Time for another monthly recap!

Read

I finished re-reading The Moonspinners, a romantic thriller set in Crete by Mary Stewart (first published in 1962). A good comfort read, in my opinion.

I also finishing reading The Second Mrs. Giaconda by E.L. Konigsburg to the kids… still not certain how I feel about it.

Farmhouse is a lovely new picture book by Sophie Blackall. (These picture books about mathematicians are also pretty great!)

Eat

• I slowed down on my Smitten Kitchen obsession, but did make Bialy Babka and Ginger Garlic Chicken Noodle Soup
• Here’s something I made with no recipe whatsoever: stuffed peppers with quinoa, ground beef, tomatoes, corn, and cheese. Haven’t had those in a long time.
• We made our own raisins for the first time since we had an abundance of grapes that were getting old (a lot of hours in the oven at the lowest temperature). Tasty but no plans to repeat.

Do

• Most of our recreation in January involved the YMCA. We bit the bullet and got memberships so the kids could take swimming lessons. We’ve also been going to the family swim on Mondays and taking the kids to some other activities (“Family Fun Gym,” “Creative Play,” “Kid Zone”). Getting lots of exercise walking there, especially due to the staircase with 100+ steps and the abundance of snow lately.
• We went to a Saturday church potluck a few weeks ago with singing and games and after the meal, which was quite enjoyable.
• I got my hair cut above the shoulder for the first time ever. Not sure if I’ll keep it short, but very glad I took the plunge.

Acquire

We finally got a new vacuum cleaner! And by “we” I mean Andrew, who found a sale, researched vacuums on Consumer Reports, ordered it, picked it up, and is the only one who’s tried it out so far. I’m very grateful because our old vacuum cleaner was on its last legs for a long time.

Listen

Meditate

In January I read (or listened to) the whole book of James every day, which is the first time I’ve done that with a book of the Bible. I am amused by this rendition in the KJV: “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness…” (James 1:21a) And on a more serious note, here’s another verse to ponder: “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” (James 3:13)

Do you have any January favourites to share?