Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018

Hey everyone. It's good to be back after a couple weeks off. December was wonderful, but tiring. Emily made a three -d star for art class and finished a short story for entry in the Association of Christian Schools International.

I made way more cookies than any one person should make.

We invited Bobby's family over for a Christmas celebration at our home, and I managed to get a stunning picture of the only grand niece amidst a passel of six grand nephews, the three youngest shown below.

We celebrated at my brother's house with my side of the family where Emily only has three first cousins.

We celebrated, just the three of us, at our house where Emily sported the french braids her cousin styled for her. She also performed a concert for us for Christmas, and I'm not sure, but I think the cat tried to knock her out! Guess he was jealous that she received all the gifts.

We visited Bobby's mother, who missed our celebration because she'd been in the hospital.

And, we had lots and lots of fires which kept us warm while we admired our backyard visitors.

The month of December also brought me an invitation from an author previously unknown to me. He asked if I would read and review his book and took care to learn a little bit about me before asking. This consideration is probably what made the difference between a yes and a no from me, and I'm really glad because his story was fantastic. His name is Edward Dron and his book, The Pillow Parade,is a story of a rabbit who wishes to help children go to sleep. The sheep don't think a rabbit is worthy or capable of helping children slumber, but he doesn't let the nay saying of others keep him from trying. Don's story is quite original and well told. The adorable illustrations also add a layer of depth to the story and the combination is sure to keep children's attention from wandering. The pillow parade is definitely a book worth checking out!

As you can see, we wrapped the year up quite nicely and are now ready to tackle whatever 2018 has to offer. We started off by ringing in the New Year quietly. Well, Bobby and I were quite, but I can't say that Emily and her New Year friend were as there was a lot of giggling going on. Emily spent some time doodling in her sketch books, and we celebrated Bobby's birthday on Sunday. Not a bad way to say hello to a brand new year. I can't wait to see what else 2018 has in store, whatever it is, I'm sure it won't be boring. Wishing you all a very not boring New Year too!

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter  @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.