the bookshelf
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emma m. lion.
Before I write about the homeschool conference I need to tell you about a grand event we had in March: an Emma Lion tea. What on earth is that, you ask? Well, I’ve known for several months I needed to devote an entire blog post to my new favorite author: Beth Brower. My mother-in-law, Linda, discovered her novels through a friend, and they are the best sort of virus that has spread among our friends and family. By now I’ve read nearly all the novels she’s written (see the photo below), but we began with The Selected Journals of Emma M. Lion, and I think they remain the group’s collective…
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audiobooks.
One of my kids recently informed me that we have over 100 audiobooks in our Audible library. I was so surprised. I’ve added to our collection over the last eight or nine years, mostly just one title a month. A few times there’s been a sale on classics, and I’ll buy several books for under $5 (for instance, the Green Ember series by S.D. Smith is currently on sale for $4 a book). I know I’ve mentioned audiobooks often on the blog, but I thought I’d give you an update of how we use audiobooks in our house by answering some of the questions I get regularly. Years ago, I…
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100 books.
Today I finished reading my 100th book in 2021, so I thought I’d write a bookshelf post. I didn’t set out to read a hundred books this year. I don’t do well with reading goals; they make me feel pressured. But I did decide to keep a list in my bullet journal of the books I read, and I’m so happy I did it. Here are the highlights, books I’d unequivocally say are worth adding to your home library (or buying as Christmas gifts!): You know that I’m an avid re-reader of books, so that accounts for a goodly number of the list. Here are the series I reread this…
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a new school year.
We’ve done it! We’ve successfully started a new homeschool year. This is our ninth year homeschooling, and every single spring and summer, at some point, I think, I can’t do this anymore. I just cannot educate our kids at home. I research school options. I think about selling our beloved house and moving to a different school district. But it never feels right. So I pray a lot and say, “Okay, Lord, we’ll try it another semester.” It’s a step of faith for me to order the curriculum and make the commitment, when I feel homeschool-weary and unsure of how it will all turn out. But then we have a…
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turning 39.
Hello there, friends! This past weekend, I entered the final year of my 30’s. Want to know how we celebrated? Great! I’ll tell you. First of all, David gave me the best gift imaginable: 24 hours all to myself in our house. He and our friend, Bryan, took the kids to Bryan’s family’s farm outside Charleston to fish, run around with dogs, feed the cows, and do some target practice. They had a blast (pictures forthcoming). And I had a blast too! I scrubbed the fronts of all my kitchen cabinets, oven, and fridge. Why, you ask? Because it’s one of those deep-cleaning projects I can never seem to get…
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bookshelves & the evolution of our living room.
Well the living room is officially finished. The most finished it’s been in 7 years. But before I show you, let’s take a little trip down memory lane, shall we? 2013 We bought our house in July 2013. We bought it as a house we liked, not loved. It was one we could afford. And it had good bones. We bought it with a vision of growing it into a house that suited our family exactly. When we first saw the far wall of our long, spacious living room, we thought, That’s a great spot for built-in bookcases! They were fresh on our mind, because we had built-ins in…
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procrastination and the lack of a 2019 bookshelf.
This month I realized a disheartening truth about myself: I’m a procrastinator. It’s taken me quite some time to admit to it, since the picture of the Julie in my head is assuredly not the type of person who procrastinates. How could I be a procrastinator when I’m organized and Type A? Also how does it explain the fact that I don’t procrastinate on everything, just on some things? Three things I don’t procrastinate on are making decisions for our renovation, meal planning for the week, and tidying up the house. Three things I do procrastinate on: entering my expenditures in our budget app, helping Amie with her weekly IEW…
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judah’s book club.
So, Judah started a book club! The idea has been marinating with him for a couple years now, and in 2019 we were ready to make it happen. We chose a book together around Thanksgiving, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, by Jonathan Auxier. It’s one I discovered through the Read-Aloud Revival, and we both read separately and enjoyed. Then we went about inviting friends. Judah’s stipulation was that his book club be for friends age 10 and up. He’s part of a great class of kids in Classical Conversations, and had a couple other friends he wanted to invite, so I sent an email to parents, suggesting that the…
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authors & adventures.
I can’t believe we’re nearing spring break, and I’m only just posting about our homeschool group. We officially have a name now, folks! It’s Authors & Adventures (which we make sure to shorten to A&A, not AA). So, if you’re curious why our family feels the need to be apart of not one but two homeschool groups, let me explain: Classical Conversations helps us with our academics and curriculum. And Authors & Adventures provides the fun extra stuff: field trips and book clubs. We’re blessed that both groups have provided wonderful community and friendships — for both me and my kiddos. My friend Kelly started Authors & Adventures…
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december bookshelf and the evolution of a reading life.
I’ve been full-to-bursting with wanting to write a real bookshelf post for months now, because they’re my favorite posts to write. But they take a bit of time and work. Thank you for accepting my haphazard one right before our road trip. You can see from the above photo that the souvenirs I chose to buy on our trip were: you guessed it. Books! In Mansfield, I grabbed a couple slim volumes by Laura Ingalls Wilder to round out our series at home. And one of our favorite parts of Moab, Utah, was Back of Beyond Books, which we visited several times (and I’ll admit, never left empty-handed). It’s fun…
