Letters from Home – Page 130 – A blog by Angela Ross

2016 Book Reviews

Here are my mini-reviews of the books that I read in 2016.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey (I prefer the original Jane Eyre to this retelling, set in the 1950’s and 60’s.)
The Book of Mormon (It’s a winner 😉 )
Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini (Meh.)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Couldn’t put it down)
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown (Well written!)
Jesus Christ and the World of the New Testament by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Eric D. Huntsman, and Thomas A. Wayment (This was a 5 1/2 month study. I am so slow at this, but this was a good resource book for the New Testament.)
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (Loved it.)
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (Recommended for adult readers. Lots of strong language and an explicit attempted rape. This book explored the life of an elderly immigrant, sharing her story with a troubled teen.)
Somewhere Safe with Someone Good by Jan Karon (I have always loved Father Tim but I miss the old characters who have died.)
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (Worth the length.)
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (I mostly liked this.)
Dressing Your Truth by Carol Tuttle (The author is a salesperson trying to get you to buy her program. Her approach to fashion is an interesting combination of psychology, energy levels, and physical features. I am very much a Type 4.)
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (Very typical Thomas Hardy: a flawed heroine and a simple, honorable man; strong imagery, tragedy, but a happy ending. I liked it.)
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande (Everyone should read this. Everyone.)
The Power of Everyday Missionaries by Clayton M. Christensen (Very good.)
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (Worldly, not recommended)
Seven Women and the Secret to their Greatness by Eric Metaxas (a second reading; for inspiration)
An Invisible Thread: The True story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny by Laura Shroff and Alex Tresniowski (Warm and fuzzy but also some tough realities.)
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson (So British, with some true satire. I loved the main character.)
The Book of Mormon (Just keep reading, just keep reading…)
As Iron Sharpens Iron: Listening to the Various Voices of Scripture edited by Julie M. Smith (I took my time on this one. I truly enjoyed the mental and spiritual exercise. My two favorite dialogues were between Nephi and Joseph, and Luke and Mark.)

Life’s work

img_20170104_134800 — We went sledding today for P.E.

Each morning I get up to say goodbye to two of my boys as they go to school. I don’t love that part of my day. I clean the kitchen and wake up Mark, and home school begins.

I have no amazing educational activities to post, but I teach him every day. He reads a lot; I read to him. There are library trips where we fill the book bag until it is so heavy that I can hardly carry it. We talk as he does math problems and I let him doodle on his assignments. I ask him to write essays and book reports, label maps, and write history summaries. There are drawings, diagrams, and charts for science. Some grammar exercises are really difficult for me, and I don’t have a teacher’s edition. In fact, I erase Paige’s old 5th grade workbook so Mark can reuse it, one or two pages each day. There are spelling words to learn and cursive handwriting to practice. Sometimes he has a terrible attitude about writing. Some days it takes hours to do what should take 20 minutes. Sometimes I fall asleep when I am reading aloud to him or I get a phone call from someone who is upset and I ignore him for 20 minutes. We take a break from each other at lunch time.

We have this whole school life that no one really acknowledges. Even I don’t talk or write about it most of the time. But it’s my life’s work, however unseen and unrecognized. We simply sit in the basement, surrounded by books and colored pencils, studying and writing.

Today I remind myself that the small, consistent efforts in life are the the most real, because they make us who we are.

Dancing into the New Year

This little movie was part of our family Christmas video for the year. We give a nod to some of our activities from 2016, such as scouting, scuba diving, ballroom dance, and music. We hope it makes you smile. Happy New Year!

2016 Quilt

I kept a big secret this year, a quilt I have been working on since January. I took part in a “Block of the Month” opportunity in my neighborhood quilt group. Each month, we learned techniques to make a new square. I decided to sew two of each and make a quilt for Paige. I learned a lot, and it was a big challenge. Every month when I would complete my squares, I wished I could share them with you. I would hide the fabrics and all evidence of my project whenever Paige would visit. I finished the quilt in time to give it to her for Christmas. Here is how it turned out:

It is a twin size quilt, cheery and bright. I chose each fabric with Paige’s tastes in mind, although my penchant for red might have won out just a little. There are several 1930’s fabric reproductions mixed with some more modern prints. My friend Kaye did the machine quilting. Sarah took a picture of me at the family cabin when I was binding it. My sister Susan joined me in my final efforts.

I have learned that no one has time to quilt. If it makes you happy, you must make time to do it. I have learned a lot from the neighborhood quilting ladies, not just about sewing, but about life, generosity, and work. It was a good year.

Time to read again

I have been cleaning up the Christmas mess and neglected corners. This is a collection of the books I found today, in various stages of reading, throughout the house. It’s been a full few months.

One thing I love about the week after Christmas is that I can start catching up on regular life. The books, the routines, and the basic meals are a comfort. I take time to assess what happened during the year. With the sorting of gifts and cards, clothing and books, I see where we have been and where I want to go. I certainly want to finish most of these books this week. Wish me luck!

Christmas Music Performances

Christmas Eve 2016

Here we are throwing objects at Samuel and climbing the wall to get Samuel, who does not get injured at this time. You seemed a bit worried.

