Photo Friday: Stink Bug

This stink bug was found in our dining room. Before removing him, I had to take a few pictures of him. Isn't the detail fascinating?

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Sisters Book Challenge 2015

Kristin and I have decided to do the Sisters Book Challenge again this year. We've had so much fun reading the books on our lists in 2013 and 2014. It's a good way to read books we might not have picked up on our own.

The challenge is to read at least five of the ten books on the list. Both years Kristin and I have read more than the required five. 

My list of books for Kristin to read:

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

An Unlikely Friendship by Ann Rinaldi

Twice Freed by Patricia St. John

Letters from the Corrugated Castle by Joan Blos

The Night Shift by Dr. Brian Goldman

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

A Coal Miner's Bride by Susan Bartoletti

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Tea and Trouble Brewing by Dorcas Smucker

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

Kristin's list of books for me to read:

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay

The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure

Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

Eight Twenty Eight by Ian and Larissa Murphy

Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey by Emma Rowley

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch

A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg

I'm looking forward to a reading a lot of these books. It's looking like a good reading year!

Paul's First Photo Shoot

I finally got to meet my new nephew Paul! He is just the sweetest thing!

While we were there, his mommy, my sweet sister-in-law Sarah, asked if I would take some pictures of Paul. Of course I said yes!

this one might be my favorite

We got a few pictures of all the kids together, too.

Nora (almost 6), Eve (7) holding Paul (8 weeks), Peter (4)

Beautiful sisters...

Sweet brothers...

I love how Peter is gently comforting his unhappy brother in the picture.
He loves his brother so much!

Paul did very well for his first photo shoot. He pleasantly put up with the whole thing and only started to fuss a little near the end. He was the perfect little model! ♥

Yarn Wreath

Winter is usually the hardest time to decorate for me. After all the Christmas decorations are put away, everything seems blah. I do like to use a lot of candles in my decorating. It helps make my room feel cozy and warm but I need a few other decorative items, too. I use tea cups, books, and a few yarn balls to add to the look.

Last year, I found this idea for a yarn-wrapped wreath on pinterest. I only had a picture to go on but it wasn't that hard to figure out what to do. 

I had a gift card from Hobby Lobby which I used to purchase my supplies: a wreath form, white yarn, a small embroidery hoop. Other items I already had like the yo-yos, buttons, fabric scraps, a bit of aqua yarn, and ribbon. 

It took a little while to wrap the yarn around the wreath since it had to be pretty tight for the form not to show through. After I finished wrapping the white yarn, I wrapped a bit of aqua yarn around for a contrast color. All the yarn ends got a dot of glue to hold them down. Once that part was done, the fun part of embellishing it began. 

I wanted to use several yo-yos in varying sizes definitely. I also liked the idea of the small embroidery hoop with some fabric but all I could find in the right size was plastic so I wrapped some of the left-over white yarn around it and it looked great. I looked through my button jar to find some coordinating buttons and chose a few to add.

I figured out where I wanted everything and I took a picture of it so that when I removed the items to glue them down I didn't forget where everything went. I used tacky glue and it holds all the pieces on quite well.

The last step was a ribbon to tie around the wreath so that it can be hung up. I had a bit of thin lace/ribbon that I used. 

This is a great decor piece for winter!