Merry Christmas!

A few of my favorite Christmas photos...

Granddaughter Annie at Christmas

My husband and I with Annie at Christmas

Annie and I

My sons and their families at Christmas

Laughing with Annie at Christmas

Santa and I in 2013

Some of my extended family, with Rudolph on the wall.

"Best libary teacher ever!"

My friend and I after doing the Jingle Bell Run.

Baking Christmas cookies.

Reading "The Night Before Christmas" to the whole school.

Santa...aka, my husband, listening to the wishes of 700+ children at my school.

Annie's first experience with Santa, screaming her head off.

Annie, two years later, still suspicious, but not screaming.

Merry Christmas, everyone! 

I'm happy you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. Sunday Salon is a place to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. It's a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Some of the things we often talk about at the Sunday Salon:

• What was your week like?
• Read any good books? Tell us about them.
• What other bookish things did you do? 
• What else is going on in your life?

Other places where you may like to link up over the weekend are below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

My linkup for Sunday Salon is below. 

Favorite New-to-Me Words of the Year (2021)

 

January.

ichigo ichie...the art of making the most of every moment. From The Book of Ichigo Ichie. My post.

My wabi-sabi house

February.

wabi-sabi...an appreciation of things the way they are; a reveling in the texture and complexity of real life and the beauty of imperfection. From The Atlas of Happiness. My post.

March.

tsunduko...to acquire reading materials and then let them pile up without reading them. My post.

April.

panecitos...little street food breads that come in a variety of shapes and flavors. From Delicious! Poems Celebrating Street Foods from Around the World. My post.

May.

contronyms...a word with two opposite meanings. My post.

June.

eumoirous...happy as a result of being good. From The Superior Person's Second Book of Weird and Wondrous Words. My post.

Modern art from the Centre Pompidou in Paris

July.

modern art...art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of experimentation. My post.

My dad, on his 94th birthday, filled with joie de vivre.

August.

joie de vivre...the joy of living. From My Four Seasons in France. My post.

September.

kintsugi...finding value, meaning, and even beauty in our vulnerability and flaws. From Happiness Found in Translation: A Glossary of Joy from Around the World. My post.

Shinrin-roku in Arkansas.

October.

shinrin-roku...forest-bathing. From Renewal: How Nature Awakens Our Creativity, Compassion, and Joy. My post.

November.

nonfiction...the branch of literature comprising works of narrative prose dealing with or offering opinions or conjectures upon facts and reality, including biography, history, and the essay. My post. 

December.

cozy mystery...a mystery that's lighter than a traditional mystery, where the murder takes place off-stage, with an amateur detective in charge of the investigation, and with little violence. My post.

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where you can share new words that you’ve encountered, or spotlight words you love.  Feel free to get creative! It was first created by Kathy over at Bermuda Onion and is now hosted at Elza Reads.

What I Hope Santa Brings

Dear Santa,

It's been a tough year. It's been a tough year that has followed a tough year.

I'd love it if you brought me any of these lovely bookish things...

Unforgettable Journeys: Slow Down and See the World

A Slice of Britain: Around the Country by Cake

The Atlas Cookbook: A Food Adventure

A notebook for writing

A coffee mug, with the first lines of great books on it

A jigsaw puzzle

Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan

What are you hoping Santa brings you?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.   

Baking Like Crazy: Reindeer Shortbread Bites; Best Brownies Ever; Sablés au Citron; The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies; and Winter Vanilla Chai Cookies with Eggnog Nutmeg Glaze

I've made it to 500 books read and reviewed for the year, and that's where I'm going to stop. I will continue to read, of course, but I'll save the last chapter of everything I'm reading now until the first day of the new year. It's the way I like to start the year.

We are working on our finalist lists for the 2021 Cybils Fiction Picture Book and Board Book Awards.

Last week I posted here at Readerbuzz:

Books on My Winter 2021/2022 To-Read List

Arkansas! What a View!

Good Thing #1

I went (masked) with my friend to see Tuna Christmas at the college in my town.

Good Thing #2

I went with friends (masked) on the Tour of Homes in my town.

Good Thing #3

Our book club had a fun Christmas cozy mystery discussion, 

and the books lent themselves to some fun Christmas cozy mystery treats.

(Cozies often seem to be set in bakeries, I think.)

Bonus! Good Thing #4

And I've been baking like crazy! 

Photo above, starting at 10 o'clock, and going clockwise:

Winter Vanilla Chai Cookies with Eggnog Nutmeg Glaze

Reindeer Shortbread Bites

Best Brownies Ever

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sablés au Citron

I'm happy you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. Sunday Salon is a place to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. It's a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Some of the things we often talk about at the Sunday Salon:

• What was your week like?
• Read any good books? Tell us about them.
• What other bookish things did you do? 
• What else is going on in your life?

Other places where you may like to link up over the weekend are below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

My linkup for Sunday Salon is below. 

Arkansas: What a View!

We recently spent a week hiking in Arkansas.

The first day we did two hikes: Hiking in Arkansas: Lost Valley Trail and Hawksbill Crag Trail.

The second day we hiked Pedestal Rock. 

We did a hike each day for the next three days: Last Hikes in Arkansas.

We stayed at a place near Petit Jean State Park.

It has a great view.

 

For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Books on My Winter 2021 To-Read List

The Souvenir Museum by Elizabeth McCracken

     Why? McCracken is quirky. I like quirky.

Oh William by Elizabeth Strout

     Why? I've heard lots of good things about Oh William. And I adore Olive Kitteridge.

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

     Why? It sounds fun.

Midnight Chicken (and Other Recipes Worth Living For) by Ella Risbridger

     Why? Cook the Books, a bimonthly foodie book club marrying the pleasures of reading and cooking, chose this as their December-January selection.

Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide by Cecily Wong

     Why? Atlas Obscura was delightful.

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry

     Why? Narnia.

Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw

     Why? I am listening to this play with Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes. My last Classics Club selection of the year.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

     Why? #Narniathon21.

Red is My Heart by Antoine Laurain and Le Sonneur.

     Why? I'm a fan of Antoine Laurain.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

     Why? In Five Years had an intriguing premise. This book has an intriguing premise.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.   

MON | Dec. 20 – #AMonthofFaves What’s On Your Winter Reading List. What are some of the books you plan to read in the next few months? How did you choose them? Are they from the “Best Books of the Year” lists, recommendations from friends, raved about on the internet? https://www.girlxoxo.com/