tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48565603579298698902024-02-18T21:34:39.132-08:00Goose and BugGoose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-37016461773848021542018-01-16T11:07:00.000-08:002018-01-16T11:07:58.061-08:00My 2017 Book List<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-2016-book-list.html" target="_blank">2016 Book List</a><br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-2015-book-list.html" target="_blank">2015 Book List</a><br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2014/12/my-2014-book-list.html" target="_blank">2014 Book List</a><br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-2013-book-list.html" target="_blank">2013 Book List</a><br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-2012-book-list.html" target="_blank">2012 Book List</a><br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-2011-book-list.html" target="_blank">2011 Book List</a><br />
<br />
* readaloud with Bug<br />
+ audiobook<br />
<br />
Click on each month's name to see more info on my thoughts! <br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/02/january-2017-books.html" target="_blank">January </a><br />
1: The Nix by Nathan Hill (628 pages)<br />
2: The Wizard of Oz (Oz series) by L. Frank Baum (189 pages)<br />
3: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (205 pages)<br />
4: Feverborn (Fever series) by Karen Marie Moning (433 pages)<br />
5: Study Hall of Justice (Super Hero Society series) by Derek Fridolfs* (175 pages)<br />
6: Feversong (Fever series) by Karen Marie Moning (501 pages)<br />
7: The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier+ (267 pages)<br />
8: The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking (240 pages)<br />
9: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (320 pages)<br />
10: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris+ (272 pages)<br />
3,230 pages<br />
<br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/06/february-2017-books.html" target="_blank">February</a><br />
11: Dr. Maniac Will See You Now (Goosebumps series) by R.L. Stine* (138 pages)<br />
12: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison+ (337 pages)<br />
13: The First Four Years (Little House on the Prairie series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder (135 pages)<br />
14: The Burning Page (The Invisible Library series) by Genevieve Cogman (356 pages)<br />
15: Shelter by Jung Yun (336 pages)<br />
16: Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (307 pages)<br />
17: The Marvelous Land of Oz (Oz series) by L. Frank Baum (319 pages)<br />
18: Boneshaker by Cherie Priest+ (416 pages)<br />
19: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson* (128 pages)<br />
20: The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma+ (304 pages)<br />
21: The Shack by William Paul Young (248 pages)<br />
22: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber (32 pages)<br />
23: The Book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henriquez+ (286 pages)<br />
24: The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh by Kathryn Aalto (286 pages)<br />
25: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo* (268 pages) <br />
26: Attack on Titan Volume 1 by Hajime Isayama (193 pages)<br />
3,989 pages<br />
<br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/06/march-2017-books.html" target="_blank">March</a><br />
27: Attack on Titan Volume 2 by Hajime Isayama (184 pages)<br />
28: Attack on Titan Volume 3 by Hajime Isayama (208 pages)<br />
29: Attack on Titan Volume 4 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
30: Attack on Titan Volume 5 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
31: On the Way Home by Laura Ingalls Wilder (101 pages)<br />
32: Fort Solitude (Super Hero Society Series) by Derek Fridolfs* (176 pages)<br />
33: Attack on Titan Volume 6 by Hajime Isayama (208 pages)<br />
34: Attack on Titan Volume 7 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
35: Attack on Titan Volume 8 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
36: Attack on Titan Volume 9 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
37: Attack on Titan Volume 10 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
38: Trigg's Ozark Tour at Shawnee National Forest by Todd Carr (128 pages)<br />
3,269 pages <br />
<br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/06/april-2017-books.html" target="_blank">April</a><br />
39: Attack on Titan Volume 11 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
40: Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Cleary* (208 pages)<br />
41: The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton* (256 pages)<br />
42: Attack on Titan Volume 12 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
43: Attack on Titan Volume 13 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
44: Attack on Titan Volume 14 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
45: Attack on Titan Volume 15 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
46: Attack on Titan Volume 16 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
47: Attack on Titan Volume 17 by Hajime Isayama (192 pages)<br />
48: The 26-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton* (352 pages)<br />
2,160 pages <br />
<br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/07/may-2017-books.html" target="_blank">May</a><br />
49: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (850 pages)<br />
50: The 39-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton* (352 pages)<br />
51: The Host by Stephanie Meyer (620 pages)<br />
52: Alex (Cold Fury Hockey series) by Sawyer Bennet (224 pages)<br />
53: Ozma of Oz (Oz series) by L. Frank Baum (182 pages)<br />
54: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (940 pages)<br />
55: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (299 pages)<br />
56: Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King and Richard (175 pages)<br />
57: Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (208 pages)<br />
3,850 pages<br />
<br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/08/june-2017-books.html" target="_blank">June</a><br />
58: Stuart Little by E.B. White* (131 pages)<br />
59: Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money by Dave Ramsey (330 pages)<br />
60: The Line (Witching Savannah series) by J.D. Horn (296 pages)<br />
61: The Shining by Stephen King (447 pages)+<br />
62: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (251 pages)+<br />
63: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (322 pages)<br />
64: Beartown by Fredrik Backman (432 pages)<br />
65: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (393 pages) <br />
66: Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente (352 pages)<br />
67: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (224 pages)+<br />
3,178 pages<br />
<br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/08/july-2017-books.html" target="_blank">July</a><br />
68: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (256 pages)*<br />
69: The 52-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton (336 pages)*<br />
70: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1,273 pages)<br />
71: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (Oz series) by L. Frank Baum (180 pages)<br />
72: The 65-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton (240 pages)*<br />
73: The Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (208 pages)<br />
2,493 pages<br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/10/august-2017-books.html" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/10/august-2017-books.html" target="_blank">August</a><br />
74: Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne (161 pages)<br />
75: Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips (288 pages)<br />
76: The Fifth Wave (The Fifth Wave series) by Rick Yancy (457 pages)<br />
