Last week the 2 second grade classes had their Little House in the Big Woods party. Just like when Anna had her party, Noah was excited to wear clothes to match the characters in the book. I thought he looked precious in this hat, but he took it off right after my pictures and didn't put it back on for the rest of the school day!

And this hoop game was fun, if not a little treacherous. They could really send those things flying!

Not related - after my last post I branched out and read some fiction! This one to be exact. Go me! It wasn't at all a genre I normally read (murder mystery, yikes!) but I couldn't put it down and ended up reading the whole thing in one day. I'd recommend it for a change of pace if you normally stick to mommy books like I do.

Can I tell you how happy I am to be in a new year? 2014 was one of the most incredible years of our lives. It was life changing, mind changing, eye opening, and earth shaking in so many ways, but it was also HARD. I wouldn't trade (most of) it, but we've all been ready to step into a new place, and a new year always brings the feeling of a fresh start. The books I'm working through right now reflect that feeling as well. A friend recently perused my Goodreads page and commented on how I don't seem to read much fiction. Looking at my stack, I guess she's right! 

I started Year of No Sugar before the new year, and it's okay. It's gotten kind of slow in the middle so I've put it aside to read others, but I plan to finish it eventually. Some reviews really criticize the author for all of her *exceptions* during the no sugar year, but I appreciate the realistic approach. Because while reducing sugar is always a good idea, saying no to sugar forever and ever amen is just crazy talk. I mean, really.

I'm reading Living Well Spending Less right now (scroll down on that page for a short video) and I'm enjoying it, just as I've enjoyed her blog in the past. There isn't a ton of info that I wasn't already familiar with, and I'm happy to say that I don't struggle with some of the things she discusses, but there are good reminders, good motivation, and I've enjoyed reading her personal story. It's inspiring me to fine tune some areas we were already working on.

Same with the next one in the stack, The Good Life for Less. This one is a library book that I'm only a few pages into, but again, I enjoy her blog so I expect the book to be similar.

Next up, the always wonderful Sally Clarkson. I'm excited to start this one and I'm planning to read it fairly quickly by following along with Sarah Mae's reading plan and discussions. The Bible study I just finished before the holidays was a Sally Clarkson and Sarah Mae book (another good video at that link!), and I gotta tell ya...there were days that I sat at church and watched their little 5 minute intro videos and thought, "This is saving my life". Deep exhale. Sally just has a way with the mama heart. Anyway, her new book looks perfect for a new year. She did a webcast this past week with Sarah Mae, Crystal Paine, and Angela Perritt that was super encouraging. I may or may not have lovingly tossed all the kids in their beds and left Nathan up there to finish so I could run downstairs and watch. You can watch it here.

And the bottom of the stack is the book for my new Bible study that begins in February. When I found out what book they were using, I admit that I wasn't disappointed or overly excited. I didn't feel particularly restless at that point. And while I still wouldn't say that I do now, I do think this is another one that works well with the possibilities of a new year. I love the description, because we can all use more of this:

Although I read quite a bit last year, I'm hoping to read even more over the next 12 months. Any recommendations? Maybe some fiction?  :)

All I can muster for a year in review is a 30 second Flipagram, but here ya go. No pictures of China were included in this (except for one of Kate in her cat shorts:) because none of those pics were public on Facebook, but clearly that was a huge part of 2014 for us!