February

February

I am a fan of February! There is Tyler's birthday and Valentine's Day and all kinds of fun. This February was a bit more dreary than usual...TOO MUCH SNOW. I am so over it. Yes, the twinkle lights were in full effect this entire month and the bright Valentines decor was helpful too but I am SOOOO ready for Spring. Well, really Summer but I will take Spring. Anything to make it stop snowing.

Kameron started the month by achieving a teen milestone. He got his first job!! So exciting. In our family once you turn sixteen it is time to get a part-time job. I suggested that Kameron follow in his mother, aunts, and sister's footsteps. Apply for a job at an assisted living center as a server. This is the greatest part-time job for kids. You learn to wait tables (a life skill you may need) in a non-stressful environment. The hours are great. He goes in from 5:30 to 7:30 a couple of nights a week to work a dinner shift. He is home with PLENTY of time for homework. Then on Saturday he works 2-3 shifts. I also love that this teaches love, compassion, and respect for the elderly. You really grow to love those residents so much. A great life skill for a moody teenage boy. Already his jaded little heart is softening. I love it.

Kam with his celebratory slushy.

He was very nervous to apply for jobs. I drove him to several places. He was hired on the spot at the assisted living center where Reilly got her first job too. (The management has changed from when Reilly worked there.) Kameron thought that he was just going in to see if they were hiring and to get an application. They took one look at him and had him fill out the paperwork and interview right then with two different people: The director of the center and the chef. Thank goodness we just went over some possible interviewing scenarios as we were driving around. This is a life skill that is so hard for kids these days. Kids who hate being put on the spot, talking face to face, talking on the phone...they are so used to texting and snapchatting that it is even more difficult for them than it was when I was a teenager. But Kameron did great! The first question they asked was "Why do you want a part-time job?" Kameron told them that he needed to earn money to help pay for his LDS mission and for college. (So brave!!) That was what sealed the deal. They got super excited and said "We love young men who are saving for missions!! They make the best employees!!" It turns out that they have had several other LDS kids work for them who were also saving for missions and they had done such a great job and made such a good impression that they were thrilled to hire another one. Then they asked Kam if he had any other LDS friends who also wanted a job. The next day they hired Kameron's good friend Caden too!!

Tyler turned 46!!

As per usual Tyler likes to celebrate his birthday on Superbowl Sunday and have a combo party...which we did. This year we really didn't care about any of the teams. Well, truth be told we were rooting for the Patriots to lose because they are super annoying...as are their fans. I'm talking to you Kirk McClellan!!

But on Tyler's actual birthday he and I headed out into the worst blizzard ever...as in employers were sending their employees home early...to have an incredible meal at Downriver Grill. Tyler REALLY wanted some osso buco for his birthday and come ice and snow the man was going to get to eat what he wanted to on his birthday. So despite truly horrific roads...We had a gourmet feast. The restaurant was cozy and romantic. The osso buco was divine. So was the butterscotch pudding with chocolate ganache and gingersnaps that I had for dessert. You don't see homemade butterscotch pudding very often and it was worth every calorie. We also managed to do a little bit of birthday shopping for Tyler before the roads were too horrendous and we had to head home.

Side note: When I lived in Kansas City there was a restaurant called Tippin's Pies. It was HEAVENLY!! Many of my high school friends were employed there as "pie cutters". True story. The best Tippin's pie...in my opinion...was the butterscotch pie. My parents would often bring a couple of pies home on the weekends and they were always butterscotch and french silk. Tippin's restaurant has sadly gone out of business and there is no where to get my beloved butterscotch pie. I have tried a few other butterscotch pies here and there but they were nothing like the Tippin's recipe. Tippin's pies CAN be purchased in grocery stores in the Kansas City area but they are factory made like our Spokane Cyrus O'Leary pies and they are NOT THE SAME.

Then we did have his Superbowl Mexican Fiesta Party that Sunday. It was awesome even if the lame Patriots won.

Despite our lack of interest in the Superbowl... February was filled with two VERY exciting sporting events. The first was Rubber Chicken. As I have said before this is the big spirit contest between our high school and our rival. This is a much looked forward to event for the whole family. The girls basketball team plays and the cheerleaders do a big half time show. Then the boys basketball team plays and the dance team does a big half time show. Both schools are trying to win the most school spirit and win "Chuck" the Rubber Chicken and all the bragging rights for a year. After two years of losing our school FINALLY reclaimed Chuck and won Rubber Chicken!!

Kameron is the one waving the flag...you can only see his t-shirt and hair.

I thought that this was as exciting as sports were going to get this month... I was WRONG!! More on that later...

We had the Daddy/Daughter Dance. This year Bryn got her dad all to herself. She was so excited!! Bryn loved picking out Tyler's shirt and tie...all purple...her favorite color. Then they were off for a night of dinner and dancing. This is a yearly fundraiser that the cheerleaders at our high school put on and it is always looked forward to by the Johnson girls. (Ailey is now too old to attend and had a babysitting job that night.) Tyler has been going to this event for years. Bryn wanted to eat at Costa Vida and then they were one of the last ones to leave the dance floor. :)

Official Photo

Every year when this event rolls around Kameron and I also go out for a little mother/son night. These are so precious to me. Especially the older he gets. This year I wasn't so sure that this was going to happen with all that he has going on now...social life...job...etc. But he happily let me know that he was still available to hang out and was looking forward to it. Yay!! He chose to have a dinner and movie night. Kameron picked going out for Mexican food. We had so much fun laughing and talking. The only phone in sight was mine...this was momentous. The kid actually carried on a conversation and we laughed ALOT. Much needed in this time of life.

