2016 A Year In Review

Well, it's now official, I now have to remember to write 2017 instead of 2016. My family wrapped up the year nicely by spending time with Bobby's mom.

 By playing board games.

 By practicing Padawan skills.

And by celebrating with family and friends at the Berean Baptist New Years Eve Party.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now, as is tradition, I will recap my favorite reads of 2016 in no particular order.

1. The Map Trap by Andrew Clement

2. Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry

3. The Night Gardner by the Fan Brothers

4. It Came In The Mail by Ben Clanton

5. Mary Smith by A. Uren

 

6. A Piece of Home by Jeri Watts

7.  Memoirs of A Parrot by Devin Scillian

8. Surf's Up by Kwame Alexander

9. Gator Dad by Brian Lies

and...

10. What To Do With A Box by Jane Yolan

 

And as a bonus, my first read of the New Year__

They All Saw A Cat by Brendan Wenzel which is a story about perception. Many animals see Cat. Cat even sees Cat. But how each one perceives Cat is quite different. The text and illustrations work perfectly together to make an interesting read.

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. 

Something Familiar In A New Situation

For many years my best friend, who my family basically adopted like a daughter, canned fruit and home made jams which she gifted to us each Christmas. Peaches, pears, apple butter, and peach jam were eagerly anticipated each December and enjoyed throughout each new year. But about six years ago, she passed away. The loss was difficult because we did practically everything together from taking vacations to attending auctions, but when the last jar of homemade goodness was consumed, the loss was once again keenly felt.

Not a stranger to grief, having lost my first husband early in life, I knew that it's not your circumstance in life but your attitude toward your circumstance that counts. At least that's what my  mom always says. So, since I inherited my friends steam canner, I set about to learn something new__ how to can. I started with peaches and pears and have gotten pretty adept at those. Lat year I tried my hand at making crock pot apple butter which my husband requested again this year. And finally, just this past week, I attempted peach jam. I think it might be a bit on the too thin side; I will see when it has cooled, and I open a jar. If it is, I will try again until I get it just right.

All of this seemed to coincidentally tie in to the book I read this week. A Piece of Home, by Jeri Watts, is all about finding something familiar in a new situation. A young boy and his family make a move from Korea to the United States where they go from ordinary and everyday to un-ordinary and different. They don't know the language, no one understands them, and a feeling of despair begins to set in. That is until they start to gently adapt to their surrounds. That is__ until they find something familiar in their new home that reminds them of their old home.

I don't want to give too much away, but this is an excellent story of hope. It is also a wonderful reminder for us to be kind to those who are different or in a new situation because it must be harder then we can imagine to be in such a situation.
 
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 and join the Literacy Musings Monday Blog Hop where you will find other great blogs, or 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.