Books Read in 2015

It is hard to believe that 2015 is ending and so ends another year of reading. I set a goal of 120 books and I read 115. Here is a break down of what I read along with my list for 2015.

• The Bible - from Isaiah to Revelation, I read through Psalms and Proverbs twice.
• Fiction books - 84
• Non-fiction books - 31
• I also read over 200 picture books to my youngest daughter which I think makes up for my 5 missing books.
• Out of the books read 24 were audio books and 9 were read-alouds (marked with *) with all or most of my kids.
• I also read all the books on my Reading Goals for 2015 list.

 Fiction: (84)

• Ashton Park - Murray Pura
• The Awakening of Miss Prim - Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
• The Baker's Daughter - D.E. Stevenson
• A Beautiful Blue Death - Charles Finch
• Black Ships Before Troy - Rosemary Sutcliff*
• The Blue Sapphire - D.E. Stevenson
• Brat Farrar - Josephine Tey
• By the Pricking of My Thumbs - Agatha Christie (audio)
• Celia's House - D.E. Stevenson
• Christmas with Anne - L.M. Montgomery (audio)
• The Clocks - Agatha Christie (audio)
• Come Rain or Come Shine - Jan Karon
• The Corinthian - Georgette Heyer (audio)
• Dauntless - Dina L. Sleiman
• David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (audio)
• The Dean's Watch - Elizabeth Goudge
• Deepest Roots of the Heart - Chautona Havig
• The Duke's Dilemma - Elizabeth Chater
• Elephants Can Remember - Agatha Christie (audio)
• Enemy Brothers - Constance Savery*
• Each Shining Hour - Jeff High
• For Such a Time - Kate Breslin
• The First Rumpole Omnibus - John Mortimer
• The Foundling - Georgette Heyer (audio)
• French Leave - P.G. Wodehouse
• Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
• Great Northern? - Arthur Ransome*
• The Green Ember - S.D. Smith (audio)
• Hallowe'en Party - Agatha Christie
• Jayber Crow - Wendell Berry (audio)
• Just David - Eleanor H. Porter
• Letters from Grace - Rachel Muller
• The Lieutenant's Lady - Bess Streeter Aldrich
• Listening Valley - D.E. Stevenson
• A Long Way From Chicago - Richard Peck (audio)
• Looking for Me - Beth Hoffman
• The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott - Kelly O'Connor McNees (audio)
• Maggie Bright - Tracy Groot
• The Making of a Marchioness - Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Manuscript for Murder - Chautona Havig
• The Marriage Mart - Elizabeth Chater
• Miracle in Dry Season - Sarah Loudin Thomas
• Miss Read's Christmas Tales - Miss Read
• Miss Pym Disposes - Josephine Tey
• The Mitchells: Five for Victory - Hilda von Stockum*
• The Mitchells: Canadian Summer - Hilda von Stockum* 
• Mrs. Tim of the Regiment - D.E. Stevenson (audio)
• More Things In Heaven and Earth - Jeff High
• The Most Famous Illegal Goose Creek Parade - Virginia Smith
• N or M? - Agatha Christie (audio)
• No Holly for Miss Quinn - Miss Read
• Now and Forever - Mary Connealy
• Parnassus on Wheels - Christopher Morley (audio)
• Partners in Crime - Agatha Christie (audio)
• The Penderwicks in Spring - Jeanne Birdsall
• Penrod - Booth Tarkington*
• Penrod & Sam - Booth Tarkington*
• Persuasion, Captain Wentworth, and Cracklin' Cornbread - Mary Jane Hathaway
• The Picts and the Martyrs - Arthur Ransome*
• Postern of Fate - Agatha Christie (audio)
• The Princess Bride - William Goldman
• The Random Gentleman - Elizabeth Chater
• Red Like Crimson - Janice Thompson
• Regency Buck - Georgette Heyer
• Rob Roy - Sir Walter Scott (audio)
• Rules of Murder - Juliana Deering
• The Scent of Water - Elizabeth Goudge
• A Season for the Heart - Elizabeth Chater
• A Season of Gifts - Richard Peck (audio)
• The Secret Adversary - Agatha Christie (audio)
• The Secret of Pembrooke Park - Julie Klassen
• Seventeen - Booth Tarkington
• Snow on Tulips - Liz Tolsma
• So Brave, Young, and Handsome - Leif Enger (audio)
• A Taste of Chaucer - Anne Malcomson
• Third Girl - Agatha Christie
• The Truth According to Us - Annie Barrows
• The Unknown Ajax - Georgette Heyer
• Village School - Miss Read
• The War that Saved My Life - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 
• What Angels Fear - C.S. Harris
• A White Bird Flying - Bess Streeter Aldrich
• The World of Pooh - A.A. Milne*
• A Year Down Yonder - Richard Peck (audio)