Man, the toddler years were easy as pie compared to kids growing up and moving on. This is a time of a lot more tension between Kameron and myself. Our relationship has always been so easy and laid back. He is a super good kid. Nice. Sweet. Not mouthy...but now the testosterone is raging and he is grouchy and irritable and seems to always be in a bad mood and is super BUGGED by his mother. I KNOW that this is normal. This is him exerting his independence so that he can grow up and leave the nest. This is him cutting the apron strings. This is him growing into a man who doesn't need his mommy hovering over him. But...it is HARD!! It is so much harder with Kameron than it was with Reilly. Maybe because Reilly and I have been butting heads since she emerged from the womb and Kameron and I have not. It feels more personal sometimes. I get my feelings hurt so much more by his irritation than I did with all of Reilly's yelling and sass. I keep reminding myself of what our pediatrician asked me about Reilly when she was this age...if she was "soiling" the nest? And I replied with Yes, she is really shatting it up and he laughed and said "Good! That's just what she is supposed to do so that she can leave it." Well...the nest shatting continues. But not this night. This night was fun and easy.

I love that boy of mine!

He also wanted to see the movie La La Land...say what?! I had been begging Tyler to see that movie to no avail. But for once Jazz band which is often my nemesis worked in my favor as Kameron's jazz band buddies had all seen the movie and had highly recommended it to him. The whole movie is an homage to jazz. There is even a scene with a phenomenal trumpet player that had Kam on the edge of his seat. Ha ha. Also, I FINALLY get the appeal of Ryan Gossling. I might be late to the party but I am all on board now. :) I've now seen the movie twice.

Exciting News:

Kirk got married!!

My brother Kirk married his long time love, Meki, on a beach in Costa Rica.

The whole McClellan-Sasaki Family from L-R: Meki's son Tarron, Meki's daughter Kaiya, Meki, Kirk's son Kaiden, Kirk, and Meki and Kirk's baby Kirin.

We are super happy for them!! Meki and her kids have been part of our family for a long time now. I've been calling Meki my sister-in-law for 3 years now!! It is nice to make it "official". We were so sad not to be there for the wedding. We almost were but this time of year is just too hard to take kids out of school for 10 days or to leave them on their own for 10 days without someone who can drive (officially) and Reilly couldn't take that much time off to come and babysit either. Pretty much no one in my family was able to be there unfortunately. Luckily my sister Jordin and her family were able to make the trip and represented the McClellans.

Ramon, Jaylah, Jordin, RJ, Meki, and Kirk

But we were there in spirit and via the internet :)

We absolutely hated not being there. It looked like such an amazing trip and such a special day!! Luckily we were able to facetime and kind of felt like we were there!!

Meanwhile back in Spokane...

The snow was piled up higher than Bryn and across the street it was piled up higher than Kameron. Ugh. I am not a fan!!

This is how I was feeling!!

And...still am...all the way into March. Yes, it is still snowing right this very minute!!

Finally Valentine's Day rolled around...

Here is Bryn's Valentine Box which had to be made into the shape of the dinosaur that she was doing a big report on. The box also had to have three facts about her dinosaur on it. It is a protoceratops. Thank goodness for Tyler. By kid four my school project mojo was LONG GONE. So it was Daddy to the rescue. They had a great time putting her dinosaur box together.

I put together our traditional "red lunches" for Valentine's Day. Reilly requested that I still send her one in her Valentine care package along with a bunch of other fun things.

I was once again a party mom in Bryn and Elle's class. It was wild in there. I signed up to help with the craft thinking that it would be nice and easy...wrong. But the kids had a great time and Bryn loves having me in there with her so it was all worth it.

Then it was home for our own Valentine's Day celebration. The kids and Tyler made homemade pizzas and I had teriyaki green beans and ate a huge king crab leg. We were all thrilled.

Kameron had to work that night but he ended up getting home in time for our late dinner which was perfect. We had a fun night as a family and were able to facetime with Reilly for a little bit before she was heading out.

Tyler did a great job of spoiling me on Valentine's Day and I tried to do the same for him. I loved my four big bunches of tulips, Mrs. Sees Chocolates, and my darling black and white polka dotted Kate Spade blue tooth speaker. Perfect to listen to while working on all my projects and in various locations. We had a fantastic Valentine's Day!!

I saw this Valentine's Quiz on Facebook and thought it was kind of fun. Here are our answers. (If there is a difference of opinion...my answers are in italics and Tyler's are in bold.)

Who is oldest? Tyler (He is one year older than me.)
Who was interested first? K-We were both interested at the same time. T- Me.
Same high school? No.
First Date? 4th of July Parade and Rodeo in Oakly, Utah
Most sensitive? K- Me   T- Kristin
Worst Temper? K-equally bad...but mine is quicker and his is a slow burn. T- Both.
More Social? K- Me.  T- Kristin
Hardest Working? K- Both   T- Both
Most Stubborn? K- Both but in different ways  T- Kristin
Most Sarcastic? K- Me   T- Kristin
Who makes the most mess? K- Tyler!!  T- Me by far.
Who wakes up first? K- Tyler  T- Me.
Bigger Family? Kristin has the biggest family.
Do you have kids? Yes, four.
Who cooks the most? K- Me but Tyler cooks quite a bit too.  T- Kristin
Who cries the most? K- Me  T- Kristin
Best singer? K- Tyler  T- Me.
Hogs the TV remote? K- TYLER!!!  T- Me.
Better Driver? K- We are both good drivers...Tyler is better in bad weather. T- Me.
Better Cook? K- Me.  T- Kristin
Smarter? K- We are both smart. T- Kristin
Most common sense? K- Me.  T- Me
How long have you been together? 24 years

We had Donuts with Dad (and Uncle) at our elementary school:

They had a great time!!

