Best of 2014

There is never a shortage of great books to read.  My best of 2014 list includes those I enjoyed the most over the past year and is subjective to my interests and moods.

So, in no particular order:

Fiction:

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Motherland by Maria Hummel

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

We Are Called To Rise by Laura McBride

The Blessings by Elise Juska



Non-Fiction:

The Perfect Score Project by Debbie Stier

The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs

Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin

Hand To Mouth by Linda Tirado

Train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg

Sum It Up by Pat Summitt


Middle Grade and Young Adult:

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming

Here Lies Linc by Delia Ray

Nest by Esther Ehrlich

A Few Thoughts on Kindle Reading

At the beginning of 2014 I made a conscious decision to attempt to read more books on my Kindle (or using the Kindle app on my ipad).  It's the same conscious decision I've made the past few years.

And so this year, I did.  Although the total is not impressive, I read 30 books on my Kindle.  For some people that's 30 more books than they read in a year, kindle or no.

For the most part, I've enjoyed it.  I love having the easy access of many, many books to choose from.  I love using NetGalley and reading ARCs on an ereader.  

There are still a few drawbacks, the main one being that an ebook is just not a real book. But, that will always be the case.

There are a few things I have noticed about reading on my Kindle. I never seem to know the title of the book I am reading.  Without seeing the cover repeatedly, I just space that part out.  I can tell you what the book is about, but the title, which just flashes up initially when you begin reading again, isn't something that you see over and over again.  

I miss seeing the author's picture, and reading author notes. I have become used to looking at these during my reading experience, not just at the end.  Sometimes that really does add to the enjoyment of the book I am reading, and I wish I felt more like I could flip back and forth (which is technically possible, but just doesn't work as easy as with a paper book).

Every once in a while I wish I could flip back and forth with more ease, to re-read a certain part, or review a clue if I am reading a mystery.  I am aware that this is possible with e-books, but not nearly as easy as if I were reading a paper copy of the same title. 

I don't foresee a time when I'll ever totally convert to reading e-books, but my days of needing to have a paper copy of a title to add to my already too large home library are gone.  I am enjoying the reduced clutter that reading on my kindle provides and the easy access to so many books in just one place.

I feel like thirty books this past year is just the start of what I hope to build on in 2015.  I'm shooting for 50 books this next year! 

Winter at the Door

Lizzie Snow is a homicide detective from Boston who has moved to a small Maine town for personal reasons.  Her arrival in Bearkill comes at just the right moment.  Chief of Police Cody Chevrier is dealing with the deaths of four former policemen, a number he feels is too high to be a natural occurrence.  

As the body count rises, Lizzie finds herself in a town full of interesting characters who don't necessarily welcome newcomers with open arms.  

Lizzie Snow is a character I immediately liked.  She is still dealing with the death of her sister and the disappearance of her young niece.  Her most recent boyfriend, Dylan (who also shows up in Bearkill, Maine) has betrayed her, so Lizzie is looking for a fresh start.

Graves wisely doesn't reveal everything in this first novel, and creates a little tension as well between Dylan, who would like to have another chance with Lizzie, and Trey Washburn, the vet in town, who is interested in Lizzie himself.  

There's a lot going on in this mystery, but Graves created enough suspense and drama that I could barely put this book down, and still manages to tie things up in the end.

I'm looking forward to reading more Lizzie Snow mysteries and am already waiting for the next installment.

Sunday Salon

I have been off work since Wednesday, which has meant almost no before-holiday time to prepare, but hopefully means some much needed rest after the holiday.  

To accommodate everyone's schedules we have had various get togethers on four different days.  There has been a lot of eating and visiting.

 Little Sister's Christmas cooking - reindeers and Santas

Middle Sister's Christmas artwork

Yesterday was my birthday and our seventeenth wedding anniversary.  It was very low key.  I would have happily gone to a movie with my husband, but he wasn't in the mood to sit through a movie.  He would have happily gone out to eat, but I was so sick of eating crappy food, eating more just wasn't appealing.  So in the end we did nothing, and decided to take a rain check for a future weekend when going out seems rather desirable.

