Probe quite regularly. 

Last evening we played Scattergories which Paige ended up winning by quite a lot.

Cleaning ... in the little room right off the kitchen there is a large floor to ceiling cupboard. The bottom half has doors and two drawers while the top half has open shelves. I keep all my small kitchen appliances as well as the oversized mixing bowls and large pots on the open shelves, while the bottom I have bakeware and pantry supplies. I deep cleaned it. The lazy susans in the kitchen got a good cleaning and organizing once again as well. I wish they'd stay nice for a while. Unfortunately I have not yet discovered the secret to keeping them nice for longer than a few weeks at a time. 

I also washed all the couch and pillow covers this week, as well as the most used blankets from the blanket basket in the living room.