These guys were there!! Only the best players from Gonzaga's Basketball Team!!

This happened...

Oh yes, she did!! Ha ha!! In your face Gonzaga!! (This was about a week before the BIG GAME...you know the one...the one where BYU kicked Gonzaga's butt in their own arena and knocked them out of 1st place.) This picture is a classic. She was like "Sure, you can have your picture with me but I'll be wearing my BYU swag." All the LDS dads at the event were dying laughing when Bryn got her picture taken with these guys. Just on Sunday our friend, Josh, was like "I am taking this picture to BYU in a few weeks and putting it up in the alumni building!!" Ha ha!!

Ailey has been doing a ton of babysitting and had around $100 to burn so we got to go on a few shopping sprees together...and we've enjoyed a few of these:

Love those Starbucks Cake Pops!!

Bryn has also been getting a lot of alone time with the parents lately:

With Reilly out of the house, Kameron working and having a social life, and Ailey having an active social life too plus lots of babysitting jobs it often means that it's just Tyler, me, and Bryn. It has been so much fun to hang out with her!! Who wants to cook dinner for three people? Not me. Time for sushi!!

Delicious!!

Kameron had his first formal date/dance. It was the Priest and Laurel Dinner Dance for our stake. The kids get paired up. The leaders assign them. Then the boys have to ask the girls to the dance in a creative way and the girls have to reply. They have a fancy dinner and a night of dancing. Reilly was not a fan of the assigned "dates" and the "pairings" were never to her liking. But Kameron was pretty happy with the girl that he was assigned to go with and he asked her out in a cute way. He did not ask my opinion or even want help with an idea. He just went ahead and did it himself. He ended up having a fun night. Did he get any pictures? NO. Annoying. This is what sucks about having a boy...with daughters the dates always come over to the house to pick them up and so you get pictures. They were supposed to have taken pictures at the dance but I have yet to see any and probably never will. Just know that the girl was cute... Kam was pleased... and they had a fun time.

We did another Johnson Tries:

Here were the results: Southwestern Queso Lay's...meh...too bland. Twinkies Ice Cream...so-so. Hostess Snoball Ice Cream...pretty good. Hostess Cupcake Ice cream...absolutely delicious and is not allowed at our house again. So good!!

Kameron headed out of town with his jazz band and traveled to the University of Idaho for the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival one weekend and that was the same weekend that Ailey headed out of town to our friend's cabin on Lake Pend Oreille for her Young Women's Retreat. So that left Tyler, Bryn and I all alone for the weekend. We crammed it full of fun!! We headed to our favorite local shake, burgers, and fries place for dinner on Friday night and then saw the movie Moana. LOVED IT!!

The next morning we were up bright and early to go the museum to see the Titans of the Ice Age Exhibit. Bryn has been studying dinosaurs and prehistoric animals in school and she absolutely couldn't wait to go!!

Prehistoric Bear...terrifying.

This was a favorite! Identify the prehistoric poop.

The Titans of the Ice Age Exhibit was fun and super interactive. Bryn even got a free fossil. She was thrilled. We walked over to another building and went to the Chris Bovey exhibit. We are big fans! He is a local who does the most amazing artwork...the coolest screenprints of iconic Spokane places and sights. Chris has also been a vendor at vintage shows and I absolutely love his stuff. We have purchased t-shirts and postcards. I really want to get several of his prints. They are so fun and nostalgic and full of love for our beautiful city. He is so talented and we are huge fans. His exhibit is awesome!!

You can check out his website HERE and you can follow him on Instagram @vintagespokane

Picture from the Internet

After that we headed over to one of my very favorite places the Campbell House. This is a historic home that has been kept as it was in 1900. It was the residence of Amasa Campbell and his wife Grace and their daughter Helen. Amasa made his fortune in the mining industry. The Campbell House was built in 1898 by renowned architect Kirtland C. Cutter. It is absolutely beautiful and so cool to walk through. I love the bedrooms, parlor, living room, dining room...the whole house is amazing especially if you love history!!

The sun was actually shining a little even though it was bitter cold!

Then it was time to grab something to eat from one of our favorite restaurants...Yard Bruncheon. It is fabulous. I had the chicken and waffles. My favorite. Tyler had the Irish Benedict. So good. Brynnie had their fantastic Huckleberry Pancakes. The place is amazing!!

Then we had to walk off all that food. The restaurant is in this cool area in Spokane that they are revitalizing. There are now great restaurants, condos, and all kinds of fun businesses in Kendall Yards which once was an area dominated by rail yards. In the 1970s the main rail lines were relocated leaving behind 77 acres of vacant land that had been contaminated by 60 years of railroad activity. The land lay idle for 30 years. Now it is a really cool artsy area that continues to grow every year. The view is spectacular both of downtown Spokane and of the gorgeous Spokane River.

It was so nice to get outside and to BE ABLE to actually walk around and enjoy the outdoors. It feels like we have been holed up for so long. We all have cabin fever. We spent the rest of the day shopping and bumming around downtown. Good times spent with our baby who isn't much of a baby anymore. It is crazy how often we find ourselves down to one child now.

I have also been crazy busy getting ready for this:

It is coming up fast and I have been on the hunt for awesome decor and I have been painting up a storm. Tyler's sister is coming to visit around the same time so I need to get everything done well in advance.