My favorite (and possibly only) birthday card.  My mom doctored it up so it would work.

I am finally finding a bit of time to read - something I look forward to doing over break.    The big project I am hoping to accomplish is getting things hung on our walls so that I no longer have things just propped up around the house.  My husband put up some lights in our basement (The kitchen remodel entailed them ripping out the ceiling of the room below it, which has meant the lights needed to be put in since that was finished) and also done a bit of fixing on a snow blower he found.  

Waffle cone Christmas trees decorated at my mom's Christmas gathering

I still have one more week off of work, so I am going to enjoy every minute of it!  I hope everyone had a great holiday celebrating our Savior's birth, and enjoying friends and family.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick:  Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova
Due out:April 7, 2015

Product Information taken from Amazon:

From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova comes a powerful new novel that does for Huntington’s Disease what her debut Still Alice did for Alzheimer’s.

Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s Disease.

Huntington’s is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. Each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. While watching her potential future in her father’s escalating symptoms, twenty-one-year-old daughter Katie struggles with the questions this test imposes on her young adult life. Does she want to know? What if she’s gene positive? Can she live with the constant anxiety of not knowing?

As Joe’s symptoms worsen and he’s eventually stripped of his badge and more, Joe struggles to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, while Katie and her siblings must find the courage to either live a life “at risk” or learn their fate.

Praised for writing that “explores the resilience of the human spirit” (The San Francisco Chronicle), Lisa Genova has once again delivered a novel as powerful and unforgettable as the human insights at its core.

Walking on Trampolines

Tallulah and Annabelle become best friends when they are only twelve. Despite differences in personality and background, their friendship is so strong they develop their own secret language.  When Lulu begins dating Josh, she is relieved to see that he gets along well with Annabelle, until they eventually tell her the two of them have fallen in love with each other.

Lulu is left to navigate her twenties on her own, attempting to get over the betrayal by her best friend and boyfriend.  An invitation to their wedding gives Lulu a chance to reconnect with two of the most important people in her childhood and even a chance to cause some drama for them and their relationship.

Set in Australia, Whiting gives a realistic picture of life in the 1980s and 90s, when this story is set, and a feeling of nostalgia for this time period.  Friendship, betrayal, relationships between mothers and daughters are all explored.

This is a wonderful coming of age novel.  I had a hard time putting it down and was nearly immediately drawn up in the story. 

I can't wait to read more by Whiting.

Family Pictures

We had family pictures taken this fall -after several years of  meaning to.  I debated our outfits for a while, and the color scheme.  I can say I am happy with the pictures, and this time hope to have them hung up before several years pass. I still have some pictures to hang up from the last time the girls had their pictures taken. 

Sunday Salon

With just two days of work left until Christmas vacation, I'm finding it difficult to get too excited about lesson planning today.

Instead, I am going to tackle Little Sister's bedroom, which may be the death of me.  Some kids are good about organizing themselves, but she is not one of them.  Right now it is so messy that it is overwhelming to me and to her.

Earlier today we had our church Christmas program. It went well, and it is good to x that off our to do list.

I am mostly done with Christmas shopping, which is a good thing.  I haven't had to battle the crowds at the mall this weekend, and instead the girls and I did a bit of baking yesterday.  Little Sister made homemade cinnamon rolls.  Middle Sister is still working on cut-out Christmas cookies and Big Sister has a few things she plans on baking yet this afternoon.

I have a stack of Christmas cards to send out - after I address them.  If I manage to make it out of Little Sister's room alive, that is my next project.

I have no idea what I'll end up making for supper - and in fact, we haven't even had lunch yet.  I'm hoping inspiration strikes at some point, but I would be happy with scrambled eggs.

Enjoy this last Sunday before Christmas, everyone! Hopefully you are done with rushing around and enjoying the holiday.

Friday Five

This week's Friday Five are mostly items I've looked at a few times on the internet, and am still thinking about them.  The pictures, of Prince George, well, I don't collect things about the royal family anymore, but I am still a little bit obsessed.