77: Hoot by Carl Hiaasen (292 pages)<br />
78: The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford (145 pages)<br />
79: Addison Cooke and the Treasure of the Incas by Jonathan W. Stokes (336 pages)<br />
1,679 pages <br />
<br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/10/september-2017-books.html" target="_blank">September</a><br />
80: Child Star: An Autobiography by Shirley Temple Black (546 pages)<br />
81: The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave series) by Rick Yancy (300 pages)<br />
82: Peony in Love by Lisa See (287 pages)<br />
83: Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King (384 pages)<br />
84: The Road to Oz (Oz series) by L. Frank Baum (181 pages)<br />
85: The Last Star (The Fifth Wave series) by Rick Yancy (338 pages)<br />
86: The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events) by Lemony Snickett (176 pages)+<br />
87: Number the Stars by Lois Lawry (137 pages) +<br />
88: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (449 pages)<br />
2,798 pages<br />
<br />
October<br />
89: A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan (496 pages)<br />
90: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Illustrated Edition by JK Rowling (248 pages)*<br />
91: The Emerald City of Oz (Oz series) by L. Frank Baum (209 pages)<br />
92: Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate (256 pages) <complete id="goog_1785836947">+</complete><br />
93: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (134 pages)*<br />
94: All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater (320 pages)<br />
95: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King (558 pages)<br />
96: Stranger the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (538 pages) <br />
97: Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (120 pages)<br />
98: Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Chronicles by Kate DiCamillo (233 pages)<br />
99: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (525 pages)<br />
100: Ghostbusters Movie Novelization by Stacia Deutsch (144 pages)*<br />
101: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (288 pages)<br />
102: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (352 pages)<br />
103: Strider by Beverly Cleary (176 pages)*<br />
4,741 pages <br />
<br />
November<br />
104: The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova (478 pages)<br />
105: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (531 pages)<br />
106: The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds (80 pages)<br />
107: The Princess Bride by William Goldman (450 pages)<br />
108: Push by Sapphire (192 pages)<br />
109: The Patchwork Girl of Oz (Oz series) by L. Frank Baum (160 pages)<br />
110: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (225 pages)<br />
111: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (337 pages) +<br />
112: Gerald's Game by Stephen King (332 pages)<br />
113: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (326 pages)<br />
114: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman (369 pages)<br />
115: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Reading by Alexandra Bracken (362 pages)<br />
116: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan (448 pages)<br />
117: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (277 pages)<br />
118: The Leavers by Lisa Ko (352 pages)<br />
119: The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo (281 pages)<br />
5,200 pages<br />
<br />
December<br />
120: Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich (267 pages)<br />
121: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee (513 pages)<br />
122: Tik-Tok of Oz (Oz series) by L. Frank Baum (182 pages)<br />
123: The Scarecrow of Oz (Oz series) by L. Frank Baum (208 pages)<br />
124: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (304 pages)<br />
125: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Illustrated Edition by JK Rowling (259 pages)*<br />
126: The Disney Book by Jim Fanning (195 pages)<br />
127: Strange Weather by Joe Hill (432 pages)Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-36931472758083830762017-10-20T10:55:00.003-07:002017-10-20T10:55:38.883-07:00September 2017 BooksI made up for the lack of books in August and finished September with a grand total of nine books. I finished off the 5th Wave series, a couple of chunky books, and got back into listening to audiobooks in the car.<br />
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My favorite this month was surprisingly Little Women. I started this book years ago and barely read a chapter because I just wasn't feeling it but this time around I could not stop reading it every spare chance I had. Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-89748582962012876462017-10-13T16:52:00.000-07:002017-10-13T16:52:21.158-07:00Goose's Twelfth BirthdayMy baby turned twelve a few weeks ago and it broke my heart. She's supposed to be a little girl on my hip for the rest of my life. :(<br />
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For her birthday cake she wanted another computer game cake. This year it was Animal Jam and she asked for this very specific top hat. I tried my hardest and she said she liked it so I guess that's all that matters, but this was probably the hardest homemade cake I've ever made.<br />
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We have a whole slew of annual celebrations that we do for birthdays in our house. They get to pick a cake and homemade meal, a restaurant to eat at (no holds barred in this area), and we try to do a special party or event. Goose wanted me to cook chicken quesadilla's, to eat the big man steak at <a href="https://www.pattis1880s.com/" target="_blank">Patti's Settlement</a> and then take her best friend to Holiday World. We bought season passes for all of us at Christmas and they were best present idea ever. We've already gone four times this summer and we still have a month left on our passes.<br />
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For her birthday morning I covered her door in crepe paper but she's a moody preteen girl and refused to come through it. So she carefully peeled off some tape and stepped through it for a few days until I finally took it down. *sigh*<br />
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For her quesadilla's I throw a buttered tortilla into a skillet, cover it entirely with cheese (Fiesta is my fave!), put cooked chicken, crumbled bacon, and pico de gallo over half and once the cheese gets a little melty you can flip the other side over the one with all the toppings. A couple minutes to brown and it's done. It's Goose's current favorite Mom Meal.<br />
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We took them to Patti's for the first time last Christmas and even though it was bitterly cold, we had a fun time walking around and looking at all the lights. This time it was a lot nicer weather, but we I think we all kind of preferred the winter experience.<br />
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Goose got her steak and was a happy girl.<br />
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We took her to Holiday World and it poured on us most of the day but it cleared the parks out and her and her BFF spent the entire day riding roller coasters over and over.<br />
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I love you, little Goose! You are silly and beautiful and so smart. You were my number one baby.<br />
<br />Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-40213802839953312622017-10-08T04:54:00.000-07:002017-10-08T04:54:01.654-07:00August 2017 BooksWe went to <a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/08/we-surprised-girls-with-trip-to-orlando.html" target="_blank">Disney World in August</a> and the older I get the harder it is for me to read in the car so my completed number really isn't all that great. They were almost all kids books, too. Oh well. At least I read!<br />
