Pantry-ish Menus for Days of Isolation

God remains sovereign, even in the midst of pandemics.  

Here are the dinner meals I have planned for a couple of weeks as I prepare to hunker down at home (mostly) with my family--they are meals that I can make with ingredients I have on hand in the pantry, fridge, or freezer, which keep well for a longer period of time:

*red lentil soup & biscuits

*spinach quiche, roasted carrots, & bread (homemade crust; eggs from our chickens)

*16-bean and ham soup and homemade rolls

*black bean soup and cornbread 

*salmon burgers (from canned salmon), fresh or frozen broccoli, roasted sweet potatoes

*tex-mex cavatappi (beef + cheese + cilantro + salsa + pasta)

*spinach squares (a sort of egg/flour/spinach combo) and homemade rolls or roasted carrots and cauliflower

*chicken enchiladas (from frozen chicken)

*homemade pizza 

*tilapia, roasted potatoes, and steamed or frozen broccoli

*cuban black beans and rice; veggies 

*chili with cornbread; salads 

For breakfast I generally eat either eggs with veggies or Greek yogurt.  I'll make buckwheat pancakes, waffles, or baked oatmeal for my children. For lunch I always eat a salad and will continue to do so as long as I have access to fresh vegetables; my children will have leftovers from dinner, grilled cheese or PB&J sandwiches, homemade pizza, spinach squares, or quiche. And I always try to give them fruit at lunch. My husband usually has leftovers for lunch. 

Keeping certain things on hand is helpful: rice, dried beans of various types, chicken stock, salsa, flour, salmon, and tuna in the pantry; in the freezer, it's nice to have chicken, sausage, or beef (I only have a little chicken and a tiny bit of beef, but will try to acquire a little more beef from my cousin tomorrow); in the fridge, I like to have yogurt, milk, butter, cheese, carrots, some other fresh veggies and fruits (spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower usually keep well), and eggs.  

I am not hoarding food, and I absolutely refuse to "buy out" what the stores have, because I think that removes foods and supplies from other people who may need it just as much or more than I do. I'm just planning ahead to stay home from the shops for a couple of weeks--but not more than that.

 I trust that all shall be well, and that this too shall pass!

Thinking about Eighth Grade

I blinked and my toddler was suddenly about to turn 13. 

(Seriously, it does feel that way to me these days.  I'm getting very sentimental!)

Finn is in 7th grade this year, and so he has one more year of "middle school" before he hits high school age.  This seems unreal!  I remember when he turned 5--I couldn't believe it, and I cried because he was getting so big.  Five seemed old, since that's when children start school.  Now we're staring down adolescence!

This is the time of year when seed catalogs arrive and we start thinking of the garden, and the time of year when I start thinking of next year's schooling.  In reality, the past few years, everything has felt very fluid, without real stop-and-starts spots.  But even so, Finn and I have put our heads together to discuss what 8th grade might look like for him next year. And we're getting really excited!

He is quite set on learning to be fluent in at least two languages by the time he graduates from high school, so he'll continue with his French (he has had a tutor for a couple years now) and Spanish (he's taking an intro class this year, but next year will take Spanish 1 for a grade).  

He's also quite set on becoming a Really Good pianist.  In my mind, he already is! His playing astonishes me now sometimes.  But he'll continue piano--which takes up a chunk of time each day.  He practices faithfully, and is increasing his practice time and getting more serious. His spring music festival (a judged performance) is coming up this month, and this summer he will be participating in a week-long piano intensive sponsored by a nearby symphony orchestra.  He told me yesterday he'd like a Bosendorfer, or if that's not possible, a Steinway. Grand piano, of course.  I tried not to laugh too hard.  I love his big ideals and dreams!

So around those things we have to build the other things. 

He requested a class on the classics and Greek/Roman myths, so I'm designing that.  I'm pretty excited about it, too!  I took four years of Latin, so I spent time translating the Aeneid from Latin--it'll be so fun to read it *in English* with Finn.  And we always read two of Plutarch's lives each year.

He began a science curriculum in the middle of this year, so we'll just finish that up, and then probably study the history of science in more depth to complete his 8th grade year.  It's very textbook-y, but my husband (an engineer) wanted to introduce a bit of that, and Finn and I have actually enjoyed it so far.  To be honest, Finn is a textbook-loving human being sometimes, and I say: if it's engaging, then it IS a living book to him!