As a long-time royal watcher, I'm always excited to see new pictures of Prince George.  These three photos are the latest that have been released by Prince William and Princess Kate.

And here's one of his father, Prince William when he was not quite two.  They made a big deal about all the royals having blue eyes, but I see George has brown eyes like his mother.  Very cute!

It's hard to follow up Prince George, but this JCrew Colorblock Baseball T looks super comfortable to me.  

A friend of a friend has a vintage store that I am wanting to visit over Christmas break.  This yardstick table looks super cute to me. I can think of a few places in my house I could use it.

I have a thing for USA wall art. This is my latest find on the Pottery Barn website.  I think I've pretty much used all the large wall space I have which means this one will just be something I admire online.

Love these glitter cords the Gap has right now.  Would be a great thing to add to my collection, I think!

The Underground Girls of Kabul

Every year my students that participate in book club read The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis.  Parvana, the protagonist in this story, dresses like a boy after her father is arrested and someone must get water for her family and earn money for food.

The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg is an interesting look at the practice of dressing girls like boys in Afghanistan.  Nordberg focuses on a few women who she talks with and whose stories she can share.

Azita is one such woman, unusual in the fact that she is the breadwinner of the family.  Encouraged by her father as a child to be educated, Azita is especially devastated that she is married off to an illiterate cousin to help protect her family.  Somehow despite many setbacks, she is able to obtain a position of prestige in the Afghan government as a representative from her home district.  After giving birth to a fourth daughter Azita decides to dress and treat her last child as a boy, giving the family a better status.  

Through conversations with women who once dressed as boys who are now adults, Nordberg collects as much data she can about this practice of bacha posh.  She manages to give a different perspective on the life of females in Afghanistan and their subcultures.

The Underground Girls of Kabul is an interesting and engaging non-fiction book that I found hard to put down as I became involved in the stories of different women.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick:  In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
Due out: June 2, 2015

Product Description taken from Amazon:

When a series of passenger airplanes crashed in Elizabeth, New Jersey within a three-month period in 1951–1952, Judy Blume was a teenager. “These events have lingered in my mind ever since,” says Blume. “It was a crazy time. We were witnessing things that were incomprehensible to us as teenagers. Was it sabotage? An alien invasion? No one knew, and people were understandably terrified.” Against this background, Blume uses her imagination to bring us the lives of three generations of families, friends, and strangers, who will be profoundly affected by these events, either directly or indirectly. But life goes on and Blume digs deep into her characters—we see them coping not only with grief but with first love, estranged parents, difficult friendships, familial obligations, divorce, career ambitions, a grandparent’s love, a widower’s hope, and everything in between. . . . Most important, In the Unlikely Event is filled with the same warmth and authenticity that have won Blume the hearts and minds of readers of all generations.

One Step Too Far

Tina Seskis' novel One Step Too Far was published in 2013, but until it appeared on Amazon Vine, I had never heard of it.

One Step Too Far reminds me a bit of Before I Go To Sleep, a rather quiet thriller based mostly on events in someone's own mind.

As the novel begins Emily Coleman awakes one morning, take a few of her things, and leaves her family behind, starting a new life for herself.

Through flashbacks and the viewpoint of various people in Emily's life bits and pieces are revealed about Emily's past: her childhood, courtship with her husband Ben, tense relationship with her troubled identical twin sister, all giving a greater view of Emily. Yet, there is still something that isn't revealed until nearer the end.

Meanwhile, Emily's new life involves renting a bedroom in a house, getting a job as a receptionist and beginning to use drugs - a far cry from the beautiful life she left.

The big question, what happened that caused Emily to leave?  

I can't say I was surprised by the novel's outcome, but I was totally sucked in to the story and wanted to know more about Emily and how her mind worked.  At the novel's beginning I had to have some uninterrupted reading time so I could really get into the story especially as the narrator changed and I was just figuring out who everyone was. However, I spent my afternoon curled up with this book, unable to put it down.

I can't wait to hear more from Seskis.  One Step Too Far is a winner.