I love my Sisters Creed helpers!! Especially ones who will literally cram pieces of furniture that don't want to fit into our suburban and then will ride home crammed in the back holding onto them. That is a good kid!!

Then THIS happened:

BYU beat the #1 team in the nation...Gonzaga. OH. MY. GOSH. There was more screaming and jumping up and down during this game. We were all hoarse for days afterward. Such a great game!! We are usually Gonzaga fans EXCEPT when they play BYU and this was an absolutely AMAZING game!!

I think we all know who to thank for throwing them off their game!! Ha ha. Plus this picture is just so cool that it deserves a repeat.

This month Ailey had another drill team performance at her school's SMACKDOWN which is the big volleyball game between the students and the teachers. Kameron had multiple jazz gigs. Reilly seems to be plugging along and doing well. I met up with friends a couple of times this month for lunch and once for brunch so that is always fun. February has just chugged along. The snow has made what is normally a month that flies by drag a bit more. This has been one long and bleak winter. Spring has to arrive sometime, right? As of this writing it is March 7th and it is still snowing...literally right now...blizzard. We may need to move to a warmer clime. Not joking.

Book Reviews

Book Reviews

My January reading did not take off in the way that I hoped. I had a huge and pleasing stack of books that I couldn't wait to start reading at the first of January and I just.could.not. get into several of them and that super slowed me down. Annoying. But there were also a few treasures too.

1.) A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I read The Secret Garden when I was in elementary school and I loved it but somehow I wasn't inspired to read more books by the same author. Why?? Was I so busy reading Sweet Valley High? Probably. OH.MY.GOSH!! I love this book so much and I would've loved it in elementary school too. It is darling!

From Goodreads:

Sara Crewe's young but doting father sends her to a London boarding school when she is seven. On her eleventh birthday her life of luxury comes to an abrupt end when she receives news that her father has died, shortly after losing his entire fortune. The school-mistress turns Sara into a servant to pay off her debts, and though Sara uses the entire force of her imagination and her good heart to remember who she is and keep starvation from the door, her life is desperate. Until the past returns in a very unexpected manner...

This book is so charming and so sweet! It is the perfect read aloud book for my daughters. It is magical and just sweeps you away into another world. I loved the character of Sara Crewe. She is fantastic to root for and to admire.  I loved the way that she handled herself despite whatever hardships that life threw at her. I loved that she cared so much for others and wanted to lighten their load. I loved that she shared all that she had even when at times all that she had was her vivid imagination. I can't wait to watch the film adaptions with my girls...the Shirley Temple version and the 90s version.

My Rating: This is a classic for a reason. It was magical and I adored it.

2.) Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

I heard about this book on my favorite podcast...What Should I Read Next?...and was super intrigued. I am not a big sci-fi reader...but I wanted to push myself this year to get a bit more out of my typical reading box and I thought that this book would be the ticket. The plot was intriguing and I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on. I liked the style even if it is a little detached. It is told via interviews and journal entries. My problem was that it took me FOREVER to really get into it. It felt sluggish. By page 100...my usual point of deciding whether or not to keep reading a book...I still wasn't totally convinced. I read another 20 pages and then found myself sucked into the story when the action really began. I was hoping that this would be a stand alone novel but, of course, it wasn't and none of my questions were answered by the end of the book. Frustrating.  I will most likely read the next book in the series because I have questions that I want answered but I don't enjoy being jerked around as a reader with no payoff at the end. I also don't enjoy feeling manipulated to buy the next book. My husband is currently reading this book and as it is a genre that he regularly reads and enjoys I am curious to see how he feels about the book and it's ending.

From Goodreads:

A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand. Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved—its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected. But some can never stop searching for answers.

Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand’s code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history’s most perplexing discovery—and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result prove to be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?


My Rating: I was entertained but I didn't LOVE it and the ending was frustrating.


3.) Celebrity Run-Ins by Kathy Griffin

Don't judge me. Yes, I occasionally read celebrity tell-all books. Whatever. Sometimes you just need a gossipy book about celebrities being obnoxious celebrities especially when you are having a hard time getting into your big stack of more ambitious books and just want a quick light read. This definitely fit the bill. I saw Kathy Griffin talking about her book on TV and discussing her celebrity run-ins one morning and thought that perhaps this fluff would be the antidote to my reading slump. It happened to be available at the library and boom! I read it in an afternoon. Did I love it? No. Kathy Griffin is not my kind of person. But did I guilty pleasure read about all of her celebrity run-ins? Oh yes I did. Will I read more of her books? Depends on my mood.

From Goodreads:

Kathy Griffin’s Celebrity Run-Ins is Kathy’s funny, juicy index of all of the celebrities she has met during her many years in show business, bursting with never-before-told stories.

My Rating: Mostly entertaining and slightly embarrassing to be caught reading.

4.) The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

This is another OH MY GOSH...I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!! This was one of my nighttime classics that I have on my Kindle to read when I can't sleep in the middle of the night. Usually classics are interesting enough so that I am happy to read when I can't sleep but not so thrilling that I can't put them down or fall back to sleep fairly quickly. This book failed the ol' insomnia test. It was too darn good!! I stayed awake for hours at night loving every minute of this story. Move over Emily and Charlotte...Anne is where it's at! This book packs a powerful punch and I loved every minute of it.

