Every December Claire reminds me it is her favorite month and her favorite time of the year. I sure hope we did our best to live up to her expectations. In spite of the cold snap right before and during Christmas that cancelled our Morton Arboretum Illumination hike, we still were able to get a lot of festive events in! Here is our December Life Lately and what we have been up to.
BOOKS I’VE READ
- Real Bad Things by Kelly J. Ford– When Jane confessed to her step father’s murder, she should have gone to jail. But without a body, the police didn’t charge her with the crime. So Jane left for Boston―and took her secrets with her. Twenty-five years later, the river floods and a body surfaces. Jane returns to Maud Bottoms to reckon with her past: to do jail time, to face her revenge-bent mother, to make things right. I’m struggling to form an opinion on this book. It was interesting although I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable. I still wanted to keep reading. It’s a highly dysfunctional family and town. 4/5
- The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate– New York editor Jen Gibbs starts a new position at Vida House Publishing – when a mysterious manuscript from an old slush pile appears on her desk. Turning the pages, Jen finds herself drawn into the life of Sarra, a mixed-race Melungeon girl trapped by dangerous men in turn-of-the-century Appalachia. Jen is determined to find the rest of the story and the author. This story and the story within the story were fascinating and woven together perfectly. I can’t believe this was a free one on Audible! 5/5
- Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton– 19-year-old Elisa Perez is born in 1958 into Cuba’s high society until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary…. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up in Miami hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa’s last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth. Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba’s tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. This was fascinating insight into Cuba’s history and a moving story. 4.5/5
- Saved by Hope by Jenny Lowe- She was just 34 when she sought help from fertility specialists. An unsuccessful IVF attempt to conceive her first child left her aware of the stigma surrounding infertility, and brought her face to face with something insidious fighting against her. It’s an honest, heartbreaking story of Jenny and her husband James. In spite of all the challenges Jenny goes through on her journey to motherhood, she handles it with grace and courage. I actually found this story to be uplifting in spite of the real, raw, devastating subject matter. It provides a lot of insight into the struggles women and couples have to go through when completely infertility treatment. 5/5
Products I’ve Tried
- Conair Travel Size Steamer– I was sent this to try out from Influenster. It’s a great size for a steamer and works really well. This would be perfect for travel. And it comes in a pretty mint green color. The reservoir holds enough for about 1-2 garments.
- Premier Protein cereal– I got this to try for review. I really like the taste and freeze dried berries in it. The protein helped me stay full for hours. The only drawback is that the cornflakes were dense and had a harder crunch than I am used to.
- Nassif Purifying Scalp Detox Exfoliant- I only wash my hair twice a week. This scrub is supposed to be used once per week in place of shampoo. My scalp feels really clean afterwards. I find my hair to be soft and shiny when I use it. It really helps alleviate any build up from hair products and it has a nice clean, minty scent.
- Rinna Beauty Eye & Lip Kit- The eye kit is amazing! The shadows are super pigmented and blend well with very little to no fall out. The liner glides on smoothly. The mascara has lots of volume, but can get a touch clumpy. I wish the applicator was shorter too. The lip kit is good too! The liner glides on so nicely. It is very soft and can break somewhat easily though. I love how the colors look together. The lipstick stays on for hours and feels moisturizing. Initially I thought the lipgloss was a bit sticky, but it’s actually nice. Overall I’m impressed with both kits!
- Thomas Lee Sheets- We are very picky about sheets. These sheets very much fit the bill of things we like. They keep us cool. The pillow cases fit well. They feel very smooth and nice to the touch. The top sheets are long enough to tuck in on both sides of our thick mattress. The only downside is that the fitted sheet is a little too large and needs to be smoothed a lot each morning. I wish it was just a bit more fitted. See? I have lots of expectations! But all that considered, these are great.
Recipes I’ve Made
- Egg Nog French Toast Bake– This is a tasty breakfast that can be made ahead of time. I used leftover waffles I had made and frozen for Avie’s birthday party in place of bread. Absolutely delicious. We all loved the crumb topping.
- Creamy Tortellini Soup– Traditionally we have a soup for dinner on Christmas Eve night. This year we tried this creamy tortellini soup. It was easy to make after church and tasted so good.
- Amaretto Moonshine Balls- I grew up with my parents making rum balls around Christmas time. After our trip to the Smoky Mountains this summer, we had some amaretto moonshine to use. So I substituted that in place of rum in this recipe. I also omitted the pecans and used extra wafer crumbs because I didn’t want pecan flavor overpowering the almond flavor. They were so good! We will be making a triple batch next year for sure!
Family Update
- Claire- It’s only right that I share our birthday girl first. This kid is officially double digits after she turned 10 on Christmas. She was very excited (and surprised) when we finally let her get her ears pierced a couple of days before Christmas. She has been really enjoying her gifts including Posca pens, legos, and other fun crafts. We are slowly doing some updated decorating to make her room Hogwarts themed.
- Avie– This poor kid ended up with a bad virus and ear infection on Christmas. She didn’t let it get her down for long though. She thoroughly enjoyed zoo lights this month, school celebrations, delivering cookies to neighbors, and looking for our house elf each morning. There isn’t anything better than seeing the joy of a child on Christmas.
- Me- At the beginning of the month I ran my first 5K in 3 years! I normally run longer distances. The 5K was cold, but fun. I was second place female overall and improved my pace by 21 seconds a mile for a 7:11 pace overall. Woohoo! I didn’t mention last month because it was too fresh, but my grandma passed on Thanksgiving. She passed just over a year after my grandpa. That really put a damper on our celebrations, but I’m trying to remember she’s with my grandpa now and no longer in any pain.
- Matt- This may be unprecedented since Covid started. Matt will be home 3 weeks in a row. Gasp! He has been our champion driver to all the activities. We all loved zoo lights, seeing Santa for breakfast, and celebrating Christmas with his sister and BIL. We all had a blast at the Harry Potter experience earlier this week. It was part of the kids’ Christmas gifts (but secretly ours, too)!
DECEMBER GOALS
- List 10 more items on Poshmark– I did not have time to get to this yet.
- Get Claire a flu shot- It’s booked for today.
- Take an afternoon for myself- Sadly did not get this.
- Look into passports for girls– Not this month!
- Continue speed workouts- Done! I only skipped one due to extreme cold.
JANUARY GOALS
- List 10 more items on Poshmark– Hopefully I have extra time this month.
- Take an afternoon for myself- This is so necessary after our busy December!
- Look into passports for girls– Really want to get this done during January.
- Choose family photos- I would love to create a family collage of yearly photos on the steps down to the basement. I’d like to start choosing photos this month to hang.
- Read a nonvirtual book- I love sitting down with an actual book. It’s been too long and I have a pile of good ones. Hopefully I can sit down and enjoy one this month.
LINKING UP WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY
