10 on the 10th is hosted by Marsha in the Middle! This month is a “would you rather” style!

Would you rather make resolutions, select a word of the year, or make bucket lists?

Lists, hands down. I literally have lists for everything. Books, tv, movies, vacations, garden, to-do… I could go on and on. I did resolutions for years and crashed and burned most of the time. I do usually choose a word of the year, and try to embrace that spirit all year. I do pretty well with it!

Would you rather make memories on vacations or save or save for a big occasion (retirement, wedding, college, etc.)?

Hmm. Both? We do things in small ways over here, and take little trips that we try to make as full as possible but also save a little too. I want to show Wyatt new and different things while he is a at an age to just soak it all in but I also want to think about the future.

Would you rather buy all the things on sale or shop your closet?

I’m not much of a shopper, so shop my closet even though that is very limited, since I am not a shopper. Vicious cycle. Lol. I would like to add to my wardrobe this year and I want to add meaningful pieces (I mean, my word of the year is intentional), natural materials, and a mix of practical and “special” for dress up times. Most of the time I am painting with a 7 year old, hiking outside, and other activities that can get messy. I love my cotton overalls, I have so many pockets for my glasses, pens, acorns and bits of bark or whatever Wyatt finds, paint brushes, etc. I also love my long flowy sweaters, especially when they have pockets. But I desperately need some grown up clothes too.

Would you rather shed weight through fad dieting and do it quickly or eat differently and lose slowly?

Can I do it quickly and keep it off? I will choose that one then.

Would you rather undergo some type of facial treatment or update a room in your home?

A room in my home. We are slowly making our way through the house and updating and changing to accommodate our new lives, aesthetic, and needs. We are so sick of the colors on our walls, which sounds crazy, but we are craving more neutrals and a more natural, artsy look. And recently a friend told me that they loved my house, that it was warm and artsy which is EXACTLY what we were aiming for! However we still have a few rooms left to go. The purple room is going next!

Would you rather watch Paul Hollywood or RuPaul?

Paul Hollywood! I don’t have anything against RuPaul or drag queens though, I just love the Great British Baking Show so much!

Would you rather have to wear the same color all year long or not wear that color at all?

Wear the same color all year. I sort of do that anyway. LOL.

Would you rather wear a designer look or a designer knockoff?

Hmm. I don’t think I would know the difference!!

Would you rather be overdressed or underdressed at an occasion?

Underdressed. If I were overdressed and everyone was running around in casual clothes I would literally go home and change.

Would you rather have only neutral clothing or extremely colorful clothing?

Neutral. I love color and whimsy but I like it around me not one me. I’m sort of boring fashion wise! I like black, and wear a lot of it. I like that you can add to it, like Marsha’s plaid jacket from the other day would be a piece I would totally buy! I love any plaid. But extremely colorful clothing is not my style. In my defense, I am Gen-X and we were all grungey and goth back in the day! Lol.

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I participated in these Sunday and Monday memes; I just hadn’t been reading anything. Now though that the holidays are over, I have been able to enjoy reading again. Yay!

Read Lately:

My last book of 2022 and my first book of 2023! Legends & Lattes was the perfect book to end the year with – it was everything I needed and didn’t even know it (review). Outfoxed was a great way to begin the year, with a story of letting go of the past and starting anew. (Review coming soon!)

Reading This Week:

I absolutely love the Truly, Devious series by Johnson and was so excited to pick this up at the library the other day! The woman working the circulation desk told me it is her favorites series and that she ordered a signed copy of this book for herself, and is waiting for it to arrive to read.

Posted Lately:

I have been posting a lot for me. Lol. Some highlights I guess would be:

My Favorite Books of 2022

Our 2022 TV Night Favorites

Our 2022 Movie Night Favorites

And then of course my usual chatty posts and updates.

Watching and Listening:

Billy and I have been watching so much Grantchester! We are almost done with it and have a few things we are tossing around to watch next – Wednesday, Shetland, The Mayfair Witches, to name a few. The Mayfair Witches is probably one of my favorite books ever so I am super nervous to watch the show. As long it sticks to the “spirit” of the story, although I already have some concerns, I won’t lie.

In movies we watched The Pale Blue Eye on Netflix and it was fabulous. Harry Melling (Dudders, Dudley Dursley) blew me away with his portrayal of a young Edgar Allan Poe! Of course, Christian Bale performed his role perfectly as well.

I’ve also been having fun catching up on my favorite YouTube Channels – Darling Desi, Alexandra Roselyn, Rachel Maksy, With Love, Kristina, and Roots and Refuge Farm.

And that is about it for today! Short and sweet. What’s been going on in your world?

I need alll the coffee today. Today is back to normal day and I am not ready. It was so nice to do whatever we wanted when we wanted. Oh well. At least the coffee today is good and hot and strong. I just used up the last of our coffee beans from the Leelanau Coffee Roasting Co. for this pot and this cup is divine.

Billy returns to work today and Wyatt and I are bummed out. It’s been nice having him home for 10 days with us; in fact this might be the longest he has been off work since Wyatt was born! We did a lot of bopping around town, going for rides, watching birds, painting and drawing, playing with new toys, reading books.

Let’s go back to the week before Christmas though first.

We made gingerbread, and garlands and ornaments out of dried oranges.

We had my mom over for solstice dinner, and shopped for plants for gifts at my favorite little plant shop. I wasn’t going to do it, but I ended up getting myself one too, a whale fin snake plant. I told Billy to call it my stocking stuffer.

We set up for the Kids Moon Club. We were one of the first families to do the Kids Moon Club, many moons ago (sorry couldn’t resist), so we were able to buy a lifetime membership for the cost of one year, which has been a great bonus. I love how this kids club has actually taught our whole family how to live more in tune with nature and the seasons.

Then limbo week, that crazy week between Christmas and New Years.

This was our week of indulgences, staying in our pajamas until noon, being “on vacation” while being at home as much as we could. We found this amazing patisserie, tried lunch at a different little walk up place that had delicious sandwiches. While we were waiting I was talking with another customer who told me that I need to go back and try the soup and salads too. So, I am putting that on my list!

And with that, we are caught up!

What have you been up to?

Hello January and hello 2023! 2022 had its highs and lows, like every year. I plan to do a look back post soon, but this one is all about looking forward.

Resolutions:

I am not making any resolutions this year – I never do very well with them although I try. I did continue last year with trying to buy more food local, growing my own food, and buying from small farms and we did ok. We will keep working on that, we can only get better!

My One Word:

Last year I chose Explore as my one word for the year, and I feel I did pretty good with it. I wanted to explore new ideas, different foods, new authors, and go on more adventures, and I feel like we did ok with that too. This year I want to continue on that idea, and add in being more mindful, intentional, deliberate, and in the present. I am a planner so I am always thinking weeks ahead, and I don’t want to squelch that but I do want to spend more time just being. I want to be fully present in the moments I am creating, and sometimes I am not.

My First Book:

My first book of the year is actually a reread! I didn’t give this book a fair shake when I read it the first time. I was trying to read it before the archive date for NetGalley, and I wasn’t in the mood for it at that time, so I more or less skimmed it. I knew I would want to read it in January and I should have followed my instincts because I am enjoying it much more this time around. I have read the previous two books in this series in January so for me, this series will always be a beginning of the year type read now. I needed this book after the holidays! Something light, something fun. And something with foxes too maybe!

The town of Fox Crossing, Maine, has something special—a legendary fox with a knack for bringing fortune, love, and happiness to anyone lucky enough to see it…

THESE TOWNSFOLK MAY THINK THEY’RE PRETTY SMART

Victoria Michaud has lived in Fox Crossing her entire life without encountering the fabled fox. And then, on the day of her thirtieth birthday, she spots a beautiful, golden-eyed vixen . . . right before she also recognizes Bowen Gower, the guy who made her high school years hell. So much for good luck. Victoria already has enough to deal with, between running her Junk & Disorderly antique store and refereeing her divorced, still-bickering parents.

