Our Narnian New Year

I have now finished my 40th annual reading of The Chronicles of Narnia. As I said in my previous post I've also read it multiple times to both my sisters and my children; so I've actually read it closer to 50 times, but this is my 40th wintertime reading. 

Just as I read the Hobbit and Fellowship of the Rings trilogy each fall, I begin each winter with Narnia. Some years I start on the first day of winter, and other years I begin the year with them. But I read them every year... they are some of my oldest friends. And yes my childhood Narnia books evaporated, so I did need to replace them several years back. 

These books are full of beginnings, renewal, discovery, and rediscovery... to me, they are a perfect way to begin the year. And in 2021, we decided to make it an official part of our family calendar. This is our fourth Narnian New Year!

Because Minnesota winters are SO VERY LONG; beginning as early as October and stretching as long as May, we break up our seasonal decorating to help keep things feeling fresh through the seemingly eternal cold. While December is full of pastel gingerbread, colorful houses, and candies, January is all white. 

We greet our guests with an Aslan wreath on the front door.

Across the marriage wall is a white garland; similar to Decembers, but more sparse. Rather than being heavily laden with bright colors, this one is decorated simply with white and clear ornaments, enormous snowflakes, and silver lions & icicles. The effect when light hits it, is dazzling. And in our niche sits a single white bird, and a snowflake garland. (This part is still a work in progress)

In the living room is a tiny vignette of white houses with my Angel of Hope, and the dining room has a small collection of wintry deer and houses atop our console. The sliding glass doors are lit for both December AND January with white snowflake lights, and two blow mold candles. It's my way of decorating "outside" without anyone needing to climb ladders in subzero temperatures. The goal is to light up ALL of our windows for the winter, one at a time.

Now that the books are read, it's time to re-watch the movies. I have a Pinterest board full of all-white foods to choose from, but we're in the middle of an Arctic blast right now and soup sounds rather good. I'm thinking roasted cauliflower white cheddar soup with fresh homemade bread, and cheesecake mousse with hot vanilla milk ought to hit the spot juuust about right.

We have decided to make our Sunday Movie Nights into more of an "event" and have thematically appropriate foods, turn the lights down low and the electric fireplace on, and make things feel a tiny bit special once each week. 

The details are still being worked out, but the idea is not to spend a lot of money, but to use what's already in the home... with the exception of groceries, of course. 

Between global pandemics, divorce, our church dissolving, and needing to restructure our entire lives, these past several years have been ones of contracting; pulling in, staying home, and digging deep. This will be a year of expanding. We have chosen a new church, the pandemic FINALLY feels as if it's in recession, books and therapy have begun to restructure a new and stronger mamahousemouse, and we are ready to begin leaving our cocoons.

This year, more than any other, feels as if spring is coming... Aslan IS on the move! 

After our long winter, we are ALL ready for our spring!

2023 Book Review

As an avid bookwyrm, I tend to devour books at a startling rate. Having been a hyperlexic toddler who never actually outgrew that trait, my book goals tend to be a bit higher than most. It's because I'm a freak, and I'm okay with this. NEVER compare your book goals with someone whose been reading novels since before their second birthday. If your goal is to read one book each month this year, I LOVE THAT! It's an amazing goal because it means you're reading! 

Books are my oldest friends. As I type this, I am reading through the Chronicles of Narnia for at least the 40th time. I have read them, beginning on January 1st, every year since I was 8. (I know I read them to my sisters and children several times as well, so I've likely actually read them through closer to 50 times by now!) When things go wrong, I look for a book to help me find my way. When things are going well, I look for a book to celebrate with me. And when winter makes my bones hurt... I stack my books about me like the tiny hoarding dragon I am, curled up with my treasures, and read my way back to spring. 

In 2023 I read 237 books. It's a lot, I know. But reading is a priority to me, I'm a speed-reader, and one of the way my ADHD manifests itself is in my reading. I am constantly reading at least 7 books simultaneously; one audiobook, one ebook, one faith-based (as well as constantly rereading the Bible), one heritage, one for personal growth, and one fiction. I am usually also going through an audiobook with my daughter, and occasionally we are also reading through a second book as well. So... after reading an average of 4 1/2 books per week, what sticks out as GREAT books? 

I am currently rereading the Redwall series. These were my son's favorite books in his early teens, and we read through them a few times as a family. We sold these several years ago, but when I found them in audio format - read by the author alongside a full cast, I thought they would make a wonderful bedtime routine. These are done SO well, and I LOVE hearing them as I curl up and settle in for the night. Such a treat! I will be completing the series this year, as I only made it through Salamandastron by year's end.

Lies my Teacher Told Me was one of a few history books I read this year, to relearn a history that was whitewashed in my education. This was the first, and inspired my hunt for other places where I'd been told one - very hurtful and highly blindered - version of the truth. A true eye-opener. 

The sweetest little treasure of a bedtime book, this was a Jólabókaflóð gift from my kids. Firefly Hollow is a sweet little adventure shared by a cricket, a firefly, and a sad little boy. It's a wonderful story of loss and friendship, and was beautifully illustrated. Absolutely a keeper, to be reread on sick days. 

Another "unlearning" book from last year was The Making of Biblical Womanhood. As an indoctrinated victim of purity culture, there are SO MANY books I'm going through to unlearn, relearn, and detoxify my thoughts on my body. This one stands out, as the most targeted for what I personally was taught and how I was brainwashed. I have so many more books to read on this subject, and so much more work to do before I can look in a mirror without feeling guilt. For anyone else who needs to unlearn what they were taught in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's about shame and their body, this is a great starting point. 

Another lighthearted book here... all three of us love watching Rom-Coms. My daughter and I actually ENJOY watching sappy, wholly unrelatable, entirely predictable Hallmark movies. We picked up both the everyday AND Christmas version of this choose-your-own-adventure style book, and all three of us took turns choosing and chortling our way through the silliness. If you've ever enjoyed, heckled, or rolled your eyes through a Hallmark romance movie, this book is worth more than a few giggles! 

 And... my favorite read of the year. Kat has published a FOURTH book.... the first in a new series! Sheepish Beginnings is the story of a young woman who inherits the family farm from her aging grandparents, and the marvelous misadventures that ensue as she learns the ropes of becoming a fiber farmer in smalltown, Minnesota. The sheep are obnoxious, Jack is a true blue hero, and I have been daydreaming about making lavender soap for months now. This is the perfect book for sick days, lazy summer days, or for tucking into your pocket for reading while waiting at the clinic. 

Yes, I'm biased. It's also true. This is an AMAZING light-but-not-syrupy read, and I can't wait for the second installment! 

2024 will be a read-what-you-have year. To save money towards our (FINALLY!!!) bathroom renovation, I will be reading my way through my mountains of freebie ebooks, audiobooks, the Heritage bookcase, and rereading my personal bookcases. 

My goal is 156 books; three per week. Last year I ended up doubling my goal, and still exceeding it. Can't wait to see what I read THIS year!