A family holiday

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: 

the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.

 ~Burton Hillis

Holiday has and always will be our family time.  It is the one time of year that you will find us all back at home.  This is our tradition, when were are you young it is about the gifts, but once we are older it is about the company.

This year was no exception.  We even added a new person to the mayhem. Yes, I use the word mayhem.  We have too many youngins to call it anything else.  Jonathan is home on leave for the Holidays and so Allison joined the group for Christmas dinner.  Marybeth was home from college and preparing to visit friends in other states.

The kids had a fabulous time.  So much food and good cheer for everyone to enjoy.  Before all the madness started I decided to grab the Adkins girls for a quick photo session.  I am planning on shooting them again over the course of the next few months as part of my gift to them. 

2015 "New to Me" Book Plan

I am going to be ambitious this year and try to plan 12+ books to read during the year.  I am starting my list on GoodReads so that I can keep up with it more.  This will actually require me to buy books I think, for the past few years I have mostly used libraries and free services to get books.  But I am going to try this year to buy one book for the month.  I will be doing this to improve myself and to support the authors who create such wonderful things.

Warning this is a long post!

-January-

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

I love the first book by Mr Riggs and I have been eagerly awaiting this book.  When it came up on an Amazon flash sale I had to pounce!  I just do not know the proper way to explain these books so I am really not going to try.  Just trust me and read them!

-February-

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Ok, if you have spent like a minute with me you know I love this woman.  I was utterly enchanted with her first book Garden Spells and read every book afterwards.  First Frost will come out at the end of January and I just cannot wait!!

-March-

Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell

This will be the first book read of this series and author.  I keep seeing her pop up all over my recommendation lists so I am going to try her books.  I will be sure to let you know how it flies.

-April-

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Yet another new author for me.  The book has been read and recommended to me by friends and the Internet.  I am going to try to get this title from the library, I love supporting libraries.  I am really looking forward to this book. 

-May-

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowery

The sequel to The Giver, I have been waiting to read this book but just not had the get up to do it.   I think this will be a good time to push myself into this classic.

-June-

The Island of Dr Moreau by HG Wells and The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepard

June seems like a good time to visit a tropical island.  I have actually not read the HG Wells book before.  I have seen many adaptions for the screen, but not the book itself.   In my searching the Internet for new read I came across The Madman's Daughter which accompanies the Wells storyline.  It sounded intriguing so this shall be a double feature month.

-July-

The Stirker by Clive Cussler

I am hoping by this point I have Jason equally addicted to this series.  I have not had much time for the handsome, confident, and witty Isaac Bell.  I am looking forward to hear (this should be an audiobook) his next swashbuckling adventure.  I am actually terribly afraid I have read this one but I just cannot remember.  Oh well, I have not really found a bad book on Bell yet so lets have at it.

-August-

Written in Red by Anne Bishop

I really like the idea of reading a YA book at the beginning of the school season.  I am no longer a student, but the pull is still there.  So I try to find something appealing.  The fantasy/Sci Fi always seem to get me.  So this month I am going to read the first book in a trilogy that sounds pretty neat.  I know very little of the books other then what is written on the cover.  But it seems to have many elements I enjoy i.e. otherworldly, trilogy and girl power!

-September-

The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen

September is honestly the month I want to lose myself totally.  It is our Birthday but the books I am drawn to this time of year are always way too girly to share with the husband.  This month's selection is no different.  Set on my recommends lists because of my love of Sarah's books.  I am going to try The Wishing Thread.  Here is hoping I find it just as enchanting as my other favorite chick reads.

-October-

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Ok, this is another author I just love but I have not read many of his books.  It is odd for me, since I know I adore his style.  So for the creepy month of October I must read a creepy book.  Neil Gaiman seemed the perfect author to look to.  I don't read much horror so creepy is the way to go.  :)

I have not decided on November and December yet.  I think I want to leave them open for right now in case I find something really irresistible.  These will not be the only books I read next year but I hope to highlight them in my monthly reading recap.

Happy Holidays!