The Perfect Place

Sometimes I am discouraged by the overwhelming number of middle grade fantasy novels that are published.  As a tween, I loved realistic fiction novels, and find my oldest daughter struggling to find realistic fiction books that she can enjoy as she wades through all the fantasy books that are published to find the handful of novels that appeal to her.

The Perfect Place by Teresa Harris is a perfect realistic fiction novel for a tween reader who can handle some grown up themes and ideas.  

Treasure Daniels is making the best of the hand she has been dealt. Her father has abandoned their family as he searches for a new home and a new job.  Her mother leaves Treasure and her younger sister, Tiffany, with Great Aunt Grace as she attempts to find her husband.  

Although Tiffany misses her mother, she seems to be adjusting to Great Aunt Grace and her temporary home. Treasure is angry with her mother and her father and unhappy in her new circumstances.  

As the story unfolds, Treasure, Tiffany, and Great Aunt Grace learn a little about each other and come to depend on one another. It is no surprise that there is more to Grace than the tough exterior she shows initially, and her relationship with Treasure develops throughout the novel.

The Perfect Place is a great novel to hand to the tween readers at my school. My seventh and fifth grade daughters have also given it their stamp of approval.

Could I be suffering from the holiday blahs? The winter doldrums?  Maybe the flu bug took more out of me than I thought. I have consistently started books and put them down all week. I just have not been very interested in what I am reading at all. This is helpful because at least I am knocking a few books of the TBR piles without spending too much time on any one of them.  However, I would love to find a great book I can really get into.

This weekend has been very low key.  I ordered my last Christmas present today and am crossing my fingers that it will arrive for the holiday.

We need groceries, but I'm not feeling like heading to the grocery store at all and figure we have enough food around here that I should be able to come up with something for us to eat.

Although the temperatures are in the low 50s, it is very gray, overcast and foggy.  The rest of the family is watching the Packers play, and Little Sister is doing my hair while I type.  

Last night I watched the movie Four Christmases with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. I had never seen it before and I so rarely see movies that it was enjoyable to relax and watch a holiday movie with Middle Sister.

Little Sister aka Jingle Bell, the Reindeer

This is the last full week of school before the holidays. We don't get out until after next Tuesday which seems a little incredible, but truly the holidays are right around the corner.

What are your Sunday plans?  Are you ready for the holidays?

Picture Books: Jumping on the Bandwagon

These books most likely aren't new to you, but just in case you needed my stamp of approval, these two titles are ones I loved reading aloud to Little Sister the other night before bed. They are ones I've added to my school library order, and probably at some point they are titles I'll add to our collection at home.

Bella is taking her dog out for a walk, when as he comes near the center of the page, the book swallows him up. He just isn't there anymore.  As Bella tries to get help, everyone else also disappears into the center of the book, which can only be fixed by shaking the book sideways for the characters to come tumbling back out.

This is a great read aloud.  Ever since my students heard Press Here I have been looking for another book that will allow them to engage with the words on the page in a similar way. Although this is not another Press Here, it is a funny little story that will get kids thinking and laughing.

Louise loves art and goes about creating her piece de resistance (I secretly love reading that phrase aloud).  As Louise looks for a place to display her work, her brother, Art, uses some of Louise's work to create his own masterpiece.  

Louise isn't really paying much attention to her little brother, but it's a good thing Louise loves Art just as much as she loves art.

The illustrations are reminiscent of Olivia (by Ian Falconer) with splashes of red amidst other more subdued hues, and totally caught my eye.

This is another winner I will be adding to my collection.

Friday Five

I've had no trouble finding five things to highlight this week.  With the holidays approaching I can find lots of stuff I'd like to buy.  

These potato chips covered in chocolate were a hit at work. I bought a bag when I ran to Target, and a few of us tried them out. I would buy them again but did note the bag was mostly air and cost $4. A bit steep for the amount of food we got.  Also, even thought we did enjoy them, the chip flavor is definitely secondary to the chocolate.  

Still needing a stocking stuffer?  This silly straw pair of glasses is something I can see boys or girls enjoying. I ordered a pair to use as a gift if needed.