Annie will be taking state history with a friend who will be teaching a group of elementary homeschoolers, so Finn and I will do some American history--with a focus on our state--so that he can tag along on the field trips and enjoy/appreciate them. We'll mostly explore history through literature, so this will be history *and* literature.  

He's a grammar whiz (which I find baffling; although I'm a writer, I hate grammar), and so we'll pick up with Analytical Grammar.  (He completed Junior Analytical Grammar last year. LOVED it.)

As always: Shakespeare. My favorite!  He has actually requested an in-depth Shakepeare class for high school sometime, so I'll design that later.  For now, he's reading his ninth play...so in some ways, I feel he's already done a lot of Shakespeare.  I estimate by the end of high school, he'll probably have read 20-24 plays.  That is staggering to me; I never actually thought Shakespeare would be such a huge part of our homeschool (since I'd only read Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth in high school, and nothing at all in college or graduate school), but we've loved this part of our school life. 

We'll probably build writing into these other subjects, and/or he'll write on his own.

We read the Bible every day, but I don't get very formal with that.  

We may try to do a "running clinic" together for PE.  I may sign him up for a 5k, and use the training as our gym class!

And finally, math: just continuing on!

That's enough, and will provide several high school credits, a year early. He hopes to get most of his credits out of the way by the end of 11th grade so that he can do whatever he wants in 12th grade. I think this is a solid plan!

I just can't believe my toddler is planning his high school career. 

Mothers of little ones: don't blink.  Truly!!

Saying Goodbye to Bosco

On Sunday we had to stay goodbye to our old and faithful friend, sweet Bosco. 

He came into our lives 15 years ago as a scrappy, filthy stray dog that my sister rescued on the side of the road. 

He was the perfect family dog: loyal, sweet, good-natured, patient, devoted, gentle.  He never, not once, showed any signs of aggression or even annoyance at our children, even when they were little toddlers.  He just followed them around and wanted to be near them wherever they went.  He ran miles with me when he was younger.  His whole life he walked miles up and down our lane with us.  

As he got older he developed issues: Cushing's disease, incontinence, deafness, arthritis, probably a touch of dementia.  We decided that as long as he was eating and seemed happy, we'd just carry on.  In the past couple of months, as he worsened,  I found myself caring for him more and more in a hands-on way: carrying him outside to use the bathroom, coddling him more, etc.  

Two weeks ago he seemed worse, so we took him to the vet.  We got antibiotics and additional pain medications, and decided our goal was to keep him comfortable.  We knew he'd outlived his life expectancy by a couple of years. So I fed him all sorts of delicious goodies: canned food, tuna, cheese, treats.  He slowly began to limit himself to only a few types of foods.  The antibiotics seemed to help him perk up.  I went back for more after a week, because he seemed to worsen.  The entire time he was on pain medications and seemed comfortable. Friday he ate like a champ (for a 16-year-old geriatric dog in his last weeks of life), but on Saturday the tide had turned.  I stayed up with him all night on Saturday, tending to all his needs and staying right at his side, and on Sunday we knew we had reached the point of no return. 

Oh, the tears.  

We buried him in a far corner of the farm with the prettiest view of the pond and the woods and the mountains.  On Monday Annie wanted to pick daffodils and place them on his grave, so we did that.  

We are slowly recovering from this loss.  When you've had a pet for 15 years, he really does become a part of the family culture and community.  The house feels so quiet now, and the amount of free time I now have is astonishing (I don't think I realized how much energy and time I was pouring into all of his needs!).  I miss him. I have never been a true "animal person" but I've always been a Bosco person.  He was just the type of dog you couldn't help but love--such a dear personality. 

Rest in peace, you gentle soul.  We love you. 

Reading Goals

I don't have too many "goals" for the new year, although I have a purpose: to try to live slowly (even when life feels so fast!).  In the past, I've not really made a big list of books I want to read--but this week, catching up on blog reading while sick, I was inspired by Sarah's post with her ambitious list. I thought--why don't I make an ambitious list, too? And of course, variations and deviations are expected, but---as Sarah points out--it's a guide!

I went downstairs to our schoolroom, where most of the books live, and jotted down some titles that jumped out at me.  I started with books we have here, on hand, plus a few of Sara's recommendations.  I tried to focus on fiction since that is my area of weakness; I tend to read a lot of nonfiction, but not fiction--although I love fiction books. I think I do this because I can dip in and out of nonfiction more easily, but with some self-control, perhaps I can do the same thing with fiction.  :) 

So here's my list--and I may add to it over the coming year--(update: I did add to it! Here's the additional list.)