The Christmas Tree Farm

Every family has their own Christmas traditions.  Mine has quite a few.  One of which is going to the mountains to cut down our own tree.  This weekend we loaded up the family and went off to the mountains to hunt down a tree.

New tree farm

When I was child we always went to the Wentworth farm to cut/buy our tree.  We would walk to the back of his farm and pick wonderful tree.  Mr Wentworth would then cut it down load us all into the trailer and pull us back to the car.  I loved going to the farm every year.  He did not do anything special, it was just always simple and pure family time.  I really loved the years when the cows were around, they were fun.  Mr Wentworth has since retired the farm.

We still go out in the mountains, just to a tree farm now.  It is a nice place with loads of trees.  There is also a petting "zoo" and marshmallow roasting pit.  There is more to do but I still miss the Wentworth Farm.  I am very glad that my nieces and nephews will be sharing in this family tradition.  Here are few pictures of the day and the full album is HERE.

Holiday shopping

Jason  and I prefer a handmade Christmas but sometimes that just does not work out.  I still try to keep things local and simple.  Here are a few of my favorite local and Internet stores to look at during the holidays.

1. New Moon Galleries - Chattanooga TN
This has been a favorite store of mine for years!  I even ordered my engagement ring here.  They have loads of variety and even more during the holiday season.  I can go in this little shop and spend hours and not see it all.  In recent years they have added a Tearoom and just yum!

2. Knitting Mill Antiques - Chattanooga, TN

Another shop on the North shore of Chattanooga.  The Knitting Mill is an excellent place to find that quirky gift for the oddball on your shopping list.  The Mill has many booths so there is always new interesting things to find.  

3. CowCarvers - Internet/Etsy

This is an Etsy store ran by a very talented leather working couple out of Northern Florida.  They do custom orders, but not right now as they are full up.  They keep a great variety of items in their store such as bags, belts, bracelets and much more.  

4. Urban Threads - Internet

Ok, this one is a bit narrow.  But I love it.  This is an embroidery design shop.  They have so many embroidery designs that you can use in any number of projects.  I lose hours out of day if I happen to go on this site.  

 

Bad night, good family

I have an awesome husband and truely amazing kitties.  I was sick last night.  Not a little sick, a lot sick.  Husband stayed up watching over me most of the night.  The kitties would come nuzzle me when I whimpered.  At about midnight I was very sick, and I was sitting in the bathroom crying.  Jason was giving me water and pushing kitties out of the room.  I am glad for that I would have hated to be sick on the kitties.  After a good shower I go back to bed, and Pan Pan (my cat) curls up on the top of my pillow so that he nuzzle and pet me.  Seriously he was petting my her with his paw.  So sweet.  I finally fell asleep and woke Ryoko (Jason's cat)  nuzzling me, I must have been whimpering again.  I love my little odd family.

Warning Blog URL changing

I am going to be changing the URL to this blog this week. 

Not sure to what yet, but I am thinking aparkerwayoflife

I am a crafter!

Since the move to North Goergia I have not had the space to sew.  I do have projects plan just no room in which to work.  I was feeling the crafty itch...I had to do something.  So when I saw the Crafty Gemini crochet a hat it was decided I shall crochet again.  I learned to crochet in college from friends and did a little here and the but nothing to any great accomplishment.  So I planned my great hat idea.  I researched my yarn and read the pattern many times over.  The best thing was the YouTube video that Vanessa did.  That helped the most of anything.

I have now made 2 hats.  One for me and one for Jason.  Jason then asked for project.  Now my husband rarely asks for a project to be done for him.  He is more the I will figure it out and do it kinda guy, so now he sews and works leather.  He asked me to make him a football scarf.  But he wanted tight weave.  My alarm bells were ringing, tight weave = knitting I cannot knit!  Off to the Internet I went and found Tunisian crochet knit stitch.  It was perfect and I found pattern for a football type scarf from Lillian.  It is actually titled Harry Potter Scarf but since the house scarves are based on English footy scarves it was great.

So I am happily trucking away on my husband's scarf in Blue & Gray.  You can see all the project info on my ravelry account.

My hat in blues and purples

Jason's hat in blue

Starting the scarf.