I’m listening to Simply Convial with Misty Winkler. Searching “Menu” and “meal” and listening to all of them. 😆 Very excited to figure this out.

Made some ginger shots to help support our immune systems this winter! I bought little glass vials from Amazon. Recipe makes 12 servings.

200g ginger

1-2 apples, 2-3tbsps honey for taste

2.5c water

Juice of 6-7 lemons

Turmeric & curcumin (to taste or 2 tbsps each)

Blend, strain with a muslin cloth and pour!

Today we are starting Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien. If you haven’t watched the movie “Tolkien”, I highly recommend it. Tolkien’s family said it’s a pretty accurate portrayal of his life, other than they left out a lot about his faith *eye roll*. We will be taking the rest of the year to read this book, so take as much time as you like working through it and update us here on your thoughts and things you’re enjoying!

We will be starting Frankenstein tomorrow (September 3).

*Fun Fact: Frankenstein is not the Monster, Victor Frankenstein is the name of the doctor who created the Monster.

Frankenstein was written in 1818 (just after the American Revolution, which is wild to think about) by Mary Shelley. As you can guess, anyone who could write something like Frankenstein was a deeply troubled soul. Let’s start with Shelley’s parents, Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin. Wollstonecraft has often been crowned as the first feminist *yikes* and William Godwin was equally as radical, being a huge proponent of moral and sexual revolution. Wollstonecraft died eleven days after the birth of Mary and Mary was left to her father and two half sisters.

You’ll recall Godwin was a radical and was, therefore, used to having passionate young men dote after and study under him. But one (married) man took a special interest in Godwin’s work, becoming a patron and eventually leaving his pregnant wife to move in with Godwin’s family. This man was Percy Bysshe Shelley and as you may have guessed from the surname, he eventually became romantically involved with Mary. Mary and her younger sister, Claire, left home with Shelley, causing their father’s turmoil and Shelley’s wife to commit suicide. Rather ironic that Godwin was upset by his daughter’s… sexual and moral behavior. Hm. Just goes to show, we are all catechizing our children.

In 1816, Mary birthed a daughter who died days later. Claire, Mary, and Percy joined poet Lord Byron and it was during their time together that Mary wrote Frankenstein. It was also during this time that Mary’s other sister, Fanny, committed suicide. In 1818 Frankenstein was published, anonymously.

Over the next few years, Mary and Percy lost two more children and Mary was widowed at 24 when Percy died at sea. Mary wrote three other books which were not published until after her death (brain cancer) at the age of 53.

So, as we can see, Mary had a sunny life and was all around a solid lady. *Sarcasm*

This week let’s try to make it through the introduction, preface, and Letters 1-4. If that’s too much, we’ll slow down for next week. I have the Canon Classics version of this book so I’ll be dropping great questions and insights from the author of the Worldview Guide, Jake McAtee. The above information on Mary’s life was also gathered from the Worldview Guide.

Hey ladies! Hope you’re all having a great summer! We are set to start L’Abri by Edith Schaeffer this Sunday (9th), so if you’re joining in, make sure you have your copy. In the next couple days I will post a short bio on Schaeffer and chapter assignments for the week. Can’t wait to dig into this one with you all 😊

We’re starting The Sinking City this week! It’s such a great book and I can’t wait to see what you all think. It’s a fun, quick read so if you get behind it’s very easy to catch up. Let’s read chapters 1-4 this week and see how that goes 😊

Christine Cohen is a Christian author living in Moscow, ID with her husband and three kids. She is the director of the MFA program at New Saint Andrews College. She posts great book recommendations on Instagram and also funny memes 😆 Christine also has a book, The Winter King, that is a great read.

Here is the link for The River, if you don’t have a book. https://www.doxaweb.com/assets/The_River.pdf

I’ll get a short bio up and some thoughts/questions for discussion!

Monday we are starting Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham. Here is a short bio on Mr. Baucham.

Voddie Baucham was born in America in 1969 and raised in a non-Christian, single parent home. He did not hear the gospel until he was a college student but has since gone on to earn an M. Div. and D. Min. In 1989 he married his wife Bridget and together they have nine children and three grandchildren. Mr. Baucham is now Dean of the School of Divinity at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia. (All of this info was found on his website.)

Happy New Year, ladies! I’m so excited for a new year of book club! We are starting Little Women tomorrow and will shoot for 2-3 chapters each week. Below I’m going to include a brief background on the author of Little Women. I got the info from britannica.com and think it will be helpful in better understanding this work.

Louisa May Alcott

Louisa was born in 1832, died in 1888, and lived in New England her whole life.

Her parents were transcendentalists, believing that humans are, at their core, good and self-reliant. They believed society could corrupt people but overall, people are good. Her father helped begin a “utopian community” called Fruitlands, that failed. Louisa’s father did not provide well for his family and so she started working and writing to help care for her mother and four siblings. She never married and was always loyal to her family, caring for them and providing for them, despite her own poor health.

Little Women is her most famous book, along with its sequels but she also published a number of other poems, books, and short stories throughout her life.

I am SO excited to share our tentative 2023 book club schedule!! We will shoot for these dates, and if we find we need to take it slower or faster, we’ll adjust from there. I have loved reading with you ladies this past year and am looking forward to 2023!

*I will link below the PG Wodehouse and Flannery O’Connor books we will use*

Merry Christmas, ladies! We’re starting Christmas Carol today 😊 Can’t wait to dig in and hear how you all are enjoying it!

I started a few days early and boy are we in for a trip. I’m already audibly scoffing and sassing at the state of public education 😂 Can’t wait to get into this with you ladies!