Fiction

Wuthering Heights (Bronte) (I am a huge fan of the spooky kind of romance of Jane Eyre, so I think I'll also like Charlotte's sister's book. I almost feel I've read it before, but I'm pretty sure I haven't. At the same time, I have had this experience before: thinking I haven't read a book, and then realizing halfway through when scenes come back to me that yes, in fact, I have.....)

Peace Like a River (Leif Enger) (I read part of this book a few years ago and never finished it!! which I shall remedy now)

The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky)(This was inspired by Sarah, who said she just loved it, and I love Dostoevsky, so....)

Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)(a gift at my wedding shower from a friend--it was a book wedding shower, long story--which I've never read, but I've seen the play!)

The Girl with the Pearl Earring (which my mother-in-law loaned me a few years ago and I still haven't read....)

A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles) (Thanks, Sarah!)

The Little Prince (a classic! to read again, perhaps with Finn)

In This House of Brede (Rumer Godden) (another Sarah recommendation)

Jayber Crow (Wendell Berry) (because I love Hannah Coulter!)

Galileo's Daughter (Sobel)(my Dad gave this to me years ago and I never read it)

Daddy Long Legs (a book I read in high school and loved)

All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)(my best friend Allison highly recommends this one!)

Persuasion (Jane Austen)

Drama

The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde) (I read it in college; time to read again)

Of course, Shakespeare: I'm reading Coriolanus now and hope to see 2-3 plays in person (undecided as to which ones yet), and then I get to read another play in the fall!

Nonfiction

Seasons at Eagle Pond (Donald Hall)

The Death of Adam (Marilynne Robinson)

Bulfinch's Greek and Roman Mythology (Finn is really into Greek mythology right now due to Percy Jackson books, and this would be an interesting add-on for me; I studied a lot of it during my four years of Latin in high school, but it has been years.  As  a Christian, we are finding it pretty fascinating to read the Greek and Roman myths and discuss them!)

Mere Christianity (CS Lewis)

The Creative Habit (Twyla Tharp; a re-read) 

Splendor in the Ordinary

The Life-Giving Home (Sally Clarkson)(maybe) 

I want to read A Severe Mercy, but I need to wait until we're further along in the remission process.  My heart is still too tender for this now. 

With one or both of my children--not counting their school books:

Anne of Green Gables, per Annie's request!

Little Women

The Narnia books (they've read them once already, we are on Prince Caspian now, working our way through again)

The Golden Goblet (set in ancient Egypt--our current nighttime read-aloud)

Nory Ryan's Song

Sarah, Plain and Tall 

The Little House books--we read through at lunch

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Door in the Wall

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

My Side of the Mountain

....I don't know how many of these I'll read, or how many new ones will be added, but it's fun to have a loose framework for the coming year!

The Bleak Midwinter

The pace of our winter lives have been slowed a bit this week by a cold I somehow caught last weekend.  I've been tired and a little puny, but it's not that bad, and--more than anything else--I am just so grateful it's not the flu!  Around here, entire schools have been shut down for days with the flu.  So far no one else in my family is sick, and because Finn has a leading role in a local community theatrical production right now, I am praying he stays well!

The pace of our winter lives has also precluded me from doing much blog posting, although I am writing a fair amount away from the blog.  I'm developing a weekly habit of escaping to the local coffee shop, ordering my skim milk latte, plugging in my earbuds (and listening to the Little Women soundtrack--the Thomas Newman version!), and writing for a few hours.  I am working on a story....a story that is falling into chapters, so I think it is a book. 

Our children are in an interesting stage of life--a stage I never actually thought we'd encounter. I figured we'd be immune to the "living out of the car" scenario so many people seem to encounter as their children age.  When my children were little, we had such long, lazy days at home, and I couldn't imagine having a life that involved leaving the house nearly every day.  

Well: here we are. 

I stack and schedule activities so that we don't leave the house more than once a day (ideally; rehearsals have thrown a wrench into that, but since the theatre is 5 minutes from our house, it's not that bad!), and I schedule everything except our co-op for after lunch.  This helps, but the truth is, I still drive a lot!  My children have things that engage them, activities that capture their attention, and so I'm in a phase of life where I'm supporting those interesting experiences, while also keeping things running at home.  And I am the consummate homebody: I am so good at staying home, and I love staying home.  So supporting my children in this way is also stretching me a little bit. But I'm grateful for the opportunities that they have, and the learning experiences.  And I'm also grateful that the routine breaks during the summer!

