In 2021, I crossed a biggie off my bucket list--read 100 books in a year. I read a ton of good books. So many rereads (I LOVE to reread books) and also a bunch of new ones. Here are some of my fave books I read throughout the year.
I'm gonna start with nonfiction. I've only gotten into nonfic in the last few years and usually prefer to listen to audiobooks (unless it's a home/hobby book). Writing this list made me realize I would like to make more of an effort to read historical nonfic and biographies, as I mostly read/listen to Christian lifestyle, home, and hobby nonfiction.
To Hell with the Hustle by Jefferson Bethke | This book is about slowing down in life so we can make sure to leave room for God to do what He wants. I want to be more purposeful with how I spend my time, and this book was a good read. I actually listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author, and highly recommend. Bethke is fun to listen to and includes some "extras" in the audiobook. I need to reread this one.
Loveology by John Mark Comer | Comer is such an excellent, entertaining reader, so I was thrilled that he narrated the audiobook. I truly enjoyed this one and would love to get a hardcopy to read, highlight, and make notes. So much good, practical stuff, but also things I've never thought of in that way. The questions section had EXCELLENT answers to questions that would be asked before marriage (i.e. dating advice). He did a good job at handling sensitive topics in a loving manner.
The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi | I had listened to a few episodes of The Lazy Genius podcast and enjoyed them so I decided to give the book a try. It was so good! So many good principles I can start incorporating in my life to make better decisions. Yet again, another author who narrated the audiobook, and I enjoy listening to her. I didn't realize this was a Christian book when I started reading it--most of the "Christian content" is towards the end.
Quilt-As-You-Go Made Vintage by Jena Brandvig | I've really gotten into quilting and borrowed so many quilting books from the library last year. This one was a fave and I borrowed it three times. I love looking through the vintage-inspired quilt blocks. I also read Quilt-As-You-Go Made Modern and didn't like the designs, but I did like the binding tutorial and used it on my last quilt.
The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith | This. Book. I picked it up thinking it was a basic home decor book and then she starts preaching. This book is about learning to love your home, no matter where you are in life. I told two of my friends about it who are getting married and moving into places that aren't really where they want to live, and they both were interested so I bought copies for both of them and they loved it too! This book is such a great read if you're feeling discouraged about your home. It is also a Christian book (that I didn't know was Christian when I began reading it).
Funnily enough, most of my favorite fiction reads this year were rereads. I LOVE rereading my fave books--they never disappoint! So I only have two new reads on the list. I pretty much exclusively read Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction.
The Giver by Lois Lowry | I never read this in school, but a teacher friend of mine was telling me how good it was, so I decided to read it. I had it on my shelf already and pulled it off to start it before bedtime. Then I stayed up and finished the book. I couldn't put it down!
Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg | I have read this book at least five times. It's my favorite YA standalone book. I love a slow love story, and this one takes place over several years. It's funny and real and believable, which is why I keep coming back to it.
Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris | Another one of my most favorite books that I've read many times. This is a Middle Grade book and I consider it the Princess Bride of middle grade. It's funny and has lovable characters. I also read Twice Upon a Marigold and Thrice Upon a Marigold this year and enjoyed both of them as well!
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein | Yes, another reread. My besties forced me to read this in high school or college, despite not liking historical fiction. It's a little slow at first, but gets better as you read through, and the ending is... wow. This is the best friendship story I have ever read.
Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery by Ally Carter | This is the second book in the Winterborne trilogy by Ally Carter (my fave author) and it did not disappoint. At all. If Ally writes it, I will read it.
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord | So incredibly cute. At first I thought the situation was way too *much* to feel believable, but those doubts quickly went away as I fell in love with the characters. I love that their romance was nice and slow—those types of relationships are always more enjoyable to me. Adding every Emma Lord book to my TBR now.
This weekend by brother-in-law Caleb (Casey's brother) married Julianne, my bestie since we were 14. So now my bestie is my sister! Their wedding was so beautiful and held in this adorable little chapel in Opelousas, LA.
But let's get down to the important thing. Julianne MADE her wedding dress. Like, designed it and everything. It is so stunning!!!! Were we still making adjustments to it the morning of the wedding? Yes, yes we were. Did it turn out absolutely perfect? Yes, yes it did.
Also, she wore a stunning vintage crown that she picked up on Etsy for a grand total of $18. The word I used to describe it is iconic.
She also wore my wedding veil as her something borrowed, so that was very special. :)
Okay now, onto photos. Some are mine but most I stole from other people off Facebook and Instagram.