Non-fiction: (31)

• Adolescence Isn't Terminal - Kevin Leman
• The Birth of Britain - Winston Churchill (audio)
• Common Sense - Thomas Paine (audio)
• Consider This - Karen Glass
• Creating a SenseSational Home - Terri Willits
• Daylight - Heidi St. John
• The Excellent Wife - Martha Peace
• The Fringe Hours - Jessica N. Turner
• Hands Free Mama - Rachel Macy Stafford
• How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids - Rachel Carman
• How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare - Ken Ludwig
• Let Us Pray - Watchman Nee
• The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Maria Kondo
• Lies Woman Believe - Nancy Leigh DeMoss
• Mastering Life - Robert J. Morgan
• The Monuments Men - Robert M. Edsel (audio)
• Motivate Your Child - Dr. Scott Turansky & Joanne Miller
• My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell
• The Nesting Place - Myquillyn Smith
• No Ordinary Home - Carol Jo Brazo
• The Power of a Praying Wife - Stormie Omartian
• The Question - Leigh Bortins
• Raising a Princess - John Croyle
• Rite of Passage - Jim McBride
• Seeds of Jochebed - Kim Haney
• Spiritual Disciples for the Christian Life - J.I. Packer & Donald Whitney
• Teaching from Rest - Sarah MacKenzie
• Teaching Will - Mel Ryane
• Thirsting for God - Gary L. Thomas
• Twelve Ordinary Men/Twelve Extraordinary Women - John MacArthur
• The Two-Minute Drill of Manhood - John Croyle

Coming soon--My favorite reads for 2015.

What's On Your Nightstand - November & December

I didn't do a Nightstand post last month so I am combining November and December's. I was in a real reading slump for almost a month though I still read (if that makes any sense).

For January I am just staying with a small selection since I am still working on my reading list for 2016 and my parents will be coming for a visit in the beginning of January and I want to focus on spending quality time with them. So here goes my list.

For January:

From October's Nightstand I read:

• Come Rain or Come Shine (A Mitford Novel) by Jan Karon - I love Mitford and this latest edition doesn't disappoint. 
• The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer - Not one of Heyer's best.
• Mastering Life Before It's Too Late: 10 Biblical Strategies for a Lifetime of Purpose by Robert Morgan - An uplifting read.
• Thirsting for God: Spiritual Refreshment for the Sacred Journey by Gary Thomas - I really enjoyed this book and it really resonated with me at the beginning, but then the book seemed to drag on and I had a hard time getting it finished.  This was a book read in November and December,

 I also read in November:

• The Most Famous Illegal Goose Creek Parade (Tales from the Goose Creek BandB) by Virginia Smith - A fun read.
• Red Like Crimson by Janice Thompson - I hit a reading slump and started picking books off of my Kindle to read. This was an okay book. 
• Rules of Murder (A Drew Farthering Mystery Book #1) by Julianna Deering - Another Kindle pick. Another okay book. 
• Creating a SenseSational Home by Terry Willits - Very dated. Why I finished this book is beyond me, but I did. Not worth it.

In December:

• Great Northern? by Arthur Ransome - Yeah! I have officially read aloud the whole Swallows and Amazons Series to my kids. It took only 3 years for us to make it through all 12 books.
• Manuscript for Murder: The Hartfield Mysteries by Chautona Havig - Another Kindle pick which I shouldn't have picked! 
• Miss Read's Christmas Tales: Village Christmas and Christmas Mouse (The Fairacre Christmas Omnibus) by Miss Read - Such sweet stories.
• Village School (The Fairacre Series #1) by Miss Read - When in doubt, read a book by Miss Read.
• A White Bird Flying by Bess Streeter Aldrich - Thanks to a Circe Institute blog post I revived my reading. This was an excellent story and one I highly recommend!
• No Ordinary Home: The Uncommon Art of Christ-Centered Homemaking by Carol Jo Brazo - A re-read though it took me over half the book to realize it. Oh well.
• Seeds of Jochebed (Planting Seeds of Biblical Truth into the Hearts of Your Children) by Kim Haney - I have been reading this book to my kids now in our devotional time (which for awhile was quite inconsistent) for quite a few years. This month we finally finished it.
• Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah MacKenzie - A re-read of a new edition. Highly recommended!