No arrows or stones could harm the prophet Samuel.

This little nephew showed the best concert etiquette as I played.

My sister-in-law Care made the clothes. Every detail is amazing on them.

Christmas doll

This is the first doll that someone has requested from me. The woman who asked me to make it received one of my dolls almost two years ago. She called me one week before Christmas to make this for a mother who has lost two children to suicide. I can’t think of a better reason to skip baking and outdoor decorating, two things that were irritating me because they weren’t finished. Obviously these thoughts were just begging for a dose of perspective.

The music still came together for Sunday’s piano-violin duet; I still had time to see Daniel’s performances at Temple Square. Time seemed to expand for this little miracle doll to be created in less than a week, for someone I will probably never meet. This opportunity has made my Christmas feel extra special this year.

Assembly Hall concert

Daniel’s choir performed at the Assembly Hall at Temple Square. The music was inspiring and beautiful. Daniel accompanied the choir on the piano for I Saw Three Ships arranged by Mack Wilberg on a Steinway. He loved that piano!
My cousin came and she brought my Great-uncle Dwight. I was so touched that both of them came.

When was the last time you got a long letter in the mail? Here’s one. (Sort of.)

Dear Friend,

How are you? Have you had your first winter cold yet? I won’t ask you if your Christmas gifts are all ready, but I will ask, what are you loving about your Christmas celebration this year? I am adding more lights everywhere and asking my boys to cook with me almost every night.

Richard went with the youth last night to see the lights at Temple Square and everyone was thankful for the heated parking lot across the street.

On Monday night we held Sloth Family Home Evening. One boy just stared blankly at the wall when we asked him questions. I looked around the room and we were all slumped over in our chairs. We are working on helping our boys articulate the things they learn and spiritual impressions they have as we watch General Conference talks each week. Some weeks we have great answers. This week it was painful. I think that the cold that we’ve passed around to one another has affected our morale.

We watched Elder Andersen’s talk about sharing the gospel. As I watched, an uncomfortable feeling came that I should share a recent blog post on social media, so I did. You know how I don’t like public comments about my writing, so this was not a fun thing. Richard saw my grimace as I hovered over the “post” button and asked what was wrong. It was not a perfect post I was sharing, and not really developed, and it didn’t have the perfect ending. There was no photo. But I told people that the Savior loved them in it. Some people have reached out to me because of it on social media and elsewhere, and the discussion has developed in many directions, from funny stories about the kids, health, service, and avoiding comparisons with other mothers.

Have you tried the little battery-powered LED lights? They have the tiniest wires so you hardly see them wrapped around things. I have seen them used in centerpieces and wreaths. I have some wrapped around some pine cones down the center of my table that my friend Charlene collected and spray painted gold as a Christmas gift for me. It is really pretty.

My Aunt Jeanne sent me some photos of my grandmother who passed away earlier this year. I framed one of them. She is holding me near a Christmas tree and I am about three years old. I love it!

Today there is a party with my quilt group. There will be food and some of my favorite people there. I’m really looking forward to that. Also, since December is so busy, I have canceled all Relief Society presidency meetings and all we are doing is visiting sisters. Tonight we are stopping by 8 houses. This is one of my favorite memories from last Christmas in Relief Society, the marathon delivery nights where we stopped in just for a few minutes at each house to spread some cheer.

Our annual Christmas video production is underway. Instead of a lip sync, we DANCED! The same boy that stared blankly at the wall when we asked him questions on Monday, stared blankly at the wall when we told him it was time to dance. But then we blasted the music and even the blank stare child danced, danced, danced. Richard and I aged about 5 years during the filming, but it’s going to be worth it. Yes, I think it will be worth it. I hope it will. It better be.

I found the perfect Christmas card, but the store only had 30 of them. If you want one, tell me on Facebook. Just kidding. I really dislike that trend of making people ask you for invitations to events through Facebook. Addresses aren’t that hard to find. It’s not a deal breaker for me, though. Sometimes we do what we have to do. And sometimes we have to use Facebook.

Mark and I are studying the tensions over religion in Europe during the 1600’s-1700’s. In a recent essay he wrote, “James II was a Catholic. *GASP!*” and I probably laughed out loud. He is writing an essay this week about the things he would do to improve our house. He thinks we should raise the ceilings, paint his room, and make everything bigger! He obviously doesn’t have to vacuum the house often enough.

1-dsc_2648 — The crowning of James I. Long live Lego history projects!

Daniel and I are working on the Piano Guy’s arrangement of O Come O Come Emmanuel for church on the 18th. Our friends are returning from their mission and speaking in church that day. I realized that I played at their “farewell” sacrament meeting, too. What are the odds of that?

I should be sewing, but my fingers are sore. My Christmas gifts are almost ready, but I have to pace myself.

Timothy’s 14th birthday is coming soon. All he wants is to go to the opening night of Rogue One. Richard took him to the midnight premier of the Star Wars movie last year and apparently, it was life-changing for Tim.

Paige is in her last day of classes before finals. How quickly the semester goes when you’re not the one in classes. We are looking forward to having her home.

I wish you the best of days. Let me know how you are doing.

Love,