2016 Reading Challenge revisited......

I posted this in January and tried to take the challenge. while i have read more than 12 books this year there are some categories that are listed that i didn't hit. 

listed below are the books that i did read that went along with the catagory.

a book published this year The Crown by Kiera Cass
a book you can finish in a day The Siren by Kiera Cass
a book you've been meaning to read Surprised by Motherhood by Lisa Jo Baker
a book you should have read in school The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
a book published before you were born Watership Down by Richard Adams
a book you previously abandoned Bossypants by Tina Fey
a book that intimidates you Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers
a book you're already read at least once Bamboo and Lace by Lori Wick (i posted this link because i wanted to see the actual cover of the one that i read not the new cover)

Christmas Through the Years

Here are our Christmas Cards since becoming a family of four but we have them back as far as the year we got married. I love looking back at all of these. they are so much fun.

2010

2011

2012

                                         

2013

2014

                                         

2015

2016

Besties

This Girl!
Man, how i love her

she is everything that i am not and yet we are so much alike too

I am so thankful that she came up to me (the new, shy girl) at church 28 years ago.

i don't get to see her face nearly as much as i would like to but am so thankful that i got to see her not only once, but twice during Christmas break. 

she knows me and loves me anyway

she gets me the past and the present

our daughters got to meet for the first time this Christmas

we talked about how they can be pen pals and stay in touch.

Merry Christmas......

....from our family to yours. Hope you season is merry and bright and full of wonder and joy.

Focus

Been feeling a little absent minded today. I've been thinking about a lot of people I know who have been hurting. I am having trouble focusing but maybe, just maybe I am focusing on the wrong thing. Maybe my absent mind is because I need to call out to Him for all that is weighing down my heart. Lots of people I know who are hurting. It makes my head and heart all jumbled but He untangles it when I cry out to Him.