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SNS Library-January 2016

Since July 2012 this space has had a wonderful collection of reading suggestions.  I love to read and my favorites include selections that give me a book hangover after I'm finished.  Some of my favorites include, Between Shades of Gray by:  Ruta Sepetys.  This book made the October 2012 reading selection pick and I couldn't put it down for one minute.  I have suggested this book to so many people to read and I can't recommend it enough.

Now that's it's January and a new year, I shall continue to post book selections that peek my fancy.  The SNS Library features books with all story lines.  A lot of books have made the New York Times Best Seller List and have some great plots.

This month's selection is a hilarious take on our awkward childhood and how to handle being a young adult and into parenthood as a late bloomer.  It's a nonstop comedy that has a hilarious cover to start the book off right.  

  In between highbrow and lowbrow, there’s Unabrow.

"Take the cast of ‘Bridesmaids,’ add a dash of pre-pubescent Eugene Levy, and you have the humor stylings of Una LaMarche."-- Ann Imig, founder of Listen to Your MotherAs a girl, Una LaMarche was as smart as she was awkward. She was blessed with a precocious intellect, a love of all things pop culture, and eyebrows bushier than Frida Kahlo’s. Adversity made her stronger...and funnier. In Unabrow, Una shares the cringe-inducing lessons she’s learned from a life as a late bloomer, including the seven deadly sins of DIY bangs, how not to make your own jorts, and how to handle pregnancy, plucking, and the rites of passage during which your own body is your worst frenemy.For readers who loved Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and for fans of Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, and Amy Schumer, Unabrow is the book June Cleaver would have written if she spent more time drinking and less time vacuuming.  
-Amazon.com


Check out the SNS Library here and follow throughout the year to read along.  I welcome comments here or below the SNS Library page on your thoughts and suggestions on reads.

But the SNS Library Book Selection for January here.


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Year in Review-2015

Whew!  What a crazy, long year 2015 was.  For some, they may say it went by pretty fast, but we have to say here in this house that is was long.  Lots of random moments.  Some worth embracing, others not so much.  We are happy to see 2016 and look forward to a great year.  We have lots of plans and goals set in motion and are happy to be starting the year off healthy, and ready to go.  Here is a look back on the 2015 year through our life and this blog.  Thank you for being a reader and Happy New Year to you!

January:

Garrick Dee and the dangers of the Dirty Dozen.


February:

Simple decor with vintage bottles.


March:

Touring the Bonneville Lock and Dam.


April:

A weekend coastal getaway.


May:

A spring walk.


June:

A road trip to eastern Oregon.


July:

A family surprise.


August:

Date night at Pizza Schmizza.


September:

Wrapping up baseball season.


October:

Back to the Future Day.


November:

Pirate Treasure Hunt for charity.


December:

December was packed full of great things!

• #Optoutside in the Willamette Valley.


.• Ice skating at the Oregon Garden #citg.


• Cutting the perfect Christmas tree.


• Macy's and Santa Claus.


What a great year 2015 was, but bring on 2016!  
Here's to making the next year even better!


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Five simple things

Yeah!  A new year and a new outlook on goals.  I've been diligently working on my New Year's resolutions with the Mr. and 2016 is going to be great!  We have had a lot of great conversations lately on things that we have goals for.  We have given ourselves a three-year goal to have enough tie to finish out these goals.  Of course, this are what's considered short-term goals, but our long term goals are pretty exciting as well.  The New Year sort of gives us a chance to correct where we failed in the previous year and make ourselves better people each time.  Excitement is in the air here!  In the meantime, here are the things that made this week amazing!

1.  This List of Goals.

Source
1.  Be Present.
2.  Wrap someone in a hug.
3.  Send peace.
4.  Donate food.
5.  Make love.
6.  Be the light.

2.  This Face.

This little face laid with me all day Christmas day.  We just say back, watched package opening and drank hot tea and ate lemon biscuits.  We enjoyed the sights and took advantage of the relaxing time.  It was nice.  Unlike Baz, PITA is a lap dog and a very warm cuddle buddy.  

3.  This Drink.

A bit of Vitamin C intake. Get this drink here.

4.  This Baking Time.

Skylar-Braden and I have been cooking and baking more together in the kitchen lately and we've been experimenting with different recipes.  This week we made scones and sat and drank tea and ate them.  Sour cherry jam tasted amazing with them too!  I will add our basic scone recipe to the blog before too long.


5.  Skylar-Braden's Walking Stick.

We are huge fans of The Walking Dead and recently Morgan's walking stick has been taken an interest in by Skylar-Braden.  We were shopping around for last minute things this Christmas and he happened to spot one.  These are normally walking canes for elderly, but who says you can't use one as a bo staff.  If you're a fan of The Walking Dead, you might be interested in knowing what it was that Eastman taught Morgan.  It's called Aikido.  The teachings he showed him are from this book.

Extras:

• Did You Know This?




• This Tile.

Skylar-Braden laid the tile out to make the cutting board look more "fancy."  It isn't attached to the counter, but I left it because he liked it so much.

• This Postcard.

I received this in the mail along with our Christmas cards this week.  It's a nice note from Erin Boyle from Reading my Tea Leaves. I reserved her book Simple Matters and she sent this card to everyone that did.  It was a nice touch and I can't wait to read her book.  You can snag a copy of her book here, but be sure to check out her great blog.  Her approach to living minimal is a huge inspiration.


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Blues night at Downtown Dog

The Mr., Skylar-Braden, and I took a quick walk downtown the Thursday before Christmas to enjoy some blues music from Robbie Laws.  We had gone to eat at the Downtown Dog on Wednesday night and while we were there, the owner (Terry) told us about the blues nights on Thursday.  We decided to walk there, although it was raining, and enjoy the music.  I liked how it was kid-friendly and Skylar-Braden really enjoyed it.  


Check out Robbie Laws music.



Skylar-Braden got a chance to talk to Robbie Laws about music.  Skylar-Braden enjoys 70s music and loves talking to musicians when he gets a chance.  We did after all, take him to his first concert when Foghat was playing live in Albany, Oregon.  

  

It was a great night for blues.  It was raining, and the wind was whistling through the downtown area.  It couldn't have been a better backdrop for Robbie Laws' music.

After leaving the Downton Dog we decided to walk back a different way and walk through Holidays in the Park at the Snow Park (Ralston Park).

It started raining on us before we got to Snow Park, but the lights still looked bright and festive.

Because of the chilly wind blowing my hands were freezing and shaking. The wind and rain really picked up once we got to Snow Park.

The wind was so strong we felt like we were in Chicago for a few gusts.  One big gust came through and blew the Mr.'s umbrella inside out.  We chased my umbrella a block from when this picture was taken.  Needless to say, we were glad to get back to the warm house and fireplace.  

Overall it was a pretty fun evening.  We enjoyed the blues music and even the walk back home.  It was a great before Christmas evening.


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