The Minimalist Home

The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker is the latest nonfiction book I read.  It is just as good as The More of Less, but definitely more specific on how to make your home a place where you want to be but not encumbered by stuff.  Chapter by chapter he talks about how to get your home in order so you can do the things you want to do instead of spending so much time taking care of your possessions.  At the end of each chapter, Becker gives step by step directions to take care of each part of the house.  Then he has a minimizing checklist.

A few quotes I liked from the book are

• Be remembered for the life you lived, not the things you bought.
• It is better to do stuff than to have stuff.
• You don't need more space.  You need less stuff.

Click, Clack, Moo I Love You!

Click, Clack, Moo  I Love You! by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin is a cute Valentine's book for preschool and elementary aged children.  Little Duck is having a Valentine's party and spends time decorating.  The familiar characters of Farmer Brown, the cows, the sheep and the pigs are all included in the story.  The party is going great with food and dancing, but then Fox shows up.  Thankfully, Little Fox isn't there to crash the party but have some fun.  The draw for this book is the illustrations, as there is glitter on all the pages.

Ice Boy

Ice Boy by David Ezra Stein is a book you worth reading to children.  Ice Boy is an ice cube who lives in the freezer with his family.  He wants to know what life is like outside, so one day he leaves on what became a great adventure.  He goes to the beach, where he becomes Water Boy.  Later, Water Boy changes to Vapor Boy, eventually turning back into Ice Boy.  As Ice Boy, he gets reunited with his parents.  Young children would enjoy this book, but my older students enjoyed it as well.  Though it is a silly story, it could be used to talk about the different states of matter, especially concerning water.   

beautiful

While everyone, including Minnesotans, think winter is cold, it sure can be beautiful too.  I am glad that the coldest days often come with sun included.  This is a picture at Lindbergh State Park last Saturday.

pin cushions

I have been making pin cushions.  The first one I made I followed the directions for one called a skinny pinnie from my sister Amanda's book No Scrap Left Behind.  I made it last Monday, and since then I finished eight more pin cushions.  Once you make a couple, they do go together rather quickly.  The biggest challenge was to thread the needle with invisible thread to sew them closed.   The blue and green one and the pink and gray one are among my favorites.   I liked making these because they really use scraps-of fabric, batting, and interfacing.  It will be fun giving them away to my sewing friends.

books worth reading

This year I finished reading 55 books.  Here are a few that I would recommend reading.

• Runaway Saint by Lisa Samson-I read this novel for the second time this spring and was glad that I did.
• The More of Less by Joshua Becker-If you want to live a more intentional life, this is probably for you. 
• Gentle Ben by Walt Morey-A novel that I will likely read again some day.  Next time I make personalized reading lists for my family, it will be on my nephews' lists.
• The Rent Collector by Camron Wright-My book club read this one and enjoyed it...lots to think about regarding povety and literacy.  I first read it three years ago and it was worth a second read.
• Redeeming How We Talk by Ken Wytsma and A. J. Swoboda-Everyone is willing to talk and share opinions.  These authors talk about why what we say is important.  It would make a good book to read with a friend and discuss.
• Love Lives Here by Maria Goff -If you have read Love Does by Bob Goff, you would likely enjoy this one as well.  Maria and Bob sure make me think a lot more about how to love people well.   
• Send Down the Rain by Charles Martin -Martin has woven another story worth reading and probably rereading. He does such a great job at creating characters and developing a story that is full of surprises.