The writing is superb. I was surprised by the huge narrative shift a third of the way into the book but that is when the magic happened and I was unable to put the book down. It definitely worked for me!! The characters...particularly Arthur Huntingdon and Helen are interesting and complex. Helen Huntingdon is giving Elizabeth Bennett a run for her money as my favorite heroine from classical literature. I especially loved Anne's unusual and refreshing take on the typical Byronic hero. Arthur Huntingdon is no Mr. Darcy. He is moody, mean-spirited, manipulative and dark. He is definitely not husband material and not sexy at all. The way that Bronte wrote about Arthur and his evolution and their love slowly turning to hate was masterful. The themes that were dealt with in the novel such as: the disintegration of a marriage, abuse, alcoholism, infidelity, betrayal, disillusionment, disgrace, independence, courage, and forgiveness were especially exciting in a novel from this period. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It is not hard to believe that this book was so shocking and caused such a stir in the Victorian era. I love Mary Sinclair's quote about this book:

  "The slamming of Helen Huntingdon's bedroom door against her husband reverberated throughout Victorian England."

When that happened I was like "Go Helen Go!!" I loved it and I cheered!!  The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is considered one of the first feminist novels. Helen Huntingdon is night and day different from Anne's meek and mild Agnes Gray. I couldn't believe that this was the same author of both novels. Wow. Anne Bronte's writing grew by leaps and bounds between her first and second novels. I loved this book!! It is fantastic!!


From Goodreads:

Gilbert Markham is deeply intrigued by Helen Graham, a beautiful and secretive young widow who has moved into nearby Wildfell Hall with her young son. He is quick to offer Helen his friendship, but when her reclusive behavior becomes the subject of local gossip and speculation, Gilbert begins to wonder whether his trust in her has been misplaced. It is only when she allows Gilbert to read her diary that the truth is revealed and the shocking details of her past. Told with great immediacy, combined with wit and irony, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a powerfully involving read.

My Rating: MY FAVORITE BRONTE BOOK!! It is underrated. Everyone should read this fabulous book!!

5.) The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

I am not a big fantasy reader. It is my least favorite genre. The exceptions being the Game of Thrones series, the Narnia series, and the Lord of the Rings series. After that...nothing. It just isn't my thing. But...in trying to broaden my horizons I decided to give fantasy another go. The result: meh. It's still not my thing.

From Goodreads:

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission - to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.  Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own. Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues, and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option - the nature of reality itself is at stake.

I thought that the premise of this book sounded amazing. Librarian spies sent to gather and archive literature from alternate worlds while adventure ensues. I thought that if I could get behind any kind of fantasy this would be it. I thought that the world(s) building was intriguing. I loved the idea of the mysterious interdimensional library that is suspended between worlds and time. I liked the alternate worlds with their varied problems and advancements...whether magical or technological. I loved the secret society of librarian spies. My problem was that after the introduction of all of these wonderfully exciting and mysterious elements...they are dropped without any further information or depth. What?!

The action begins quickly in an alternate London with a steampunk vibe with the librarian spy in pursuit of a rare edition of Grimm's Fairy tales...so far so good. The problem is that the author gives you very little background knowledge of anything... including the main character, Irene, the secret society that she belongs to, and the library itself. THOSE were the interesting parts!! I wanted the author to go back and tell us more so that I could care about Irene, the Library, and her mission. But that never happened and the novel suffers for it. There were so many things that were just touched upon and then dropped. It was annoying.  Plus, I could've done with less magical creatures and elements. This alternate London had magic, immortality, wizards, vampires, werewolves, the Fae, robots, secret societies, dragons, a little Dr. Who, and a whole lot of Sherlock Holmes. Think of all of the typical elements of fantasy and they were all thrown into this story. It was too much!!  The author needed to pick one or two of these elements and stick with them rather than this huge mixed bag of a little of everything.

I thought that the writing was okay but it took awhile for me to get into the book. Everything that I thought was interesting and wanted to know more about was abandoned and everything that I didn't care about was in the forefront. The characters lacked depth and that affected my ability to root for and care about them. There was too much action and not enough substance. I wasn't a fan. This is the first book in a series and I won't be reading any more. Maybe if you love fantasy you will like this book. The reviews are rather mixed from what I have read but this novel just wasn't for me. Disappointing.

My Rating: The premise was good but the execution was not.

6.) Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

I was super psyched to read this book!! It has come so highly recommended from friends, my husband, podcasts, blogs, and goodreads. I couldn't wait to dive into it. (This was another attempt to read more sci-fi which for the record I do enjoy more than fantasy.) To the book's credit...the story takes off like a shot. I was pulled right into the action and I could barely put it down. I read it in less than 24 hours.

From Goodreads:

“Are you happy with your life?” Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.” In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible. Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

This novel was captivating and entertaining. What's not to love about quantum physics and the multiverse?! I loved all of that! The novel was also creepy, mind-bending, scary, and sad. I don't want to say too much because the fun is the ride and trying to figure out what the heck is happening!! I enjoyed it! My husband read this book before me and has been dying to discuss it. I finished the book a little after midnight and HAD to discuss it IMMEDIATELY; which we did. The only downside is that I didn't love the last 1/4 of the book. It got a little sluggish and I didn't love the direction that it took but it was still a gripping, exciting, and crazy read. The ending was satisfying which is always nice. But reading this book sent me off down an Internet rabbit hole of quantum physics, the multiverse, superposition, Schrodinger's cat, and wave function. Good times! This would be a great book for a book club to discuss. Because you WILL want/need to talk about it with someone.

My Rating: A suspenseful, twisty. mind-bending thrill ride.



(So, to quote my favorite bookish podcast...What Should I Read Next? After a month and a half of broadening my horizons with the classics, sci-fi, and fantasy I think I've had enough for awhile.  Bring on the historical fiction please!)

