Feeling nostalgic lately, as evidence from my many then and now posts. I just cannot get over how grown up she is.
All posts by susan
tis the season for spicy ginger cakes and cookies
We always buy a ginger loaf cake from our local co-op bakery for Christmas and luckily this year we did as well despite the pandemic. I am still looking forward to making gingerbread cookies at home too. Spicy ginger warms me up in winter.
Book list 2020
In the last year I chose all different kinds of books to read. I found that the material needed to be lighter and each book had to be worth the emotional energy to be finished. This time I also included chapter books Emma and I read together. Every night ended with maiki reading aloud to us and it was the most memorable part of 2020. He read all of the Moomin books, both Children of Noisy Village, three from Betsy Tacy collection and now working through the books of Mary Poppins. Listening to him read aloud is like attending a theatrical production of our favorite stories.
Book List :
Howards End
The Empty House
I Capture the Castle
The Hazel Wood
The Saturdays
Miss Happiness and Miss Flower
The Summer Book
Secret of the Old Clock
Hungry Planet
The Van Gogh Cafe
Your 9-year-old
Crazy Rich Asians trilogy
Olive, Again
On Beauty
Grand Union: Stories
Plainsong
The Night Circus
The Notebook
My Antonia
When We Were Young and Brave
The Family Under the Bridge
The Starless Sea
How to Do Nothing
My favorites by far were written by Erin Morgenstern. I guess I should be choosing more fantasy novels!
salt dough ornaments
We made salt dough and cut them into hearts and stars and clovers. They were baked on low heat until they seemed done. Some are hung on the tree and some are tied up on a string and hung like garland. They have a cheery look to them with the candy cane string.
Using cookie cutters always reminds me of a favorite Raggedy Ann book from childhood. It’s fun to be grown up and bake.
Christmas books
We have great luck checking out holiday books from the library. I reserved them online and we have been picking up a book every few days for a while now. We really enjoy the Moomin comics after reading through all the books. Reading “The Family Under the Bridge” to Emma for the first time this year. We haven’t begun “The Christmas Carol” mouse book but last year she watched the “Muppets Christmas Carol” so she is a bit familiar with the story. The “Lighthouse Christmas” has a sweet story with a real flying santa and the Chirri and Chirra books are our new favorite picture books. The “Lost Christmas” book (picture below) was so pretty but easier to enjoy outside in good lighting. “Christmas in Noisy Village” is also a favorite (last photo) and we read chapters from our books at home each year to hear about their traditions.