BUT IT TAKES A SLY FOX TO SHOW THEM THE WAY

There are a lot of things Bowen doesn’t remember about growing up in this town on the Appalachian trail, and some he’s chosen to forget. Back to settle his grandfather’s estate, Bowen soon realizes it won’t be easy to make amends to those he wronged. But he’s eager to convince Victoria to give him another chance.
It’ll take some doing—and perhaps more luck than one fox sighting can provide. Then again, sometimes one look is all you need . . .

Traditions:

We always always watch The Big Year on New Year’s Day, and only on New Year’s Day. I love that movie so much and it never gets old for me. It just fills me with so much joy and happiness and I love starting the year out that way. This year on New Year’s Eve we celebrated with a “noon” year’s eve party with the kiddos, and then later Billy, Wyatt, and I had a very quiet night in, which was nice honestly. I’ve done the big crazy parties and up all night and now I am perfectly content with a night in having homemade pizza with my guys, and painting together. Wyatt worked on painting turtles, Billy said he painted an “ugly” tree, and I worked on little peg people to go with the Kids Moon Club that we are starting up again this year.

January Ideas and Plans:

I of course have some plans and ideas up my sleeve! I mentioned above we are participating in the Kids Moon Club again this year, and I have a Full Wolf Moon party planned for Friday for Wyatt and Mermaid Girl. I am also planning a small weekend getaway to a Wolf Park in Indiana for hopefully February, maybe March. We are going to take a private tour and then attend a wolf howl in the evening and Wyatt is going to love it! Hopefully. Kids always surprise you. He will at least enjoy the howl part, I know that for a fact!

I am also super excited about the art projects I have lined up for this month for homeschool! We are starting this week with Antoni Gaudi – which reminds me I have to make some sugar cookie dough soon! Maybe I should do that now, while I am thinking about it.

On that note, I will talk to you all soon!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and new year, and I can’t wait to hear about what you have all been up to!

I had a hard time with this post! It was hard to pick and choose. I am sure some of these were new in 2022 but not all of them are.

I seemed to read books this year that were mysterious, magical, with some animals and crazy thrown in there for good measure. I read eclectically and seasonally, and I am a huge mood reader. I will often start a book, not feel like reading it, put it down for a few months then pick it up again and love it. Anyway, and without any further preamble, here are my top favorite reads of the year!

Legends & Lattes: I just finished this yesterday so it is fresh in my mind. I absolutely loved this book about a retired orc who wants to open a coffee shop, and I devoured it in hours. It was delightfully cozy and warm, and it gave me all the comfy feels. It was perfect for this week of in between times. If you do read it, try to have a beverage and snack handy. You will need it. (Sci-fi Fantasy)

Greenglass House is such a fun read! So wintry and atmospheric, about travelers snowed in at the Greenglass House hotel during the holidays. It is very entertaining, and one of my very favorite things about it are the stories the different guests tell every night. There is a underlying mystery or two, and some other secrets as well but you will have to read to find out. (Review) (Middle Grade)

How to be a Good Creature: This book was a beautiful memoir about Sy Montgomery’s life in 13 animals that she shared her life with from childhood on. And what a menagerie it was. Each one represented her life and where that moment in her life placed her, and how that animal touched her soul. And in essence, in her words, taught her to be a good creature too. (Full Review) (Memoir)

Wildwood Whispers: I can’t think of this book without thinking of the lushness of summer. I literally wanted to move into this book, I just loved so much about it. This one was a romp through all the goodness of summer, blackberries and honey. (Full Review) (Magical Realism)

The Agathas: I stayed up way past my bed time while reading this one. I had to know what the heck happened. I needed the answer. It was so good. (YA, Mystery)

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina: I don’t even know if I mentioned this one on my blog! I don’t know how I wouldn’t have but … it was amazing. It was so full of surprises and family and I loved it every second of it. (Magical Realism)