Although it's not the bleakest of midwinters, we are very definitely in MID-winter right now: loads of gray skies, rain, chilly weather, and wind.  (Would it just please snow already?!)  Fortunately we are halfway through winter and spring is on her way: less than 6 weeks to go!

*           *          * 

I'm sitting here this morning with my second cup of coffee (this one is decaf), thinking of all the things I want to do once I feel better.  Ironically, I finally purchased a Fitbit fitness tracker on Monday (great sale!) after years of using an Omron pedometer strapped to my waistband.  It's a little ironic because after I bought it I immediately came down with a cold which has precluded any real exercise!  My goal this week is to get 7,000 steps a day, and since I'm not well enough to walk in the cold damp outside, I just do my chores (I can get a fair amount of steps working around the house) and walk laps in the warm, cozy basement. It will be so nice to feel better so I can go for real walks again, go for a run, use the elliptical trainer, etc!

But here are some things that we've been enjoying this winter:

*Tumtum and Nutmeg: such charming stories! Annie and I are giggling our way through them.

*Our goose down duvet.  I bought it for Christmas 2018 for my husband, who was incredibly cold after chemotherapy.  We both agree that it's one of the best purchases ever: it's like sleeping under a cloud.  I have a flannel cover for it for winter, and it keeps me so cozy.  (I also sleep in a thrifted cashmere sweater--I like to be *hot* at night--but my husband sleeps in a tee shirt and shorts, and he's plenty toasty with just the duvet.)

*Banana bread. I have the best banana bread recipe in the world!  I toast it and top it with almond butter, and have it as a little accompaniment to tea in the afternoon when I'm home. 

*A very, very tidy house.  My children are old enough to actually help keep the house quite tidy.  (Their rooms are allowed more slack.)  My children joke that I am a human Mrs. Tittlemouse, who was a "most terribly tidy particular little mouse" and it's so, so nice to actually have a tidy house after years of....well, not. It's not "perfect" because I am okay with real life happening around here, but keeping things super neat is much easier now. 

*My new pink Lands End slippers--so cozy.  They were a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law, and they're wonderful.

*Dreaming of warm weather: the gardening (I bought a Coolibar shirt specifically for gardening), the trips (I'm taking my children and husband on an epic sightseeing trip to Charleston, and last night sneezed and coughed as I researched possible beach houses for later in the year...), the hikes......

*Sleeping.  I let my children sleep as late as they like during this season.  And my Fitbit has tracked my sleep this week--proving that I, too, get lots of rest.  I almost always get exactly 8 hours a night--without setting an alarm.  As I get older, I've noticed that my body will sometimes completely ignore an alarm and sleep for 8 hours without my consent.  It's so strange!  But, I am a much happier person when I have gotten plenty of rest, so I am happy to be able to sleep.

*Tons of piano music every day: Finn practices a lot, and he's working especially hard right now in preparation for his piano festival in March.  It's the best thing ever.  I just love hearing him play--he has far, far exceeded my ability (I took lessons as a child). 

*A little violin music every day: Annie is learning!  And I am trying to practice a bit each day,too. 

*Fields around us getting green with the winter crops my cousin planted: a blend of oats, millet, sorghum, etc.  When they begin to grow they turn the winter fields a beautiful bright lush green. 

*Remission.  My husband continues to be in remission.  His oncologists have lengthened his leash a little bit: we had to return to UNC every 2 months, because his cancer was so aggressive and threatening, but in December we were told that we're allowed to go THREE MONTHS now!  His next checkup, with his surgeon, is in about a month.  Every visit that we tick off the calendar is one closer to complete remission.  Although some of his limitations from surgery and radiation will be lifelong, we are just so grateful for LIFE.  It is truly the greatest blessing.  My father recently asked if my husband's speech changes bother him at all (when half your tongue is removed and rebuilt, your speech changes), and I told my father that my husband has never, not once, even mentioned it. Just the fact that he can speak at all is such a miracle.  It's a silly cliche, but when you've faced that kind of giant, the little annoyances of life really completely pale and you become far less fazed by everything.  At least that's how it has happened here!