January 2017: Things I Am Loving

January: Things I Am Loving

1.) Faux Fur

I mentioned my embracing of faux fur in my last post. You guys, I am all in. I LOVE IT!! It is awesome for winter. I purchased a large luxurious faux fur throw blanket before Christmas that matched my living room Christmas decor and completely fell in love with it. I purchased it purely for style and then found myself constantly snuggled up in it. I ended up purchasing another one for Tyler because he loved it too. They are the first blankets to go when it is a movie night at our house. Then because I loved our blankets so much I also purchased some faux fur pillows for our couch after the holidays. I needed something to glam up our living room after the tree and holiday decorations were gone. It has given our living room such a warm and luxe feeling. Now the faux fur has spilled into our bedrooms too. It's addictive.  Ailey even spent some of her babysitting money on a faux fur pillow for her bed. Ha ha!!


2.) Twinkle Lights

Both the faux fur and twinkle lights have been awesome at helping me get through the January blahs. After the holidays were over and I took down all of the Christmas lights our house felt so dark. Night comes early here with sunset occurring at 3:30 pm and full dark by 4 pm. (I am happy to say that now is isn't dark until a little after 4:30. Hooray! Progress.) I wanted/needed to have a little more light in our bedroom even though I already have two lamps and an overhead light in there. So I dug into my Sisters Creed stash of display items and grabbed a strand of white twinkle lights. I looped them around the headboard of our bed. Surprisingly, I really loved it. Tyler did too. They won't be permanent but now instead of bemoaning that it is already dark outside I think "Yay! I can turn on my twinkle lights!!" It has been so cheery.  It has also made our bedroom such a nice little haven. I love it!

3.) The Happier Podcast with Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft

This podcast has come highly recommended to me from several sources. I wasn't really too enthused about listening to it though because I TRIED to read Gretchen Rubin's book The Happiness Project and ABANDONED IT. A lot of people really love that book but I was bored and I couldn't relate to her. I felt that it was too analytical and dull. I got bogged down in the details. So I just had to move on and I very rarely do that. I feel too much of a sense of accomplishment completing a book that I will complete a book that I hate just to finish it. But I couldn't get through that book. I had to just give up halfway through. So, I wasn't too eager to listen to a podcast of more of the same... BUT... I was very pleasantly surprised!! I really enjoyed it.

Gretchen Rubin (a writer about habits, happiness, and human nature who lives in New York City) does the podcast with her sister Elizabeth Craft (a TV writer who lives in LA.) The dynamic is great! They are opposites and listening to them talk and be all sistery is very enjoyable. They also grew up in Kansas City and I used to live in KC, that is where I went to high school, so I particularly enjoy the references to all things KC.  I have also found many of their bite-sized "try this at home" pieces of wisdom for being happier and getting the most out of life quite helpful. Many of their podcast episodes are quite thought-provoking and I have found myself talking about things that I have learned to others. Some topics I will probably talk about on my blog because I think they are so interesting. So there you go. If you need another podcast in your life...this is a good one!!

4.) Sweaters

I'm not a real sweater girl. I don't like things that are bulky or baggy or worse...itchy. So sweaters aren't my favorite. But I have purchased more sweaters this winter than I have in the last ten years!! That's because it has been so arctic cold!! I don't leave my house without a big warm sweater, boots, a scarf, big puffy coat, and gloves. I now have a whole shelf full of sweaters.


5.) The Love Boat Reruns

I loved watching The Love Boat as a kid. It always came on when my parents were out and we had our favorite babysitter, Andy (short for Andrea). Andy would make sure that my siblings were in bed early and then she would let me stay up late, eat treats with her usually danish dessert cooked on the stove top, tell me all about her glam high school life, and let me watch The Love Boat and Fantasy Island with her. Although I was not a fan of Fantasy Island. That show freaked me out. But usually if it was particularly scary Andy would turn it off and we would prank call the boys that she liked. Andy was awesome!! She was also the babysitter who loaned me her copy of The Outsiders and then took me to the movie with she and her high school friends. Andy would always let me stay up until my parents pulled into the driveway and then I would run to my room and dive into bed. Andy and I both loved The Love Boat. We thought Isaac the bartender was by far the cutest guy on the show and couldn't figure out why weird Doc was considered the "ladies man". (I still don't get it.) Imagine my joy when I discovered Love Boat reruns...and even better...Love Boat rerun marathons. Between coats of paint for Bryn's room and other projects we have watched many many episodes this month at our house. It's so funny and more racy than I remembered!!

January 2017

January 2017

January is the Monday of the months. It is my least favorite. We have ten tons of snow and I want it all gone. I am so sick of it. I am sick of icy roads. I am sick of being cold. I am done. I want summer and sunshine and HEAT!! Thank goodness February with its Valentine cheer is almost here. Plus, I love that February is a short month and after it's over it is March and March means that spring is on the way and that summer is finally a glorious light at the end of a cold dark tunnel. At this time of the year I need to do things that are going to keep me active and keep my spirits up. So...back to January...

Which finds me....drinking protein shakes, green smoothies, and LOTS of water!! It has been a time to get back on track, health and fitness-wise, after the holiday splurge. The good news is that Tyler FINALLY joined my gym after years of me telling him how FUN it would be to work out together!! (He previously worked out at the gym at his office.)

See? Doesn't he look joyful!?