Gone-Away Lake: Another summery type book in my mind, full of adventure, quirky characters, cozy cottagecore feelings. I originally read it to preview as a read aloud for Wyatt and I but then fell in love with it myself! I don’t know how I missed this as a kid growing up but I am glad that I read it now. Very wholesome. I also read the second one immediately after I read this one, which if you know me and how weird I am about reading sequels, that is a very big deal. (Middle Grade)

My Best Friend’s Exorcism: Grady Hendrix almost always makes my list of favorites I feel like. This one gave me a Stranger Things vibe, with it being all retro and 80s. It was weird and creepy and gross at times, and there was a whole scene I just literally skipped over because I am a wuss, but it is also about loyalty and friendship. On some level as well, I believe there is an alternate way to interpret this book, a commentary under the surface not spoken, much like Hendrix’s book The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. (Horror)

A Haunted History of Invisible Women: I can’t express how interesting this book is honestly. It made me think about ghost stories in an entirely different way, and is a sad, informative, fascinating read. (Nonfiction)

Other Birds: My very favorite book of the year. Beautifully fantastic, full of whimsy and characters I wish I could meet in real life. In fact, I would move to Mallow Island in a heartbeat. I have loaned my copy to my dad, who loved it as well, and told me that he thinks I embody a few characteristics that Zoey does, which was a very nice compliment to me, in my opinion! My dad is the one who got me started loving southern fiction, I knew he would love it as much as I did but I wasn’t expecting the comparison. This book also inspired me to cook a whole meal, one that took me hours and hours to make. (Full Review) (Magical Realism)

I have been exploring other lists like this one on other blogs and YouTube channels and Instagram and jotting down titles; I have a good feeling about next year’s reads already!

Have you read any of these? What were your favorite reads this year?

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday! Ours was crazy, chaotic, loud, full of laughter, full of food, and full of cheer. We had a blast and have decided that today will be devoted to being super lazy, or as lazy as we can be. Our house is trashed, with piles of gifts scattered about, bits of wrapping paper, empty boxes, toys, cups, just all sorts of detritus leftover in the wake of a few busy days.

Christmas Eve was a day spent cleaning, as Billy and I were hosting Christmas Day for my family. We cleaned until mid-afternoon when we declared ourselves done and everything was sparkling and ready. Gifts were wrapped and ready to go, gingerbread cookies and cranberry cake made, just everything in its place. We headed over to Billy’s parents for a relaxing evening with them, where Wyatt opened his gifts and the adults exchanged our small gifts as well. I had gone to The Conservatory, my favorite plant store about 45 minutes away, a few days before, to pick out gifts for my MIL and stepmom, and gotten my MIL a beautiful monstera. I was excited she got me paints and brushes! After a very nice quiet evening, we stopped for a short time where my family was celebrating Christmas Eve for a quick little visit before heading home and getting ready for Santa. Wyatt was extremely excited. I didn’t think he was ever falling asleep! But he did and all too soon it was Christmas morning! Wyatt seemed thrilled with what he received, and Billy surprised me with the boots I have been wanting for a year and a half but would never pull the trigger on because I always think of something that is needed more. I literally teared up when I opened them. They remind me of a little elf boots.

Unfortunately our morning had a bit of an interruption. Billy got a call around 9 am that two water mains broke at work and flooded the server room, which is Billy’s domain. So, off Billy went. Thank goodness he was only gone two hours and we got back on track fairly quickly. My mom, brother and fam, and my SIL’s mom were due at our house at 4 and I was nervous Billy would miss it all. He didn’t though, and we had a fantastic night and the kids were cracking us up all evening. After everyone left for the night, the three of us plopped into bed, happily exhausted.

Monday morning we all slept in before hitting the road for my dad’s family Christmas. It was another relaxing day with family, where the kids were spoiled some more (but dang it they are good kids who deserve it), we ate so much food, and had another wonderful day.

As for today? We plan to spend most of it enjoying being lazy, reading our new books, playing Wyatt’s new games with him.

I hope you all had a great weekend.

See you soon everyone!! Thanks for all your kind words, support, encouragement, and stories throughout the year! Have a safe and wonderful holiday!