*Annie's metallic smile: she has had braces since last year.  She just turned 9, so she's quite young for braces, but her "scrambled" teeth (orthodontist's words) warranted some early intervention. Her smile just cracks me up; she's so cute. 

*Books: I need to add in some fiction, but right now I've been working my way through a few wonderful books:

-The Restoration of Christian Culture (John Senior)

-Mere Christianity (CS Lewis)--a re-read for a book club my church is hosting

-The Journals of Father Alexander Schmemann

-Goodbye, Mr Chips (okay, that is fiction!)

And I want to make a "goal reading list" for this year!

*Coriolanus.  I had no idea who this guy was before we began reading him in Plutarch last fall.  What a fascinating, volatile character!  In some ways I am finding him more interesting than Julius Caesar.  We are nearly done reading about him in Plutarch, and just started Shakespeare's play based on his life.  I know I will love it!

(We read The Merchant of Venice last fall.  It was excellent.  Portia had some of the best lines of Shakespeare that I've read so far.  I think my enthusiasm was heightened because it features the courtroom scene, too.)

I hope your winter has glimmers of warmth and light!  

Consistency v. Rigidity

Today on my walk I was thinking about consistency, about the value of consistency, and how tiny bits and pieces of things done consistently bear so much fruit over time. 

I have seen this in so many realms, including:

*Finn's piano education.  Daily (or nearly-daily) practice for 6 years.  He plays so beautifully now. 

*Exercise: when I just decided to be consistent with exercise instead of heroic, I got into excellent shape!

*Keeping house: obviously staying on top of laundry and dishes, but also consistently tidying the house each day--so there's never a big mess (exceptions: the garage and the mechanical room!)

*Reading to my children: just a chapter a day, over time, adds up to so much reading.  I read a chapter from the Bible at breakfast and a chapter from a fiction book at lunch, and try to read close to a chapter of another fiction book at bedtime. Little bits and pieces, but they do add up.

*Saving money.  Just save it, set it aside....time will make it grow....

But it's funny, because I was not raised in a household that really valued consistency.  In fact, I think the primary guiding factor of my childhood was whim. This was fun in a way, but ultimately was quite difficult for me because (I now know) I am a person who prefers predictability and routine.  But for the first three decades or more of my life, I confused consistency with rigidity, and thus rejected the idea of being consistent, because I equated it with being too rigid.

Rigidity is different: it says  we always or we never and doesn't make any allowances for circumstances.  Rigidity is legalistic.  Rigidity is powering through a to-do list when really what you need is a good nap.  Rigidity makes no concessions.  Rigidity doesn't allow a child to pull out the Legos because This is When We Do Math.  And I really do not like this mindset!  So in my quest to avoid rigidity, I didn't value consistency nearly enough.

Truly, though: consistency and strong habits are what make life sweet.  

Consistency says we usually or we sometimes.  Consistency considers the circumstances and uses good judgment to determine how to proceed.  Consistency is gracious.  Consistency says the nap will benefit me more than crossing things off this list.  Consistency looks at the Big Picture and decides to let the child play with Legos, and do math later, because childhood is fleeting, and Legos are creative, and the schedule can be a little flexible.  The math still gets done, the to-do list is still crossed off, but there's flexibility and rationality in implementation. 

So I think that developing consistent, reasonable routines around the most important priorities in our lives makes good sense.  

I imagine that people raised in a more consistent setting than my own childhood home will not see the contrast between consistency and rigidity as particularly revelatory.  But I sure did!  

2019 Reading List

Every year I like to write this post--my Reader's Journal for the year! I got this idea from Nancy Kelly years ago, and I love reading people's reading lists and recommendations. You can read her most recent list here.  One of my goals (if you can say it's a goal) this year is to increase my reading time.  I love to read!

I am quite late posting this, because I am living a full life over here these days.  I am grateful for this full life and everything it entails--and what it doesn't entail, which is cancer!  I just don't carve out much time for the computer.

My favorites from this year are:

Educated (Tara Westover)



This was a fascinating and distressing look into the early life of Tara Westover, who was "homeschooled" in a fundamentalist Mormon family.  In reality, the academic aspect of her education was sparse at best. But the even more troubling part of the story was actually her parents' separatist attitudes and combined mental illness, which permitted abuse among the Westover siblings. I typically do not like to read disturbing books, but to me the redeeming quality of this book was Westover's inspiring resilience.