  

A few weeks ago some co-workers and I came to school with our fur vests on.  Yes, a bit ridiculous. But we had a good time.  I've had my fur vest for six or seven years. I'm feeling rather cutting edge since I am seeing them everywhere this year. I'd happily add a second fur vest to my wardrobe. This one from Garnet Hill is lovely.

Another sweater I could add to my collection. I think this could work for the holidays especially well.

I'm pretty sure that as long as the words 'fair isle' are in the description, I'm going to love it.  This sweater is 50% off at Ann Taylor Loft right now. I'm trying to restrain myself.  

Where A Man Stands

This is my latest Kindle read, and despite my really enjoying it, I could never remember the title to pass it on to friends looking for a good read.

Carter Paysinger and Steve Fenton have written this memoir-ish book together, and I found myself quickly sucked in.

Carter Paysinger grew up on the wrong side of the tracks with loving parents who instilled in him and his siblings the need for always doing their best and hard work.  He attended high school outside his neighborhood, travelling to Beverly Hills High where he rubbed elbows with the children of the rich and famous.

Paysinger had the talent and determination to do nearly anything, yet he chose to remain at Beverly where he spent his career teaching and coaching high school students.  One of those students, Steve Fenton, changed Paysinger's life.

The bond that Fenton and Paysinger shared as a coach and player was special, but after he graduated Fenton drifted away, and the two didn't meet up again until many years later.  By that time, Paysinger was contemplating a career change for himself, not sure that he wanted to spend his entire life at his high school alma mater.

The work these two men undertake cements their relationship with each other, but also changes Beverly Hills High, a school precious to both of them.

Where A Man Stands is an easy read as it traces Carter Paysinger's life from his childhood throughout his career. He shares the ups and downs in both his personal and professional life, and does a good job of exploring race and what it means to be a black man in America, giving examples of his own experiences.

An incidental side note: Steve Fenton is married to Leeza Gibbons, something I didn't realize until I came upon the photos at the end of the book.  Had I read a print version and not the kindle version, I would have discovered this much sooner.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick:  The Precious One by Marisa De Los Santos
Due out: March 24, 2015

Product Information taken from Goodreads:
From the bestselling author of Belong to Me, Love Walked In, and Falling Together comes a captivating novel about friendship, family, second chances, and the redemptive power of love

In all her life, Eustacia “Taisy” Cleary has given her heart to only three men: her first love, Ben Ransom; her twin brother, Marcus; and Wilson Cleary — professor, inventor, philanderer, self-made millionaire, brilliant man, breathtaking jerk: her father.

Seventeen years ago, Wilson ditched his first family for Caroline, a beautiful young sculptor. In all that time, Taisy’s family has seen Wilson, Caroline, and their daughter Willow only once. 

Why then, is Wilson calling Taisy now, inviting her for an extended visit, encouraging her to meet her pretty sister — a teenager who views her with jealousy, mistrust, and grudging admiration? Why, now, does Wilson want Taisy to help him write his memoir?

The Rosie Effect

I fell in love with Don in The Rosie Project as he analytically went about finding himself a wife.  As someone who clearly is on the autism spectrum, there are many unique aspects to the way Don went about this task, but alas, finally realized that love is not something that can be calculated or rationally explained.

Now, in the Rosie Effect, Don and Rosie have moved to New York, and Rosie is pregnant.  The impending birth of an infant sends Don into high gear as he tries to take charge of Rosie and her diet and exercise in order to give their unborn child, Bud, the best start possible. 

Of course, the way Don goes about this is quite comical, until he is arrested for watching young children in a park as the police mistake him for a pedophile.  More confusion follows as Don tries to keep this from Rosie, who must keep her stress level down in order to provide the best environment for their unborn child.  The secrets mount as the issue leads from one thing to another, adding to the humor in The Rosie Effect.

I was so excited to see that The Rosie Project had a sequel coming out.  And The Rosie Effect is quite entertaining, although didn't quite live up to my expectations.  Perhaps I set the bar too high after falling in love with the first novel, but I could see additional novels featuring Don and Rosie in the future, a la The Shopaholic novels by Sophie Kinsella.

