We had quite a few appointments in October (doctor, dentist, optometrist), but here are some of the more fun things that kept us occupied. (Also, today was the first snow!)
Read
Last month I forgot to mention Good Morning, Midnight, which I read for book club. It’s unique and thought-provoking; give it a try.
I recently read Celine, my second book by Peter Heller. I didn’t enjoy it as much as The River, but the characters were intriguing and I’ll definitely read more by him.
I just finished The Last Devil to Die, the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series. Fun and funny (but also sad)… Richard Osman is so talented, I can’t wait to read what he writes next.
One of our falling-asleep audiobooks was The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, which I found fascinating.
Nearly every morning before school for the first six weeks I read a chapter of The Convivial Homeschool: Gospel Encouragement for Keeping Your Sanity While Living and Learning Alongside Your Kids. I highly recommend it and will be rereading it.
Out of the blue Andrew brought home The Four Winds from the library and read the whole thing out loud to me; neither of us adored it, but it was a nice experience!
Eat
My sister and her family were visiting from Alabama over Thanksgiving and we pulled off a turkey dinner without too much stress (though Emily and I both burned a finger at the last minute and were surprised how painful it was). Just like on their last visit, we got shawarma from Osmow’s on their last night.
I made a triple chocolate cake for Andrew’s birthday. It was a bit crumbly but the ganache and buttercream worked well and Andrew found a discount jar of Italian candied strawberries that was just the right accompaniment. 🙂
I had some whole milk in the freezer so I thawed it and tried this rice pudding recipe with arborio rice and a cinnamon stick. It’s a keeper.
Last week I had a lovely chat with a friend who treated me to a caramel latte and blueberry white chocolate cookie at the Palette Cafe in the Georgian Bay Centre for the Arts in downtown Owen Sound.
Do
Since our church service is in the afternoon we sometimes take a Sunday morning hike. Last weekend we were up on Skinner’s Ridge, which had a delightful view of the woods and the bay. Pictures cannot do it justice. That evening we went to a bonfire with hotdogs and singing. A full day enjoying the rapidly cooling weather.
We attended our church’s annual Reformation Day party on Saturday. This year’s theme was William Tyndale with a short video and games followed by a potluck supper and a pinata.
Play
During the Millers’ visit after the kids were in bed the grownups ate chocolate and played Codenames, which worked well with two couples; I’m curious how it would go with six or eight players.
Meditate
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” – James 3:17-18
Just finished The Caretaker, by Ron Rash, and enjoyed it very much. His writing is lush and his characters are well developed. More plot twists than I expected, too. Brian just read Grandma Gatewood’s Walk, about a retired lady who was the first woman to walk the entire Appalachian Trail. He read large chunks to me, because he loved the book so much. Grandma’s story is set against national and world events in a fascinating juxtaposition.
Those both sound great. Thanks!