Our Sidney got student of the month this month for his school!  With his challenges, we are SO proud of him!  Way to go Sid!  This is his letter signed by Mike Rogers, our Congressman.

The books of 2011!

I read 50 (edited from 49 1-13-12--I forgot one!) books in 2011.  Up from 30 last year!  Here is a list of them.  My favorites: The Help, Matched and its sequel Crossed, Sarah's Key, Vampire Academy books, Richard Paul Evans and Nicholas Sparks' books!  :)

1. Ariana: The Making of a Queen, a novel by Rachel Ann Nunes
2. Babylon Rising Book 2: The Secret on Ararat by Tim F. LaHaye and Bob Phillips
3. Babylon Rising Book 3: The Europa Conspiracy by Tim F. LaHaye and Bob Phillips
4. Babylon Rising Book 4: The Edge of Darkness by Tim F. LaHaye and Bob Phillips
5. Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, Book 4) by Richelle Mead
6. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
7. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
8. Crossed by Ally Condie
9. Culture Warrior by Bill O'Reilly
10. Don't Cry Wolf by Clair M. Poulson
11. Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler
12. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
13. Frostbite (Vampire Academy, Book 2) by Richelle Mead
14. Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent
15. Just Give Me a Little Piece of Quiet: 60 Mini-Retreats For a Mom's Soul by Lorilee Craker
16. Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, Book 6) by Richelle Mead
17. Letters to Malcolm Chiefly on Prayer: Reflections on The Dialogue Between Man and God by C.S. Lewis
18. Lost December: A Novel by Richard Paul Evans
19. Matched by Ally Condie
20. Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans
21. Miles to go: The Second Journal of the Walk Series by Richard Paul Evans
22. Murder by Design by Betsy Brannon Green
23. Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans
24. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
25. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth by T. Harv Eker
26. Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, Book 3) by Richelle Mead
27. Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, Book 5) by Richelle Mead
28. SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
29. Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler
30. Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler
31. The Act of Marriage: The Beauty of Sexual Love, Updated and Expanded by Tim and Beverly LaHaye
32. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
33. The Help, a novel by Kathryn Stockett
34. The History of Love: a novel by Nicole Krauss
35. The Horse and His Boy: Book 5 in The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
36. The Last Battle: Book 7 in The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
37. The Magician's Nephew: Book 6 in The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
38. The Maytrees: A Novel by Annie Dillard
39. The Miracle of Freedom: Seven Tipping Points That Saved the World by Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart
40. The Most Important Thing I Know: Life Lessons from Colin Powell, Stephen Covey, Maya Angelou, and Over 75 Other Eminent Individuals compiled by Lorne A. Adrain
41. The Overton Window: A Thriller by Glenn Beck
42. ·     The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
43. The Silver Chair: Book 4 in The Chronicles of Narnia (again) by C.S. Lewis
44. The Walk by Richard Paul Evans
45. Tracking the Tempest by Nicole Peeler
46. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
47. Wanted One Family by Deanna Edwards
48. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
49. Witch & Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
50. Witch & Wizard: The Gift (2) by James Patterson and Ned Rust
51. z...and countless children's books read over and over (think Ten Apples Up on Top and Brown Bear, Brown Bear)

Books we've read in Book Club over the years:

2011:

• Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
• Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
• Matched by Ally Condie
• Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
• Secret Daughter: A Novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
• The Help, a novel by Kathryn Stockett
• The Miracle of Freedom: Seven Tipping Points That Saved the World by Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart
• The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

2010:

Have a Little Faith: A True Story by Mitch Albom
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity by William Paul Young
True Bucketfilling Stories: Legacies of Love by Stacey A. Lundgren


2009:
Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier 

Hazardous Duty by Betsy Brannon Green 

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forestor

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch 
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown 
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time  by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin 
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 

Before 2009:
90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life by Don Piper and Cecil Murphey
And They Were Not Ashamed: Strengthening Marriage through Sexual Fulfillment by Laura M. Brotherson
Hearts in Hiding by Betsy Brannon Green
Inside My Heart: Choosing to Live with Passion and Purpose by Robin McGraw
Journey of the Promise by Joann Arnold
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
Prince Caspian of The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis
Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby
The Freedom Factor by Gerald N. Lund
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
The Innocent Man by John Grisham
The Mitford series (book 1) by Jan Karon

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes by James L. Ferrell

The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Howell Book Club (around 2003-2005):

Letters by Marjorie Pay Hinckley

No One Can Take Your Place by Sheri Dew
Plain and Simple:  A Woman's Journey to the Amish by Sue Bender
Sisters of My Heart by Ann Marie Blaine

The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes by James L. Ferrell


I know I forgot some ladies.  Let me know!

Merry Christmas everyone!

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Projects around the house

Haven't had much to blog about lately...it's kind of lost my interest...
But here are a few things I've been up to the past few months.

Our new entertainment center that I LOVE:

Our OLD chair with lots of stains and yuck...

Redone!With curtains to match (not the best picture, sorry).  Total for all chairs and curtains: $6!

 And I recovered the piano bench!  I love it!

Books I read in 2010 - 30!

Well, I read 30 books in 2010.  I also finished one in the wee hours of 2011, so it will be my first one for 2011's list.  Favorite books this year: the Hunger Games series.  So good!  Here is the listing for posterity:

A Little House Traveler: Writings from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Journeys Across America by Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick

Babylon Rising by Tim LaHaye

Before My Heart Stops: a memoir by Paul Cardall 09/10

Catching Fire: The Second Book of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Dewey: The Small-Town LIbrary Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

Evidence: A Novel of Suspense by Clair M. Poulson

Foul Play by Betsy Brannon Green

Grace: A Novel by Richard Paul Evans

Have a Little Faith: A True Story by Mitch Albom

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

I'll Find You: A Novel of Suspense by Clair M. Poulson

Letters to Garrett: Stories of Change, Power, and Possibility by Robert E. Quinn and Garrett T. Quinn

Mockingjay: The Third Book of the Hunger Games (again, yes twice in one year-a first for me) by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay: The Third Book of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Murder by the Book by Betsy Brannon Green

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Spirit of Christmas by Jennie Hansen, Betsy Brannon Green and Michele Bell

Tales from Grace Chapel Inn: Back Home Again by Melody Carlson

Tales from Grace Chapel Inn: Going to the Chapel by Rebecca Kelly

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis

The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

The Shack by William Paul Young

The Short, Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse novella by Stephenie Meyer

The Unfinished Gift: A Novel by Dan Walsh

The Year of Disappearances: An Ethical Vampire Novel by Susan Hubbard

True Bucketfilling Stories: Legacies of Love by Stacey A. Lundgren

...and countless children's books read over and over (think Dora goes to the Doctor and Good Night Blue)