Without You, There Is No Us: My Time With the Sons of North Korea's Elite

Suki Kim spends six months in North Korea teaching English to the children of the upper class in the country. Her experiences in North Korea frustrate her and sadden her, and she feels compelled to write about her time in this country that keeps much hidden from the world.

In 2011 North Korea closes all universities except for Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, where Kim teaches.  Students from the other universities spend the year they cannot attend school working in the construction fields. As a result, Kim's students are those of the upper class in North Korea, from families that can afford to keep their sons out of the construction fields.

Kim knows that her time in Korea is spent under the watchful eye of the regime. Her mail is censored, and what she tells her students could be reported back at any time.  Teachers have been warned not to brag or boast about their lives in the United States. This is nearly impossible as Kim compares the freedom she has in the US with how North Koreans live.

The news stories are old, there is no internet - only the intranet, which is also government controlled, and the electricity turns of multiple times each day.  

Kim enjoys her students but is amazed at the lies they tell, and can't ever feel safe or at ease.  She hides the USB stick where her notes are kept knowing that she will be in trouble if she is ever caught.

I was fascinated by this inside look at North Korea, and the way in which the people there live.

Sunday Salon

The stomach flu that I had on Friday has found me again today.  I felt fine until I got up this morning, but ate only a few bites breakfast and have been spending time in the bathroom.  I am hoping this is short-lived. I have a lot of stuff to get done!

We have the tree and our decorations up, thanks to some help from the girls. Unfortunately we had to throw away several ornaments which may be the result of being in storage for nearly two years.

I had a day at home on Friday which allowed me to get quite a bit of resting done. I know I am sick if I don't eat or read!  Yesterday when I was feeling better I ran a few errands and helped Big Sister and Little Sister get their bedrooms entirely cleaned.  At least some part of the house is neat and tidy.

Merry Grinchmas from Little Sister

Later today, as long as I feel OK, our family has tickets to go see Christmas with Wartburg.  Wartburg is the college my husband and I attended and earned our degrees. Their Christmas program is well known all over the state. We have never taken our children before, so I am hoping this is something we may want to do every year during the holiday season.

As far as what's cooking: nothing. I'm not feeling much like eating but sadly the rest of my family will need me to think something up for them.

Watching:  While everyone was gone, I indulged in an episode of The Good Wife.  Love that show (even though I am several seasons behind).

Reading:  Finished up The Paying Guest (review to come) which I loved, and am finishing up The Rosie Effect today.

We have an elementary Christmas concert, volleyball practices, wrestling meets and a few other things scheduled for this week, including my observation and evaluation at work.  It's time to feel better.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Friday Five

My Friday Five is a little late today. I started feeling sick yesterday at school and by the time I got home went straight to bed.  My husband was coaching at a wrestling meet last night, so this morning when I got up I realized my youngest two daughter really did fend for themselves. They ate Lunchables for supper and tried to leave me alone.

I haven't missed work for illness in a few years, but today I am home recuperating.  

You would think I would have been surfing the net for my Friday Five, but instead I've been sleeping.

I feel like there are many times during the year when a pair of sweatpants suffice as pajamas for me, but during Christmas it feels like I should put a little more effort into things.  These fleece pants are at Old Navy now for the low price of $7.

And since I was looking at jammies on the Old Navy site, I found this cute retro like t-shirt.  Might as well add it to my cart.  

This article has got a lot of publicity.  I am not sure I could do this (which is what most of the replies seemed to say), but I admire these parents for not allowing their children to continue to feel entitled.

This Santa garland is on sale at Garnet Hill. I haven't had my decorations out since 2012 with our kitchen remodel, so I am ready to add some new things to our collection.

Sundance has these wintery pillows that I would love to get out every holiday season in my house. They aren't in my price range, especially when I have to factor in a dog that thinks he should get up on our couch, but maybe someday I can find some cheaper knock-offs.

That's it for today, folks. I am heading back to bed to rest up. Enjoy your weekend!