Living More with Less (Doris Longacre)



A classic book on living lightly and with compassion. The book discusses how our choices impact the world around us and encourages thrift and thoughtful consumption from the lens of Christian witness.  I really liked this book!

Home (Marilynne Robinson)



Gilead from another angle: this book follows the end of life story of Reverend Boughton, and gives the Jack side of the Gilead story (if you've read Gilead, you will probably know what I mean). I loved Gilead and I loved this book.  Robinson's writing is careful, slow, beautiful, poignant, heart-wrenching. I just love her work!

Thrall (Natasha Trethewey)



I admit to a personal bias in favor of Trethewey's work. (Her Native Guard is one of my favorite contemporary books of poetry.) This book is a book of poems for her father, who was one of my own mentors.  I knew him well from my perspective, and I knew what he'd told me about Natasha, and I also knew how proud he was of her when she won the Pulitzer.   I was absolutely riveted by this collection of poems.  They are raw, sad, moving, beautiful, personal, powerful.  

The full list is here, and books with an asterisk are recommended (there are a lot of those this year!):

1. Gift from the Sea* (Anne Morrow Lindbergh)(a beautiful, contemplative little book--I'll read it again at the beach someday!)

2. Real Love for Real Life* (Andi Ashworth)(inspiring for those in the trenches of caring for others)

3. LP's Six Week Program* (Louise Parker)(I have mentioned my love for Louise Parker previously, and her Lean for Life book made my top picks last year; this book is just as good, although it creates a 6-week program and goes week-by-week.  I just love her approach to exercise and health. It resonates with me.  And the thirty pounds I lost in 2018?  Still gone!  And I'm also down one additional jean size since sometime last year, without trying. Truly--her method works....because it's basic, reasonable, and doable. I do plan to do a dedicated post on her approach sometime in the next year or so.)

4. Humble Roots* (Hannah Anderson)

5. Simple Living* (Frank Kettering and Wanda Urbanski)(I read this in 2004 as a miserable lawyer with the flu and it was one of those books that shifted my perspective and helped me craft a new vision for my life...it has been fun to dive into the book again, 15 years later)

6. The Restoration of Christian Culture* (John Senior) (I'm still reading this one, but am loving it so far)

7. Living More with Less (Doris Longacre)*

8. Indestructible (Jack Lucas)(I mentioned this book here)

9.  A Philosophy of Education (Charlotte Mason)(I'll always recommend this book to anyone interested in educational philosophy)*

10. Educated (Tara Westover)*

11. Digital Minimalism (Cal Newport)*(I agree with Newport's analysis of the problems of technology and digital distraction in our day and age, but I do not agree with all of his proposed solutions. I think his solutions tend to be very effective for a man with a predictable job, but aren't effective for a mother who homeschools her children. I wanted to write an addendum for all the people out there who don't have a life that mirrors Newport's!)

12. Scale How Meditations (Charlotte Mason)* (more on this one sometime soon)

13.  The Journals of Alexander Schmeeman* (I'm still reading this one--loving it so far)

14. The Peace of Wild Things* (Wendell Berry)

15. Confessions of a Slacker Mom (Muffy Mead-Ferro)

16. Home (Marilynne Robinson)*

17. The War of Art (Steven Pressfield)(re-read)(read my original review, here)

18. Thrall (Natasha Tretheway)*

19. The Prodigal Girl* (Grace Livingston Hill)

20.  The Millionaire Next Door (Thomas Stanley) (in parts)

21. Everyday Millionaire (Chris Hogan)(for the record, I do not think becoming a millionaire is a great life goal, but it's a solid book on how to work in the direction of financial independence)

22. Homing* (Grace Livingston Hill)(I LOVED this book!)

23.  The Little Way of Ruthie Leming (Rod Dreher)

24.  The Liturgy of the Ordinary* (Tish Harrison Warren)(I'm still reading this one, on the elliptical trainer)

25. Every Moment Holy* (Douglas McKelvey) (wonderful liturgies for everyday life; I highly recommend this book!!!)

As usual, I suspect I missed something.  And I dive in and out of many books at times, too!  But this is a pretty solid, representative list. I was happy with much of what I read last year.  This year I probably want to try to read more fiction, because I do tend to prefer to dwell in the realm of non-fiction.  So I'm starting the year off with a new novel now......

Here are my previous lists:

2018

2017

2016

2015

Happy reading!