Kameron has a membership at the same gym so when the stars align all three of us can go together. These guys have really upped my workout game. One of my goals for 2017 was to start hitting the weights MUCH harder and do a lot more weight lifting and strength training. I love working out with them! They totally push me. Plus, I love watching the competitive action between both of them. The young pup trying to out lift the old dog and the old dog trying to keep the young pup in his place. Ha ha!! It is hilarious and doing them both good.

We have also been eating healthy this month and trying to get more sleep. I was listening to a podcast where they talked about setting an alarm at night for your own "bedtime". I have been doing this and it has been great! I set the alarm to go off a half hour before I truly want to be in bed. That alerts me to start winding things down and to do anything that needs to be done before morning. It also gets me moving toward my nighttime make-up removal/face washing/exfoliating/moisturizing routine. (It is getting longer every year.) This has also had a positive impact on Tyler. He is a total night owl but still gets up super early in the morning for work so this has been good for him too. When he sees me start the whole nighttime routine he just naturally starts doing it too. It has been great to get to bed earlier and to try to get a full eight hours of sleep.

In January I also try my hardest to stay cozy. I usually save TV shows to binge, movies to watch, podcasts to listen to, and stacks of books to read for this purpose. I like to read wrapped up in my cozy heated blanket while drinking hot chocolate. I like to tell myself that January is a restful TREAT. (Some years it works and some years it doesn't.) I was a practitioner of the Danish concept hygge before hygge was hip and trendy, actually for about the last 15 years. It was very helpful when I moved to Spokane and was effective in helping me deal with my seasonal affective disorder that hit me like a ton of bricks when I moved to Washington. Now hygge is all over Pinterest, Instagram, and blogs. My mom even group texted my siblings and I at the first of the month and said that she was "embracing the Danish spirit of hygge". I had to laugh. That is how trendy it is. But I do believe that there is something to it. In January I love to light candles. Anything to bring in more light. I also keep lamps on during the day if it is particularly gloomy. I use my scentsy a lot. Good smells...especially citrus or mint seem to help me too. This month I was all about the faux fur. More on that later. But having really fluffy and cozy things around to snuggle up with helped a great deal.

Date nights also battle the January blahs for me. December is always so full of social events with friends and family and so crazy busy that in January I like it to be a little more low key. But date nights are the exception. That said, our January date nights are usually some of our best. Tyler and I rotate being in charge of date night each month. This month Tyler was in charge which means he got to pick out what we did on our date. Sometimes it's a movie or going to an event. But usually we go out to eat and then go do something else. The person in charge of date night picks where we get to eat and what we do for our activity. We also made a goal as a couple to have more "interesting" date nights. Something beside eating and more eating. This month Tyler has been knocking it out of the park!! Our most interesting activity this month was after going out to dinner at our new favorite Vietnamese restaurant for pho (We are all about the pho right now) we headed downtown to our local bookstore.

While we were there browsing around, the bookstore announced that the Three Minute Mike night for poetry was about to start. I love poetry so of course we sat down!! We were enthralled (mainly me) listening to random people get up and read their poems. Some of the poetry that was read was extremely touching, some hilarious, some sexual, some angry political, and some just flat out bizarre poems were read. It was awesome!! It was people watching at its finest. We both were touched to see the vulnerability and candidness of the poets. A gruff shy old man read his touching poem about driving through Spokane in his youth and missing his parents who are dead, a nondescript man read a racy poem about his love for his wife, an angry millenial read an angry poem about political issues, a young African American teen in hip hop swag got up and read an absolutely beautiful poem about love and life, there was a funny poem about chickens, and then the best... a mild mannered elderly man read his poem about vaginas. Ha! It was definitely a night to remember!! We have been talking and laughing about that night all month!!

I have also been in a super organization mode. It has been a time to clean and dejunk. It is such a glorious feeling to get rid of stuff that we no longer use, wear, or want. It is so freeing. It reminded me of the yard sale that Stacey, Kelley, and I had last summer. My favorite part of the whole day was the last hour where we gave everything away for free. It was the best!! I also tackled the herculean task of organizing our huge filing cabinet. That had been looming over me for over a year. We got rid of so much paper. So many things that were filed from years and years ago.Tyler shredded garbage bags full of old paperwork. You don't even know the joy that brought me to get that done!! Now I just need to file all the current paperwork that is in a huge stack downstairs. Baby steps...

January is also a month that is very slow for me with my business. It's a nice break. We have been using the time to do a bunch of projects around our house. Our biggest project thus far was redoing Bryn's bedroom. It needed it so badly!! In the great bedroom shuffle that occurred when Reilly moved out, Kameron took over Reilly's room, Ailey moved into Kameron's room, and Bryn just stayed put. During that process we helped Reilly find cute things to decorate her new room in her apartment, we redid Reilly's old room for Kameron, and we redid Kameron's old room for Ailey. But Bryn's room just stayed in same old state. Finally something had to be done. We tackled it this month. Goodbye bubble gum pink. We painted the room bright pink for Reilly when we moved into our house 13 years ago!! Reilly was in 1st grade. We haven't repainted it since. When Reilly moved to her room downstairs; Ailey and Bryn wanted to keep it pink.

Bryn decided that she was ready for a color change. Tyler and I took her to Home Depot to pick out her paint color. She picked out a light gray. (A girl after my own heart.)  Her gray sometimes looks like a silvery light blue in certain light. It is very pretty. We also repainted her trim. She got a new bed, new bedding, and a new nightstand. (All but the bedding courtesy of my Sisters Creed stash. :) We hung up a chandelier. Tyler replaced all of the electrical outlets in her room and removed her damaged closet doors. Her room is partially done now and it already looks fantastic. We are still working on changing the blinds, the flooring, and putting in new closet doors. I am excited to see how it all turns out. Some of her bedroom decor with stay and some will go. It is evolving.