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My favorite books this month were Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips and The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy. The Yancy was a reread and I loved it even more the second time around. The rest of the series isn't that great but this first one I just love. Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-16418908156651562592017-08-26T05:10:00.000-07:002017-08-26T05:11:02.291-07:00Disney World 2017We surprised the girls with a trip to Orlando a few weeks ago and it was a secret six months in the making. The girls woke up at six in the morning and we told them they were going to Disney World and we were leaving right then and there.<br />
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Before Disney we ate dinner at Medieval Times and it was probably the highlight of the trip for us. The girls are already asking when we're going back.<br />
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Beside the castle is an authentic medieval village and you could go inside them. We only went through the torture chamber but it was really interesesting.<br />
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The last time we stayed at Disney we were in one of the moderate resorts and we both agreed that the amount of time we actually spent in our hotel was not worth the extra money so this time we went for one of the value resorts. And it was not the best choice. The hotel was clean and fun but it was in desperate need of an upgrade. The girls loved that our maid posed their dolls everyday, though!<br />
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We only spent one day in each park and while we got to ride pretty much everything we wanted to, it would have been nicer to take our time and not power walk through the parks. I walked 25,000 steps the first day alone!<br />
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We've already decided we're going back quicker than five years like we did this time. We love Disney!Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-42143126525722602022017-08-22T10:42:00.002-07:002017-08-22T10:42:18.168-07:00July 2017 BooksI only finished six books in the month of July which was one of my smaller months, BUT I did <a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/02/2017-reading-goals.html" target="_blank">finally finish the monstrosity that is War and Peace</a>. <i>FINALLY. </i><br />
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I'd been working on this since the first of the year and it was a chore, not going to lie. I finally just forced myself to read at least ten pages a day. I figured ten pages isn't much but every little bit counts and I normally managed to do around 15 pages instead of 10. Once I started that the book finally started to seem manageable. It was a big day when I finished.<i> </i><br />
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Those MinaLima classic editions of Peter Pan and The Beauty and the Beast are beautiful and they're interactive. I love them<i>. </i>The books themselves are a little boring but everything is more fun with a pull-out or pop-up!<i><br /></i>Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-83402932521605899472017-08-10T04:53:00.001-07:002017-08-10T04:53:24.052-07:00Random Things I've Loved LatelyIt's been ages since I made a random post of things I'm loving so here's just a hodgepodge of pretty pictures and stuff I'm obsessed with lately.<br />
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I was introduced to Larabars back in January when I did my first 28 Day Reset round. They're these snack bars that only have a few ingredients in them and they. are. amazing. I buy them in bulk every time I go to the store. Peanut Butter Cookie is just the best thing ever. I savor them like a candy bar. So, so good!<br />
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I worked my butt off during this last year. Most days I was gone between 10 and 6 and there were quite a few days where I worked 7-6. So I rewarded myself with a handful of Barnes and Noble orders. There's nothing I like better than beautiful books. Usually I buy for my girls or when it's for me I only order books I've read through the library and loved. There's nothing I hate worse than spending $15-$20 on a book and hating it. The <a href="http://store.minalima.com/books-minalima/" target="_blank">MinaLima editions</a> of classics are an exception. I buy every one that comes out because it's not just the story I want to enjoy, it's the whole experience. They are worth the money. I already have the entire Harry Potter collection but I want to start reading them with Bug and I thought she would enjoy the illustrated versions so I'm going to slowly start to collect them, too.<br />
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If you have a Krispy Kreme near you then run, don't walk, and get there before the Cake Batter donuts are gone. They are the best donut I've ever eaten and Goose can literally eat five in one sitting. She's unstoppable when it comes to the Cake Batter flavor. I love sitting at the table with a yummy donut and a hot cup of coffee and not moving for a while because there's a book in my lap. <br />
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<i>*sidenote- this book was horrible</i><br />
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I know this post is heavy on the books, but it's honestly because books are a huge part of my life. I rarely leave the house without one because you never know when you need something to read. Growing up my parents spoiled me with books. They were so cheap and I read so much that pretty much every time we went to town I got a new one. Wal-Mart came out with the Wizard of Oz paperbacks around the time I was in sixth grade and I eagerly started collecting them. I never got them all but I had a decent amount that I absolutely loved. Oz became my favorite fantasy world and over the years I've gone a little crazy in my collection. I'm rereading the series now and trying to go slow with no more than one book a month but it's so hard!<br />
<br />Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-58197221581272189002017-08-07T08:54:00.000-07:002017-08-07T08:54:02.861-07:00June 2017 BooksThere was a grand total of ten books I finished in June and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I managed to do. My kitchen redo project was in full swing so I was listening to audiobooks almost every day this month and that helped out my count a lot.<br />
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My favorite book this month was Beartown. Honestly the only reason I picked this one up was because the cover was so pretty and I went into it not really knowing anything about the plot. It turned out to be so good that I read almost half of it in one morning. <br />
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This wasn't the most exciting reading month but I'm glad I was able to knock out a lot of random books and that I was able to stick with the audiobooks for so long. Usually I lose interest and stop downloading them after a couple of weeks. <br />
Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-21748302516764748492017-07-08T03:51:00.000-07:002017-07-08T03:51:26.895-07:00Our Playroom RenovationWe've lived in our house for nine years now and we've never once touched the playroom. It was a dingy two-tone white/tan color and some of the paint was peeling off the stucco walls. Even though we both wanted to give it a makeover we never attempted because it's such a large room and there's so. much. junk in it. Now that the girls are older we are finally starting to clear out some of the toys and I woke up one day and thought, "Today's the day. We're doing it."<br />