We’re taking the next two weeks to read this short little book! Who is already running out of room in their Christmas present hiding closet? 🙋🏻‍♀️🙈

Ask anything! Anyone feel free to give input. ✏️

I made up a batch of garlic salve today for a sick kiddo so I thought I would share! Garlic is one of nature’s antibiotics so I always make some to slather on the chest, back and feet of my littles ones when they are sick. They smell like a roast chicken for the day but it seems to help them kick sickness.

crush a few cloves of garlic, mix in coconut oil until smooth and rub on.

A few things to keep in mind while reading this week:

• This short story was published in 1892

• Pay close attention to descriptions and details of the setting

• Character development (how are the main character’s actions, thoughts, etc. changing as the story goes on)

• It’s ok for us to admit that in the past, we may not have known how to best handle mental health, without being woke feminists 😆

I am looking to buy some elderberry syrup to keep on hand, but the ones that I keep finding look pretty questionable or have junk ingredients. Any recommendations? Also, while we are at it, how exactly do you all use it in your homes?

We’re starting Book 2 this week! Chapters 1 & 2 😊 How’s it going so far?!

This is our last week of Fellowship of the Ring! Are you all finished? How was it?! I’m still behind but plodding through and have a goal to finish by the end of the year. Anyone have final thoughts, insights, etc? 😊

Sunday we will start reading Yellow Wallpaper! I can’t wait for the discussion on this one. Here is the link to read it for free, or if you have any sort of American lit anthology or text book, it’s most likely in there 😊https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/theliteratureofprescription/exhibitionAssets/digitalDocs/The-Yellow-Wall-Paper.pdfhttps://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/theliteratureofprescription/exhibitionAssets/digitalDocs/The-Yellow-Wall-Paper.pdf

Lexy and I were chatting today about getting the medicine cabinet stocked in preparations for the season ahead. What do you like to keep on hand?

We love Sophie Mouse! I started these as a read-aloud with Anabelle when she was 3 or 4. They are lovely, whimsical little books. They have very short chapters and a picture on each page so they make great read-alouds or first chapter books for early readers 😊

Hey ladies!

This week, let’s read chapters 5 & 6.

Next week will be 7 & 8.

The week of the 18th we’ll finish up with chapters 9 & 10.

Keep us updated on all your thoughts and favorites parts 😉

We are continuing on with chapters 3 and 4 this week 😊 I am still trailing along behind you all I’m sure I won’t finish on time but my goal is to finish it this year 😂 Love seeing everyone’s comments and feedback!

Here is our schedule for the foreseeable future, in case you want to start looking for books 😊 You do not need to buy The Yellow Wallpaper.

Hope your reading is going well ladies ❤️ I am slowly but surely catching up! Let’s finish out book 1 (chapters 11-12) this week 😊

Happy Sabbath ladies ❤️ Let’s read chapters 9 & 10 this week! Is anyone else falling way behind? 😂 I am listening on Audible and I love the book! But for some reason I just can’t get more than 10 minutes at a time done 😬 Jordan and I have had the discussion a few times about the genres we struggle with and apparently fantasy is mine. I really love it, I just drag through it for some reason. I have been “reading” The Princess and Curdie since last year and still haven’t finished it 😂

I read The Hobbit several years ago and admittedly didn’t get into it. I was glad when I was done. I was hesitant to pick up The fellowship of the ring but I’m glad I did! I am very into it. I couldn’t stop on this week’s reading and am already ahead. I don’t know if it’s me that’s changed or it was Tolken’s writing that’s grasped my interest. Maybe both and more. But either way, I’m enjoying it! Glad I got in on this book.

When are you ladies starting school? 😊 We start Monday and we’re all so excited!

I want to go to Bilbo’s eleventy-first birthday party!! Seriously sounds like a blast. Some of the Hobbits remind me of the annoying teenagers at a family get together, just staring at their phones and dreading any older family member telling them stories 😂 I can relate more to Sam, wanting to sit and listen to Bilbo’s stories. For this next week, lets read chapters 3-7 😊

Happy Sunday, ladies!!

Sorry I have been MIA this past week, we were out of town. I over assigned last week so let’s take it slow and read chapter 8 this week. That will will give us all a chance to catch up, as I know most of us are starting our school year tomorrow!

Happy reading 😊

Oh I have an idea! Let’s share our favorite non-toxic cleaning products and what we use them for. 😬🤓

On our way to and from eckerts in Belleville we listened to the first three chapters because when I stopped it after ch. 2 Sawyer said hey why did you stop it?? So we kept listening haha

LOTR

Chapter 2

“I wish it need not have happened in my time.” Said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf. “And so do all who live to see such times. But it is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

Such a good inspirational line from Gandalf. No use wasting time wishing it wasn’t you Frodo. Instead, how are you gonna handle it. 👏🏻 I really like this whole second chapter and their fireside chat where Gandalf explain everything he’s learned about the ring over the last years. I can already tell I’m going to Love Sam. Loyalty! It’s a virtue not seen much in our day but boy is it a beautiful thing.

You should feel the addiction in Bilbo’s voice as he was trying to leave the ring for Frodo. As he spoke with Gandolf, getting angry, accusing him, then again wanting to leave it but seeing it have such a clutch on him

Loving the section where Bilbo’s parting gifts are given out. He’s funny and clever and thoughtful. Again, reading Tolkien is like watching a movie.

We are starting The Fellowship of the Ring today (July 17)!! The chapters are long so let’s start with the first two this week 😊 Give us all your thoughts and comments! Each Saturday I will post a few discussion questions for us. I’m so excited and hope you all enjoy this community 😊

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I’m so excited to start fellowship of the ring today. Token’s writing in The hobbit was so beautiful I am looking forward to more where that came from.

Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien starting July 17th, 2022!