2013 Reading List

2013 was a big year in reading for me.  I read more this year than I have in a looooong time!  The only con to all this reading is that I can’t pick what I’m reading.

2013 I started grad school.

My pleasure reading ended.

I read Special Education books and articles all day, every day.

At least I’m passionate about the field, but seriously, next semester I have to buy 17 books.  That’s for 3 classes.

I still managed to read quite a few books for pleasure.  Some of them I listened to as audiobooks.  I have a 25 minute commute to my job and I work 2-3 nights a week.  I almost look forward to the drive.  I’m alone and I bring my hot tea (current obsession is an herbal pomegranate tea)  and listen to my audio book.  It’s kind of relaxing, or as relaxing as a highway full of trucks and deer can be.

2013 Reading List

Stolen Innocence by Ellisa Wall-  I listened to this as an audiobook.  It was ok.  It’s about a young girl whose family were members of Warren Jeffs group.  She was forced into a marriage at 14.  It was sad for me because I have a 14 year old daughter and I can’t imagine letting this happen to her, as Ellisa Wall’s mother did.  It was disturbing but interesting.

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown-  I liked this book.  Brene Brown’s writing in very personable and I can get through her books pretty quickly.  I didn’t learn anything groundbreaking but got in touch with my feelings a bit more.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver-  I loved this book.  I am drawn to this type of writing.  Nonfiction about food and farm life.  It’s my jam.

The Dirty Life:  A Memoir of Farming, Food and Love by Kristin Kimball-  Good read.  Quick and light but an interesting story.

Food Rules:  An Eater’s Manuel by Michael Pollan-  #1 item on my bucket list is to go to a reading with Michael Pollan.  He changed my world when I read In Defense of Food.  I’m a total FanGirl.

I read the first two and a half books in the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon-  Book #1 entitled Outlander was AWESOME!!  I was so excited about this series.  I like the second book as well, Dragonfly in Amber.  I read half of the third book, Voyager, and I lost interest.  I may have been too scattered to give it a fair shake so I plan to read it again over my Christmas Break.

Last May we bought a new house on 15 acres in a small town about 23 miles from the town where we used to live and where we both work.  It is 5 miles north of a military base, and the houses were given away by the military to whomever would pay to have them moved.  Our house was a duplex, now converted into a single family home.   The outside will be redone at a later time, the inside is a work in progress.  The upper left and right corner windows are two of the kids bedrooms.  Another 2 bedrooms are directly behind these, with the master being the middle back of the house.  It’s an odd setup at first, with a big staircase in the front middle of the house.  The main floor is a kitchen, office, dining room, living room and laundry/mudroom off the garage.  It has an unfinished basement that I hope to start working on this winter.

The house already had a chicken coop.  I was more excited about that than anything else!

Nova collecting eggs.  The kids loved it at first, they would collect eggs 5 times a day.  Now it’s just another chore they have to do.

Ella standing in the hayfield behind the house.  It’s in CRP until next month, then I have grand visions of dairy cows and sheep.

Nova on the kitchen table.

Across the road from our house.  Deer bed down here at night and the dogs run over every morning to chase them and eat the droppings.  Eeeeeewwwww.

The coop doors were unpainted when we moved in.  I used up some aqua paint I already had and I love the contrast.

 
Front driveway.  The snow got so deep this year it was nearly as high as the 6+ foot lilac bushes.  Just the tips were poking out.

Another view of the back hayfield.

 Woody our bantam rooster.  He’s so sweet and sounds like a squeaky toy.

First day of school, waiting for the bus on the front porch.

What a mess of disorganized photos!!  This is taking it way back, Christmas 2011.  We lived in the “old house” and were packed in the van to look at Christmas lights. 

We had the longest winter I can remember this past year.  It still hasn’t warmed up to a proper summer yet.  It’s not looking good since school starts in a week.  We purchased a summer pass to the swimming area at the lake and have only used it twice!  Up until late May it was still freezing temps during the day!  We’ve had so much rain this summer, the basement has been leaking water since early June.  Two spots have stopped but one is still trickling in.

Christmas 2012 in the new house.  We hosted Gramma and Grampa for Christmas Eve and then drove to Fargo for Christmas day dinner, and the next day a major Costco trip.  

Summer 2013 view from the back deck of the hayfield.  We just started the second cutting of the year.  Last year’s only cutting was fewer bales than our first this year.

Halloween 2012, we returned to the old ‘hood to trick or treat one last time!  If you look really closely at the red noses you can see winter started in October this year!

Not sure when this was taken but I love Ella’s face in it!

Summer 2013- rescuing toads and snakes from the window well is a full-time job!