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It took me two weekends of cleaning, painting, and cleaning again but it's now so much brighter looking and we don't cringe every time we walk in. It needs some decorations but I'm cheap so I'm just going to wait until I come across something on clearance or at a yard sale that I can't live without versus going out and spending a ton of money buying new things. We also need to do another big toy purge but they did really well the first time so I don't want to push it just yet.<br />
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Here's a before/after of the main toy wall.<br />
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We got rid of boxes and boxes of junk and I moved some things around to make it easier for the girls to find what they wanted. The bookcase on the left holds all their movies and games in one easy location instead of spread out in several rooms. I also cleaned out the plastic storage box and emptied an entire drawer of toys.<br />
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The bookcase is my favorite part of the new room. It was a loud blue color and I painted it white. Now it matches the room and looks like a brand new piece of furniture.<br />
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"Kitty Area" is another thing I'm proud of. We never use this main door and it the closet next to it made the whole area look dark and dirty so I decided to paint both doors white to brighten it up. My husband was opposed to the idea at first but afterwards he agreed it was a huge difference.<br />
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I would like to find some large pieces of art and an oversized clock to hang on the walls eventually. My kitchen is my next big reno project!Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-9862796811799822072017-07-03T21:15:00.001-07:002017-07-03T21:15:28.372-07:00May 2017 BooksMay was a GREAT reading month for me. Even though I didn't read very many books I managed to finish off several large books this month. I go through spurts of "Eh, why read when I can watch TV?" and "WHO CARES ABOUT TELEVISION LET'S GO TO THE LIBRARY!" and this was a definite library month. Six of these books were from there and I just appreciate the heck out of our library for taking such good care of us.<br />
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I enjoyed so many of these books! My favorite was The Host by Stephanie Meyer. It's my second time reading this book and I loved it even more than the first. Say what you will about Meyer's Twilight series, this one is nothing at all like it. <br />
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I FINALLY finished Anna Karenina after I downloaded the audiobook and listened to it while I worked on painting my kitchen. I didn't love it but I did enjoy it a lot more than I had expected.<br />
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Stephen King has a new short story out and Gwendy's Button Box was a quick but enjoyable read. He should stick with short stories because for the most part they are better than his doorstop novels. Not as much rambling and just enough to creep you out and then leave you.<br />
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Outlander was a spur of the moment book decision for me and I'm glad I made it. I've had it for a couple years now but never picked it up. It definitely could have used an editor to shorten it by a couple hundred pages but the action started to pick up about halfway through and was a little easier to take. It almost read like a Scottish fanfic. I started the second book in the series but I think I'm one and done with the Outlander universe. <br />
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I hope the rest of the summer is as good of a reading month as this one!Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-53398784047493693522017-06-24T14:07:00.002-07:002017-06-24T14:07:43.359-07:00April 2017 Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For some reason I didn't do a lot of reading in April. School was starting to wind down but stress at my second job kept me too jittery to do much besides worry and get angry at everything near me. I did do myself a favor and decide enough was enough with the Titan books though. After 17 volumes I just couldn't deal with it anymore and I gave up. I know this series is a lot of people's favorites but to me it was just a rehash of the same scenes over and over and I could read one book in about 30 minutes because there was so little dialogue. <br />
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Bug and I finished a grand total of THREE books together this month! She of course loved her Beverly Cleary (always a favorite in our home) and I discovered the 13-Story Treehouse books at our local library and picked the first one up for her. She thought it was the greatest thing ever and begged me to get the next one as soon as we had finished it. I think they're a little cheesy but they're not aimed at my age group so my opinion doesn't matter as much as hers. Bug just thought they were hilarious. Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-25749357168199324902017-06-17T20:54:00.001-07:002017-06-17T20:54:28.127-07:00March 2017 BooksMarch was my month of Titan books. I read nine of them and not much else.<br />
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This series is not one I would honestly recommend to anyone wishing to start in this genre. Death Note was so much better and easier to follow. Attack on Titan is heavy on the pictures but not on the plot and it really started to drag for me by the end of this month.<br />
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Bug and I read the second book in the Secret Hero Society series and she absolutely loved it. She's a huge DC universe fan and she was so excited when she recognized random characters that you don't see very often.<br />
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A woman at work loaned me a book about the Shawnee National Forest and I will say that be default it was my favorite this month. I loved seeing old views of some of the places I enjoy going to and how they've changed over the years. It was an interesting read.Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-29813592173502161072017-06-07T05:03:00.002-07:002017-06-07T05:03:58.300-07:00February 2017 BooksMy reading slump was OVER this month and I am incredibly thankful. I read quite a few great books and it was so nice because I was really worried I was going to repeat 2016 and just go through the motions with reading bleh books. I read SIXTEEN books in February and ended with a total of almost 4,000 pages of books!<br />
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I listened to several audiobooks in February and read a few smaller books which is why my count is so high. My number one pick this month was Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. I love books centered around Asian characters and this one was so moving and sad that I could not put it down.<br />
There were a few meh picks this month. I really didn't care about the children's books I picked up. Attack on Titan was a new manga series I started during this month which was another not very good choice for me.Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-26346696740603038432017-02-23T04:40:00.002-08:002017-02-23T04:40:40.452-08:00Bug's 10th Birthday<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/02/happy-birthday-bug.html" target="_blank">Bug's 9th Birthday</a><br />
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Both of my babies are now in double digit ages and it makes this mommy feel so old and so sad.<br />
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This is the second time she's asked for a Minecraft cake. I made a Stampy Cat cake two years ago and this year she wanted her new favorite YouTuber: DanTDM<br />