 I listened to:

• Christmas with Anne: and Other Holiday Stories by L.M. Montgomery - Fun Christmas stories.
• Mrs. Tim of the Regiment by D.E. Stevenson - This was an enjoyable read (or I should say "listen"). 

See what others have read over at 5 Minutes for Books.

Merry Christmas!

Caleb - 20

 

Destini - 16

Chantry - 13

 

Delani - 7

Happy Birthday, Caleb!

I think I say this for every one of my children's birthday, but honestly this is getting insane. Today my oldest turns 20!!!! I think I was just 20 the other day myself, and certainly not old enough now to have a child who is 20. But enough of my woes, I am thankful for this young man who entered our world and changed our lives--all for the good. He is a young man who works hard and who ultimately loves God with all of his heart. We love you, Caleb!

Wednesdays with Words (Thirsting for God-Part 2)

 

I am still working my way through Thirsting for God: Spiritual Refreshment for the Sacred Journey by Gary Thomas. My mom has been visiting so reading hasn't been a priority even though I've been reading snatches here and there.

This quote comes from a chapter on "Cultivating the Quiet" and how in today's world we really struggle with slowing down and learning to face God while being quiet. In addressing the reasons we hide from God, Thomas writes:

Confronting these tests calls for courage--sometimes more courage than we possess. So rather than face them, we pretend they're not tests at all, and we simply avoid God by staying busy. Just as someone who is allergic to cats recognizes the early symptoms of a reaction and makes haste to get away, so often unknowingly begin to recognize the sensation of God breaking into our hearts, and we rush into some activity or diversion to avoid his presence. p. 122

Happy 16th Birthday, Destini!

I'm a day late in posting, but we are wanting to wish our oldest daughter, Destini, a happy 16th birthday. I don't know where the time is has gone, but it seems like the other day we were working on reading lessons. Happy Sweet 16th, Des!

Wednesdays with Words (Thirsting for God)

I am currently reading Thirsting for God: Spiritual Refreshment for the Sacred Journey by Gary Thomas. I am not a person who marks up books, but I have found so many good things in here that I find myself making small marks. Gary Thomas used this quote when he was talking about the importance of taking time to reflect on the progress we are making in our walk with God and he shows how the Puritans, (Ralph Venning was a Puritan) issued calls to remain vigilant and reflective.

 

The Homeschool Mother's Journal - September & October Happenings

It has been a long time since I have posted A Homeschool Mother's Journal. Life has been busy, but in a good way. Another reason is that I have gotten really bad about taking pictures. My phone has about used up all of its storage and I'm too cheap to pay for extra storage so right now I am hindered in my photo taking since it usually my phone that is at hand rather than the camera. Now I have something to work on.

We completed our 9th week of school and it is going smoothly. Even after the first four weeks I felt there were going to a few things that we were going to have to drop and except for one book everything all of sudden just seemed to fall into place. Here is a run down of  what has been happening:

1. & 2.  Back in September we took an impromptu field trip to take a tour of a B-17 Flying Fortress. The girls and I walked through once, but the boys went through it at least three times. One thing we discovered is that it is not very big inside. 

3. Chantry working on his dictation for Spelling You See American Spirit. 

4. We canned 24 quarts of applesauce. I still have some more apples that I need to do.

5. I tried my hand at apple butter, since it is something my husband likes. I was lazy and froze it.

6. We have had a very mild fall (Thank you, Jesus!) and my pots of flowers are still very green and blooming. I took this picture last week of my Gerber daisy and it actually has more blooms than it did all summer long.

7. We have hit on a new tradition on Friday mornings--Cream of Wheat. Usually everyone has to fend for themselves for breakfast, but I made Cream of Wheat one morning early in the school year and now the kids expect it on Fridays.

8. You can't see Delani very well in this picture, but she is dying laughing. She was doing math with Caleb and they found something hilarious. I love that she gets to do this with her big brother--another great benefit of homeschooling.

9. My kids love to play games and lately it has been the game CHRONOLOGY(aff). Here Destini is beating the socks of all of us.

Wednesdays with Words (Benjamin Franklin Quote)

In my Teen Sunday School class that I teach we have been working our way through American Heritage Series DVD Set and last Sunday this Benjamin Franklin quote was shared which made me scurry for my phone and look it up. In today's world we are being bombarded on how we are not a Christian nation and yet when you go back into the documents of our Founding Fathers you see that is not true. I am sharing this short quote from his Constitutional Address on Prayer given on June 28, 1787.

 "I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that 'except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it.'"-Benjamin Franklin