It's the last day of 2021. 9:14 PM. I'm sitting in bed in my cute new satin jammies that I thrifted for $2 surrounded by pets--Maisel, our dog, Tigger our cat, and three foster kittens. The other two foster kittens are sleeping on Casey's nightstand and our other two cats are hanging out in the living room. Fireworks are popping outside the window but none of us really care (Maisel only doesn't care because she got some drugs earlier). Casey and I decided earlier this week that we would not be staying up to ring in a new year, but we will happily welcome it tomorrow morning after a full night's sleep. We are old people at heart, and an early bedtime sounds better to us than a late night, even if it is to ring in 2022. I'm much happier about a bedtime kiss than a midnight kiss.
Casey had today off and I was happy he was home with me today. Unfortunately I've felt a little sick all day and was unable to do the things I wanted to do (sweep and mop, work on my current sewing project, and make Shabbat dinner), but Casey made all three meals for me today--pancakes, strawberries, and apples for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and creamy dill chicken with broccoli and potatoes for our Shabbat meal. He even had candles lit on the table. Meanwhile, I sat in bed and watched two Christmas Hallmark movies (I'll be watching Christmas movies through January and pretend it's Christmas because December in Louisiana was HOT), read half of a book, took a nap, and watched two episodes of The Chosen (with Casey).
I felt a little better after dinner so I made some chocolate chip cookies. They were alright. I'm making chocolate chip cookies in a few weeks for the wedding of my bestie and brother-in-law (I'm pretty excited that my best friend of over 15 years will soon be my sister-in-law!) so I plan to test different recipes next week and have Casey take them to work so his coworkers can do a blind taste testing. The recipe I used tonight will not make the cut.
Anyways, tonight I crossed off something that has been on my bucket list for years--read 100 books in a year. My original goal for the year was 50, but for some reason I was on a big reading kick in January and realized a few weeks in that I was on track to read 100 books. So I figured, why not? We don't have kids yet and I'm not sure reading that many books will be as feasible once we do, so the timing was good. It's been a blast. I've listened to audiobooks, read middle grade, YA, and adult novels, quite a few home and self-improvement books. I've taken advantage of my (three) library card(s) and also bought more books this year than I have in a while. (More READING books, that is. I also love to buy vintage books to add to my collection, but I don't usually read them.)
Some of my favorite books were, funnily enough, nonfiction, which I've only started liking in the last few years. I also reread sooooo many books. I love to reread books and reread most of my faves this year.
So what's my reading goal for 2022? Well, after so much reading this year, I'm gonna lower my goal. While I did it, it was quite challenging and cut into my craft time quite a bit. I love sewing and want to make sure I have plenty of time for it this year. I averaged the books I've read each year for the last 12 years (I've been on Goodreads since 2010 and keep up with how many books I read every year) and the average was 40. I think this is a good number for this year. Less than one a week, so I have much more flexibility to sew and volunteer and other things I like to do. If I read more than that, great! If not... then that's fine too. I'm looking forward to reading new books and rereads!
Well, time to go to bed. I'll wake up to 2022!
I love dressing festive! As soon as December 1 comes around, it's time to pull out all the red and green! I've decided I don't want to wait until I'm an old lady to wear all the fun, tacky Christmas outfits. Unfortunately we've had mostly hot weather this month, so I didn't get to wear my sweaters as much as I wanted, but I did my best to dress festive anyway. Here are some of my Christmas outfits!
My Christmas day outfit featuring the birthday cake I made for Jesus! The top is secondhand (I can't remember if I thrifted it or if a friend gave it to me) and the skirt was made by me out of a thrifted tablecloth.
Dressing Festive | You know those cute little old ladies who are always decked out for each season? I've decided I don't want to wait until I'm an old lady to dress festive. My goal is to wear a festive outfit every day this month! Whether it's one of the Christmas skirts I've made or pulling out the red and green clothes in my closet (it was 75 degrees the other day so I had to wear my red gingham summer dress), I'm embracing Christmas in my closet.
Community Festivities | Last week our town had "Movie in the Park" and we grabbed our folding chairs and headed to the park to watch "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" on a huge projector screen. It's one of my least favorite Christmas movies, but it was actually cold outside and we got some hot chocolate, so it was still a lovely time. We are looking forward to more upcoming festivities in our area! Sweet Treats On Main Street (we're selling Christmas cookies to raise funds for our next missions trip), the Christmas parade, the Christmas Farmers Market, and our church's pancake breakfast are coming up and we're excited to go!
Christmas Decor | I love decorating the house for Christmas and my husband loves it too. We decorate in November, before Thanksgiving, and he's cool with me leaving the decor up through January if I feel like it. There's nothing like a sparkling Christmas tree. Casey loves those little villages, so we've been thrifting pieces and he enjoys setting them up. And I love adding gingerbread decor in the kitchen!
Christmas Movies | Despite the fact that I don't like a lot of "classic" Christmas movies, I DO love Christmas movies. My fave is White Christmas. And honestly, I LOVE cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. Yes, I know how they are going to end, but there is something so comforting about knowing everything is going to end up happily ever after.