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She told me she wanted a cake of his character's face so I searched around and found one that was made out of different squares of fondant. Unfortunately, I've never worked with fondant and didn't feel like starting now so I replicated it using a star tip and colored frosting.<br />
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First I started with a plain cake mix that I dyed blue since it's her favorite color. One thing I've learned is that if you make a boxed cake mix, use milk instead of water and butter instead of oil. It makes the cakes so much yummier!<br />
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I crumb-coated it (not very well but oh well it gets covered up by the design. I counted out the grid pattern and used toothpicks to scrape them through the frosting so I had a better idea of where the squares needed to go.<br />
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I tried to dye the blue and black colors a couple different shades apiece. I used a dab of frosting for half of it then added a tiny bit more of food coloring to make it darker for the other half. It doesn't show as well in the photo but it makes it look more Minecraft-ish.<br />
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Bug loved it!Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-83275423646630697662017-02-19T04:55:00.001-08:002017-02-19T04:55:41.651-08:002017 Adventures: Dixon SpringsWe didn't go hiking near as much last year as we did in 2015 because we found out Bug had allergies and asthma and it took us a long time to get it under control. Being an hour away from the nearest hospital and no cell reception was too scary for me so we just stopped hiking.<br />
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This year we have Bug on some new medicines that seem to be making her symptoms better and she feels a lot more like herself finally. So I promised we would try it out and see how she feels.<br />
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January was abnormally warm for a couple of weeks and there was one day that was a perfect 70 degrees and sunny so we headed out to try a brand new hiking location in the Shawnee National Forest.<br />
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Dixon Springs is a beautiful little park with a swimming pool and some amazing scenery. There are giant boulders you can climb on and the entire area is surrounded by bubbling creeks.<br />
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The best part of Dixon Springs are the waterfalls that are almost hidden in the back of the park. When we first started our hiking adventures two years ago Goose wanted most to see a big waterfall and oddly enough this was our first one.<br />
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There's a bridge spanning across the falls and it took us a while to find where it started but it just meant traipsing through more of the pretty area.<br />
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On the top of the bounders there is a tiny road with three old churches side by side on it. They were all identical in varying stages of disrepair. This was the oldest one and our favorite.<br />
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After taking a break at the playground we went searching for another area to explore and found a hiking path called Ghost Dance Canyon. This path was incredibly tiny and hard to maneuver and I'm not sure we even completed the entire trail but it got to where we were climbing over slippery moss-covered boulders and we thought it would be best to turn back.<br />
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We did get to see a lot more of the rushing creek on it though.<br />
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You also pass underneath the highway and the bridge looks so giant as you are underneath it.<br />
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Across the street from the park is a store called The Chocolate Factory and they are popular for making shaped chocolates. There are chocolates that look like deviled eggs, bacon, flowers, and Goose's favorite, mice:<br />
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Our first hike of 2017 was so much fun and we are looking forward to a lot more adventures this year!Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-61024221273972840192017-02-15T04:12:00.003-08:002017-02-15T04:12:40.083-08:002017 Reading GoalsWell I didn't do very well for my 2016 goals even though I read a lot of books. I always start out with such high hopes on what and how I am going to read and just never follow through because I"m such a mood reader. I can made TBR piles for days and still pick up something that I just think looks pretty. <br />
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For 2017 my number one most important book goal is to read War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (finally). I have this beautiful edition and I like that even though it's a large sized book there are a lot of words for each page so it seems like I'm flying through it. My goal was to read it in two months but it's so dense that I think I am just going to aim to do at least 100 pages a month and if it takes me a year, it takes me a year.<br />
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I'm going to be trying for two reading challenges this year to branch out and try new books. The first is the <a href="https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/docs/PS16_JP_Living_2017ReadingChallenge_List_Printable.pdf" target="_blank">challenge from Popsugar</a> which gives you a weekly theme and a few extras just for fun. I already know of a few books that I want to read that fit the theme so I'm excited to get started.<br />
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One thing I noticed while looking over my 2016 book list was that I am slowly moving away from YA, something I'm happy about. I always gravitate to it as a fallback when I have nothing else to read because they're usually short and have the prettiest cover, but I'm proud that I read a lot of 'adult' novels last year.<br />
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<br />Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-81910470684749537352017-02-10T20:42:00.002-08:002017-02-10T20:42:24.553-08:00January 2017 Books<br />
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I started War and Peace at the beginning of January and was doing great with it, zooming along past my weekly goal and then BOOM. Reading slump. I didn't pick up another book for over a week and War and Peace has sat on my table this whole time being lonely.<br />
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Once I finally started reading again I plowed through a grand total of TEN books which blew my mind since I took so much time off. I finished four books in less than 24 hours one weekend (I told you, I like to have something to do while I clean).<br />
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I didn't really have a stand-out favorite this month but The Nix by Nathan Hill was the book that brought me out of my reading slump so I'm going to give the honors to it. It's a huge book but I was enjoying it so much that I finished it in just a few days. <br />
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The best part about this month was that I discovered I enjoy audiobooks again after growing sick of them last year. I finished two during January just by listening to them on my drive to and from work and when I cleaned. Listening to them on fast speed also helped.<br />
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<br />Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-78150322892585419652017-02-07T04:07:00.001-08:002017-02-07T04:07:03.026-08:00My Favorite Books of 2016I finished strong this year with 114 books and even though it wasn't my highest book count year it is still a good amount considering I started working 8 hour days in September.<br />
