After another extended hiatus, I’ve decided I’m itching to get back to blogging. I’m not going to try to stick to a strict schedule right off the bat. Just kinda ease back into things. I am a stay at home mom and currently back in school to get my bachelor’s degree, so I’ll probably pop in and post every now and then. Try to get a few things scheduled ahead! Anyway, a quick recap of the end of 2015 and the start of 2016. October brought another birthday for me and Hallowe’en! I dressed up with the kiddos. I was Loki, Punk was Captain America, and Bug was her beloved Cinderella “Rella.” In November, my (ex)step-family lost a wonderful lady in my step-great-grandmother. She was truly a beautiful lady. Punk had a really hard time accepting that we lost my great-grandmother in July and then her in November. He wanted to know why we couldn’t go to Heaven and visit and why they couldn’t come back. It was a hard adjustment for him. We celebrated Thanksgiving in Northern Virginia with hubby’s family. It was a blast! It’s always a great time to get to go up and visit. I didn’t get to make it down to YALLFest, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to go this year. December brought a three week long military class for hubby. The kiddos had a pretty rough time with daddy gone. Poor Punk thought Daddy wouldn’t be home for Christmas. But! He was! And Christmas was fantastic. We celebrated Christmas at home this year and Santa was very good to the kiddos. Punk scored 13 different big boy Lego sets! He was in hog heaven! January brought a new chapter to my life. I (finally) started back taking classes to finish my bachelor’s degree in General Studies. All online classes, but it’s finally happening. February was rather uneventful. We’ve gotten some good snowfalls this year too! Now we’re up to March and I’m ready for spring (I think!)
A big thing that I want to change in getting back into blogging is that I’m not going to attempt to post every day and I’m also going to introduce a new feature. It’ll be called Friday Feasts and I’ll basically post a review of a meal we’ve done recently. We’re doing HelloFresh occasionally and I’ll definitely include those meals. AND if you’re interested, I do have a discount code if you’d like to try HelloFresh for yourself! Leave me a comment or shoot me a message on Twitter (@armywife2310)
Books I read October 2015 – February 2016 (In order of completion)
The Fiery Trial by Cassandra Clare
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
The Prophecy by Erin Rhew
The Outlanders by Erin Rhew
The Fulfillment by Erin Rhew
Born to Endless Night by Cassandra Clare
Angels Twice Descending by Cassandra Clare
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Cress by Marissa Meyer
Winter by Marissa Meyer
Fairest by Marissa Meyer
This Night So Dark by Aime Kaufman and Megan Spooner
These Broken Stars by Aime Kaufman and Megan Spooner
This Shattered World by Aime Kaufman and Megan Spooner
The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm-boy by Alexandra Bracken
So You Want to Be a Jedi? by Adam Gidwitz
The Favourite by Kiera Cass
Beware the Power of the Dark Side by Tom Angleberger
Their Fractured Light by Aime Kaufman and Megan Spooner
My True Love Gave to Me by Stephanie Perkins et al
The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Dream of the Rood by Cynewulf
Beowulf by Unknown
Coming Up in March
SEYA Festival in Murfreesboro!
Spring Break (mine)
Spring Break (Punk)
Bug’s birthday
Goals for March
Juggle student life, mama life, and blogging life!
Write some reviews and posts
Try to get ahead and stay ahead on blogging
March Releases I’m Excited For
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
The Black Knife by Jodi Meadows
The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
March TBR
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
Mirror King by Jodi Meadows
The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
Books for class
2016 Reading Challenge (completed in bold)
A book based on a fairy tale
A National Book Award Winner
A YA Bestseller
A book you haven’t read since high school
A book set in your home state
A book translated to English: Dream of the Rood by Cynewulf
A romance set in the future: Their Fractured Light by Aime Kaufman and Megan Spooner
A book set in Europe: The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory
A book that’s under 150 pages: The Hidden Prince by Jodi Meadows
A New York Times Bestseller
A book that’s becoming a movie this year
A book recommended by someone you just met
A self-improvement book
A book you can finish in a day
A book written by a celebrity
A political memoir
A book at least 100 years older than you: Beowulf by Unknown
A book that’s more than 600 pages
A book from Oprah’s Book Club
A science-fiction novel
A book recommended by a family member
A graphic novel
A book that is published in 2016
A book with a protagonist who has your occupation
A book that takes place during summer
A book and its prequel
A murder mystery
A book written by a comedian
A dystopian novel
A book with a blue cover: My True Love Gave to Me by Stephanie Perkins et al
A book of poetry
The first book you see in a bookstore
A classic from the 20th century
A book from the library
An autobiography
A book about a road trip
A book about a culture you’re unfamiliar with
A satirical book
A book that takes place on an island
A book that’s guaranteed to bring you joy
(Both Goldblatt books were sent by Cassie McGinty for a review! I haven’t decided if the reviews will go up here or on Voyages of the Backyard Explorers yet! Maybe BOTH! haha)
ARC (My TBR may just fly out the window for this one! <3)
ARC
(She surprised me with a finished copy! Also got my ARC signed <3)
(Take THAT USPS! I STILL HAVE IT!)
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ARC
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ARC (My collection is complete now!)
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The Whimsical Mama 