Mid-process

Phase one 

We did have to say goodbye to our height chart behind her closet door. Years ago the kids were supposed to do this on the piece of trim but they just kept recording their heights on the wall. In sharpie I might add!! We just had to paint over it and so we did. It was painful and I had to force myself not to be super sentimental about it.

I also sent in my sample to find out my ancestry DNA. I am SUPER excited about that!! I can't wait. My results should be in anytime now. I got a notice several weeks ago that my sample had been received and was being processed. I got another email saying that I should hear back soon. I check my email like 50 times a day. I am so curious!!

Brynnie had her Eight is Great breakfast the morning of stake conference. This was a very big deal for her and she was so excited. This is the meeting/breakfast where all the kids in our stake who are turning eight get to come and hear all about how their baptism will go and all about activity days for the girls and cub scouts for the boys. Bryn was super jazzed to go and she loved every minute!! She also got this cute framed quote of a Primary song about baptism that she has in her room. I can't believe our baby Brynnie is getting baptized this year!!!

Tyler spoke at church in sacrament meeting. His topic was Getting the Most Out of Sacrament Meeting. He gave a great talk!! I think I might start posting our talks (when we have to give them) on the ol'blog. Why not? Where else am I going to put them? I AM NOT GOING TO FILE THEM!! Ha ha!! It was fun for Tyler and I to talk about the subject together and reminisce about the different stages and phases of our lives and how we sometimes survived (barely) and sometimes thrived during sacrament meeting. He included several of those memories. So funny.

Bryn drew this picture of Tyler while he was actually speaking! Ha ha! Yep, very accurate.

Kameron had a busy month. He has continued with and FINALLY concluded drivers ed. It took over our lives. He had drivers ed from 6pm to 8:30pm Tue, Wed, and Thurs. nights.  Then on Mondays and Fridays he had drives with his instructor. So yeah...that's 5 days a week!! Too much. We have also had absolutely terrible weather here. Super slick icy roads and snow and fog. On the drive that I was most dreading him doing...the infamous 2 hour freeway drive... we, of course, had freezing rain. Did they cancel? No. He drove. I was panicked for 2 hours straight. Maybe it is a good thing that he is learning to drive in such dreadful conditions. I am just glad that it is over except for the fact that he still has to take the written test and has to drive with his learners permit for another 6 months and log a bunch of driving hours before he can go and get his actual license. He is extremely annoyed by this and likes to blame his loving parents that he will be 16 1/2 before he gets his license as though we are to blame for his summer of a million camps and all of his sports that drivers ed DOES NOT work around.

Kameron also went in for his yearly physical and got a PT referral for his knees. Running is a rough sport. I don't think he will be running track this spring. His friend, Dallin, is also currently going to PT for his knees and ankles due to XC and track. (They were not on the same team.) I thought that kids would be less likely to be injured running than in other sports. I guess not. Kam has also been busy nearly every weekend playing in Pep Band at the home basketball games. He absolutely loves it. He loves band so much. Maybe he should stick with music rather than sports.

Ailey has been very busy as well. She has been going full force with drill team. They practiced a bunch to perform at the half time show for the boys basketball team. Tyler and I took Bryn and Elle to watch part of the game and to see Ailey perform. I thought that the little girls might be bored during the basketball game but those two girls had a ball!! They sat right on the front row of the bleachers and were yelling and screaming and cheering their hearts out for our middle school boys basketball team and THEN when the drill team came out to perform they nearly lost their minds with joy. Ailey was bummed that they didn't get to wear their cheerleader outfits to perform. (That was always Reilly's favorite part!) Ha ha. Also their drill team t-shirts didn't come in in time so they all just had to wear a school shirt. Ailey was not pleased about that and she didn't like the song they were dancing to (The Spice Girls...Spice Up Your Life. I don't blame her) but they did get their poms and that made up for everything!! :)

Ailey's biggest fans!!

Ailey also sang at stake conference with the stake youth choir and did a fantastic job. She also sang in a musical number in sacrament meeting with the YW the day that Tyler spoke. In addition, she did a great job speaking at New Beginnings which is the meeting for girls and parents of all the incoming YW for the year. It has been so fun to see Ailey bloom from being such a shy little girl to this confident and talented preteen. Ailey and Kam also took a CPR course last Saturday. A good idea now that Ailey is babysitting for other people.

We also had the pleasure of attending not one not two but three baptisms this month. It was great for Bryn to get to go to all of these baptisms and to get prepared and excited for her own. She is getting baptized in May.

Reilly is doing well in Utah. She decided that being a hair stylist is not for her. She had been dragging out finishing, switched to night school, and then switched to part-time. She is now taking a brief hiatus and is getting things lined up to apply to an aesthetician school in Provo. She is much more interested in doing things like hair extensions, eyelash extensions, microblading, facials etc. She would like to work in a dermatologist's office. My dermatologist has three great aestheticians that work for her in her office. So at this point Reilly is working full time and getting all of her ducks in a row.

What haven't I been doing this month? Reading. It is shocking since I was super prepared with a big stack of books that I have been wanting to read all lined up for January. I just can't seem to get into any of them!! Annoying. The one book that I AM totally into is my insomnia night-time classic book. I haven't had much insomnia this month so I am dying to just keep reading my classic during the day BUT I am restraining myself. The book is The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. I am LOVING it!!

That's about it for January. Onto February...