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Even though I think I read more clunkers than keepers this year there were still a good amount of books I loved and want to reread sometime down the road.<br />
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Joe Hill was my breakout star author of the year and I loved both of the books by him that I read. NOS4A2 and The Fireman blew me away and I recommend them to everyone. I enjoyed The Fireman slightly more than NOS4A2 but only because I liked that it wasn't as horror-like as I would have expected from Stephen King's son.<br />
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Speaking of Stephen King, if you haven't read 11/22/63 then you are doing yourself a disservice. King is so hit or miss with me. I either love him or am so over him, but this book was fantastic. Again, I think maybe because it wasn't a standard King horror novel. I read 90% of my books through the library and I loved this one so much I went out and bought it.<br />
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I made my way through almost all of the Little House on the Prairie books this year and even though a few were boring, overall I think it's such a sweet, wholesome series. Yeah, Ma is a racist and Pa is a loser, but if you try to overlook the strides we have taken and just read it as a testament of its time then it's a great series for young children to enjoy. I love Almanzo the most and always enjoyed his scenes in the books.<br />
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And if you are looking for another wholesome set of books to read to your kids then please go out and buy all of Beverly Cleary's books. Bug and I read them like crazy this year and we only have a few left, a fact she is so sad about. She has loved every single one of them and always begged for "one more chapter" each night.<br />
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I can't wait to see what 2017 has in store for me book-wise!Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-14559964264702381582017-02-01T04:27:00.002-08:002017-02-01T04:27:53.587-08:00Homemade Salt Dough OrnamentsI take care of a gaggle of kids every afternoon and I'm always looking for cheap fun things to do to keep them busy. Salt Dough Ornaments were a great idea because it was a multi-day craft and they looked forward to all of the steps.<br />
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The first day we made the dough and shaped them using cookie cutters. We let every child do one and then when we had some leftover dough I let a few do some extras for the kids who weren't there that day. Make sure to use a straw to poke the hole through BEFORE you bake. And make it larger than a normal poke. Spread it around a little because the dough shrinks up a bit when baked. The hint to these ornaments is bake them LONG and LOW. A lot of recipes say for about 20 minutes at 300 degrees. I recommend going around an hour at 250 degrees. If you go too hot they start to crack a little. <br />
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The next time we were together we painted them and we let them do whatever they wanted. Some just threw the paint on (like Bug), some made elaborate designs (see Goose's cat paw and gingerbread man), and quite a few even threw some glitter on them.<br />
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We let them paint for a few days so everyone who comes at different times had a chance. Then we used Mod Podge to seal them and added some cute ribbon.<br />
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I think we've made some of these every year and the girls always love them! Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-5607663477357226202017-01-25T11:55:00.000-08:002017-01-25T11:55:53.413-08:00Christmas DecorationsI'm more of a handmade kind of decorator. I don't like a lot of junk and I just don't see the point in keeping something unless it has nostalgia attached to it. That's why a lot of our Christmas decorations are things that I remember my mom using when I was younger or stuff the girls have made me over the years.<br />
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Every year we put these signs up on our kitchen cabinets. I love seeing their happy baby art and I'm going to be really sad when they get too worn out to use. I've already had to stop putting out some stained glass Christmas tree ones and I missed them this year.<br />
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Not even our fridge is safe from Christmas decorations. I have been collecting holiday magnets for years and seeing them all out every year is one of my favorite things!<br />
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Our Christmas tree in the girls playroom.<br />
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I saw someone on Instagram use a black Christmas tree as a Halloween tree and I loved the idea so I made sure to buy one at the beginning of the holiday shopping season. So we now have two Christmas trees. In the beginning I didn't want two trees but by the end of the first night we were all in love with the new tree. It made our living room so homey and perfect. It was decorated with all the cast-off ornaments we couldn't fit on our old tree so it's a little bare here.<br />
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.Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-551408256393095462017-01-22T06:20:00.001-08:002017-01-22T06:20:23.426-08:00My Least Favorite Books of 2016I read A LOT of books I disliked this year. I don't know if the older I get the more cantankerous I become but books take a lot to get more than three stars from me nowadays. <br />
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The first book I disliked this year was Watership Down. I'm sorry, I know that's a lot of people's favorite. It was a long, hard read for me and one I was happy to unhaul when I finished it.<br />
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A series that Bug and I read together this year was the entirety of The Chronicles of Narnia series and we both hated every page of it. She slightly enjoyed The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but only because she loves the movie so she was able to understand what was happening pretty easy. It was so preachy and cringe-worthy and I ended up finished the last couple of chapters of the last book by myself because she was just so over it.<br />
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The Prince by Machiavelli was one of the shortest books I read this year and also one of the most boring. I honestly didn't understand any of it. Not one sentence. <br />
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Bug was really looking forward to The BFG movie and I wanted to read the book before I saw it so I checked it out of our library and man, am I glad I didn't pay for that book. Bug normally likes Roald Dahl books and even she hated this one. It almost felt like it talked down to us, like we were too stupid to understand it was a nonsensical book. Big letdown.<br />
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Let's talk about my number one most hated book of 2016. I'm sure it will come as a surprise to a lot of big book lovers because most people raved about this book this year. A Little Life by Hanye Yanagihara. I. Hated. This. Book. I literally threw it down when I finished and ranted to my husband for about thirty minutes about how revolting it was. If ever there was a Mary Sue character to have existed it is Jude. God, I could wax poetically all the ways this book pissed me off for at least an hour.<br />
