A Sweet Beginning

This book was about a girl who grew up in a poor neighborhood in LA and learned to survive by making others laugh.  She went on to become a comedian and actress and shares her personal story of how she got there.

I recognized this author as one of the Bachelor producers so bought it.  It was a funny read that makes fun of self-help and inspirational quotes along the way.

I am very interested in mental health issues, specifically anxiety, and this book dives into the bible verse Philippians 4:6-7 and breaks it apart word by word while giving tips for dealing with anxiety.  That verse says: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

I loved this book!  Ginger Zee is the chief meteorologist for ABC and shares about her experiences with depression.

This manual for beauty, style, and living a faith-centered life was a quick read this month.

Saturday afternoon was Ava's Mistletoe Magic dance performance at the high school.  She was super brave and we are so proud!

Hart has been busy this month :)

We got our tree the day before Thanksgiving and decorated it the day after Thanksgiving!  It is Bella's first year with us during Christmas and so far she is doing great :)  She loves Matt's stocking, but other than that everything has stayed in it's place!

I read Winter Solstice which is the last book in the Winter Street series by Elin Hilderbrand.  I loved all 4 of these books and Christmas in Nantucket sounds so magical.

Sisters First was amazing!  I love reading political memoirs and it was so interesting to learn about Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush and their memories from the White House as young adults.  They shared many personal stories, and I especially loved their sisterly bond.

As a young girl I remember checking out books from the public library on gymnastics.  I have always been fascinated with the sport.  Fierce is Aly Raisman's story about her journey to two Olympic competitions.  These girls are dedicated!

It Takes Two is about HGTV stars Jonathan and Drew Scott.  It was interesting to hear their story and how they got to where they are now.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Caiti's family again this year!  We are thankful that they include us in their Thanksgiving plans each year.  We ordered some Amish noodles from Indiana and Matt made turkey and noodles for us to take and they were delicious!  We are looking forward to the leftovers this weekend :)