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Just goes to show that just because a book wins awards doesn't mean it's any good.Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-81096917330687915122017-01-18T04:34:00.000-08:002017-01-18T04:34:02.575-08:00My 2016 Book List<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-2015-book-list.html" target="_blank">2015 Book List</a><br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2014/12/my-2014-book-list.html" target="_blank">2014 Book List</a><br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-2013-book-list.html" target="_blank">2013 Book List</a><br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-2012-book-list.html" target="_blank">2012 Book List</a><br />
<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-2011-book-list.html" target="_blank">2011 Book List</a><br />
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To see my individual month reviews just click on the month titles.<br />
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*denotes a readaloud with my daughter<br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/02/my-january-book-pile.html" target="_blank">January</a><br />
1: The Wanderer by Sharon Creech<br />
2: Watership Down by Richard Adams<br />
3: Socks by Beverly Cleary*<br />
4: The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia series) by C.S. Lewis*<br />
5: A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire series) by George R.R. Martin<br />
6: The Reader by Bernard<br />
7: 11/22/63 by Stephen King<br />
8: Feverborn (Fever series) by Karen Marie Moning<br />
9: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins<br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/03/my-february-book-pile.html" target="_blank">February</a><br />
10: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli<br />
11: My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara<br />
12: Iqbal by Francesco D'Adamo<br />
13: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd<br />
14: Tricky Twenty-Two (Stephanie Plum series) by Janet Evanovich<br />
15: Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling<br />
16: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia series) by C.S. Lewis*<br />
17: Six of Crows (Six of Crows series) by Leigh Bardugo<br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/04/my-march-book-pile.html" target="_blank">March</a><br />
18: Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth by E.L. Konisburg<br />
19: Texts from Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg<br />
20: The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia series) by C.S. Lewis*<br />
21: Red Winter by Dan Smith<br />
22: Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder<br />
23: Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia series) by C.S. Lewis<br />
24: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte <br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/05/my-april-book-pile.html" target="_blank">April</a><br />
25: The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by Catherine Reef<br />
26: Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle<br />
27: Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera<br />
28: Hatchet by Gary Paulson<br />
29: Ribsy by Beverly Cleary*<br />
30: Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer<br />
31: Twenty Years After (The D'Artagnan Romances) by Alexandre Dumas<br />
32: Mr. Mercedes (The Bill Hodges Trilogy) by Stephen King <br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/06/my-may-book-pile.html" target="_blank">May</a><br />
33: The Raven King (The Raven Cycle series) by Maggie Stiefvater<br />
34: The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles series) by Holly Black<br />
35: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia series) by C.S. Lewis*<br />
36: The BFG by Roald Dahl<br />
37: Broadchurch by Erin Kelly<br />
38: The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary*<br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/07/my-june-book-pile.html" target="_blank">June</a><br />
39: The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles series) by Holly Black*<br />
40: The Fireman by Joe Hill<br />
41: Emily's Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary*<br />
42: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein<br />
43: Dear Hank Williams by Kimberly Willis Holt<br />
44: Lucinda's Secret (The Spiderwick Chronicles series) by Holly Black*<br />
45: El Deafo by Cece Bell<br />
46: The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library series) by Genevieve Cogman<br />
47: A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire series) by George R.R. Martin<br />
48: Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash<br />
49: The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen<br />
50: Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles series) by Holly Black*<br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/08/my-july-book-pile.html" target="_blank">July</a><br />
51: The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles series) by Holly Black*<br />
52: Paper and Fire (The Great Library series) by Rachel Caine <br />
53: The Journey (The Guardians of Ga'Hoole series) by Kathryn Laskey*<br />
54: Rome (Marked Men series) by Jay<br />
55: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab<br />
56: On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder<br />
57: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan<br />
58: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams<br />
59: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara<br />
60: The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia series) by C.S. Lewis*<br />
61: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne<br />
62: Jacob Have I loved by Catherine Paterson<br />
63: The Bad Seed by William March<br />
64: Pretty Ugly by Kirker Butler<br />
65: Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman<br />
66: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow<br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/09/my-august-book-pile.html" target="_blank">August</a><br />
67: The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary*<br />
68: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab<br />
69: Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown by Joe Schrieber<br />
70: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill<br />
71: How the Post Office Created America: A History by Winifred Gallagher<br />
72: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky<br />
73: The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward<br />
74: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Anonymous<br />
75: The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia series) by C.S. Lewis*<br />
76: Ollie's Odyssey by William Joyce<br />
77: Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell<br />
78: Suicide Squad Movie Novelization by Marv Wolfman<br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/10/my-september-book-pile.html" target="_blank">September</a><br />
79: By the Shores of Silver Lake (Little House on the Prairie series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder<br />
80: The Secret Tree by Natalie Strandiford*<br />
81: Cousin Phillis by Elizabeth Gaskell<br />
82: O Pioneers! by Willa Cather<br />
83: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay<br />
84: The Masked City (The Invisible Library series) by Genevieve Cogman<br />
85: Macbeth by William Shakespeare<br />
86: The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling*<br />
87: The Wonder by Emma Donaghue<br />
88: After Dark by Haruki Murakami <br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/11/my-october-book-pile.html" target="_blank">October</a><br />
89: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruku Murakami<br />
90: Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner<br />
91: Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary*<br />
92: This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper<br />
93: Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary*<br />
94: Six of Crows (Six of Crows series) by Leigh Bardugo<br />
95: The Vegetarian by Han Kang<br />
96: The Long Winter (Little House on the Prairie series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder<br />
97: Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary* <br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-november-book-pile.html" target="_blank">November</a><br />
98: Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows series) by Leigh Bardugo<br />
99: Little Town on the Prairie (Little House on the Prairie series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder<br />
100: Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell<br />
101: Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood<br />
102: Curious Minds (Knight and Moon series) by Janet Evanovich<br />
103: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg*<br />
104: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley<br />
105: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer<br />
106: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (The Tales of Dunk and Egg) by George R.R. Martin<br />
107: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman<br />
108: The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck<br />
109: Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary*<br />
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<a href="http://gooseandbug.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-december-book-pile.html" target="_blank">December</a><br />
110: These Happy Golden Years (Little House on the Prairie series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder<br />
111: Matilda by Roald Dahl*<br />
112: Turbo Twenty-Three (Stephanie Plum series) by Janet Evanovich<br />
113: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte<br />
114: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain<br />
115: The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson*<br />
<br />Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-34396510385855055132017-01-10T18:18:00.002-08:002017-01-10T18:18:41.690-08:00My December Book PileEven though I had a week and a half off for Christmas break this month I wasn't able to get much reading done. I'm not sure what happened but I just wasn't feeling books for the first few weeks of December. I still managed to finish six and it pushed me to a grand total of 115 books for 2016! Nothing to sniff about!<br />
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This month I did four books on my own and two readalouds with Bug. Matilda took us foreverrr to get through and I don't know why because she actually really liked it. We just had tough like finding reading time together to do it. After we finished she immediately started the movie and has already watched it twice. The Great Gilly Hopkins on the other hand took us just a few days to read. She made me read 50 pages of it in one sitting because she loved it so much.<br />
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I really wanted to have all of my in-progress books finished by the new year so I took the last few days of the month to buckle down and finish everything up. Wuthering Heights and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were my final books of the year and they weren't anything special which is upsetting. I was hoping to end on a high note. On the bright side, that's two big classics I can cross off my list of books I wanted to read.<br />
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My favorite book this month I guess is the Little House book by default. Just because nothing else really blew me away. :/<br />
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<br />Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-7876655197062299582017-01-05T13:50:00.001-08:002017-01-05T13:50:43.431-08:00Homemade Christmas OrnamentsWe love making homemade ornaments for our tree every year. There are usually several made at school or in their free time but we try to always make one together for our tree and grandparent presents.<br />
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Over the years we've made several new ones and several repeats. Here's some of my favorites:<br />
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Of course you have the gingerbread and salt dough ornaments. They're probably the big classic homemade ornaments that everyone makes at least once. We do them all the time and love them.<br />
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Another variaton is the cinnamon ornaments. This one was one I made when I was in grade school and my mom has kept all these years.<br />
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My favorites so far is probably these cute buckets of snowballs. I bought tiny buckets from Hobby Lobby and all we did was glue some cotton balls in and decorate them. Super easy but so cute.<br />
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The first ones we made together were these popsicle stick snowflakes. I glued them into snowflake shapes and gave the girls piles of buttons and glitter and let them go crazy.<br />
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We tried these yarn ones a couple of years ago and even though we had a difficult time trying to figure out how to do them I still think they turned out sweet.<br />
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This year Bug did a melted snowman with hot glue and buttons. We started a bottlecap snowman but it never was finished in time for Christmas :(<br />
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Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4856560357929869890.post-84192776666503718142016-12-30T18:16:00.000-08:002016-12-30T19:14:31.480-08:00The Adventures of Ack and SnowyBug was very upset last year because her Elf, Ack, forgot to move most nights. So the very first thing she asked for when Christmas season started was for her Elf to be better. Mommy sent him to Elf Retraining School and got him a new best bud to encourage him to be better and Bug was very satisfied with his results.<br />
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His very first night here was a night Bug spent in and out of the
hospital for appointments and procedures so he stayed at home with Goose
but sent Snowy in his place with a letter and a present for her. <br />
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Most nights he just left to go see Santa and came back to a different location but occasionally he brought the girls presents or played silly tricks on them.<br />
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One night he took a marker and colored on pictures of family members.<br />
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He took off his clothes and made snow angels!<br />
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We got a new Christmas tree for our living room and he brought them each new ornaments to decorate it.<br />
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Silly Ack took a bath in marshmallows.<br />
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I made pancake mix the night before and he got up and made himself teeny tiny Ack-sized pancakes before the girls got up.<br />
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There was a very intense game of Tic Tac Toe which we unfortunately never found out who won.<br />
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They brought the girls some new mugs and packages of hot cocoa!<br />
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Bug looked so forward to finding her visitors every day and is already talking about where they will be next year. Goose and Bughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11690039738581121634noreply@blogger.com0