I Love Reading Challenges

You know I love reading challenges. I participated in the 2025 Adult Reading Challenge with Orem Library and got a notebook and pen. I love what they both say. The notebook says, "Just one more chapter." You know I love that. The pen says, "My weekend is all booked." So fun.

Nichole and I both signed up for the Winter Reading Program at Provo Library. That one runs December and January. I was thrilled when I picked up my main prize from reading enough minutes. It's a tote that says, "The book was better." Ha Ha Ha Ha. I love things that have sayings related to books and reading.

Nichole and I took some bonding time one day to finish up the activities for the Winter Reading Program. We went on a scavenger hunt, we wrote poems, we texted each other, we colored bookmarks at the library. Then we picked up the prizes that still needed to be picked up (hot cocoa mix, candy, chips, etc.). 

On Peculiar People Day, January 10, Nichole and I had more bonding time. We went to the kickoff event for the 2026 Adult Reading Challenge at Orem Library. This year's challenge centers around The Hobbit. We got to be with other book lovers for "second breakfast," while listening to Lord of the Rings music. We got to learn about this year's challenge. We got a copy of The Hobbit to keep. We made junk journals to keep track of things during the challenge this year. We got pins that say, "Make reading a hobbit." We got to interpret some Elvish. It was nice.

As soon as we got home, I told people everyone was welcome to read The Hobbit. Jet immediately asked me to start reading it to him. So cute.

I keep the book and junk journal in my reading tote now so I can take it all with me while waiting for kids after school or after play practice.

I love reading challenges.

 
P.S. One of the book categories for the challenge is a book published in 2025. This is me going for a walk while listening to the audiobook of The Rules of Matrimony by Anneka R. Walker. I loved reading it last year and heard that the audiobook had good narrators so I listened and laughed out loud and loved it just like I love the physical book. Narrators really can make a difference for me wanting to listen to audiobooks.

I'd say Anneka R. Walker is one of my favorite authors. I can happily reread her books and get excited about reading those I haven't read before.

 

Dinosaurs

January 10 was Peculiar People Day. We celebrate this every year just by being us. This year I realized something peculiar or quirky about us. We like dinosaurs. There's always a dinosaur nearby. Always. It is a very common thing to step on a dinosaur like stepping on a LEGO. You don't know how many triceratops horns have tried to gore me.

There have been numerous times when I feel something weird in my bed and feel around to discover a dinosaur under the covers. There are always dinosaurs in my bag when I go to church. That's kind of funny because we also always bring the book, "A Dinosaur Goes to Church," with us. There are always dinosaur books somewhere in our home, either books we own or books from the library.  

Peculiar but fun.

But Before Friday the 13th...

I told you it's been chaos.

I failed to blog about Peculiar People Day which was on January 10. When I told everyone that holiday was coming up but I only had orange soda on the menu plan so far, Jr. jumped in suggesting we have green jello with carrot shavings. Nichole suggested we have honey garlic chicken for our main dish. She pointed out that we always happen to have that dish when she has an event so she either has to eat it later or only has time to eat a small amount. Well, it just so happened she did have something going on that night but I was able to make dinner early enough she was able to get enough to eat before she and I left.

She was getting recognition and a certificate for having some art up in the school district offices. Apparently it was a piece she did in art class her sophomore year that her teacher submitted to the district art show.

We had quite the weather on the way up (luckily we made it in time) and on the way back. It was a very rainy night and reminded me of Oregon Winters. 

Nichole is taking digital photography again so she's supposed to be taking pictures. She used my phone to get some pictures as we traveled home in that weather.

Peculiar People Day 2022

When my mom heard Peculiar People Day was on January 10 her response was, "I am proud to have a day just for me!"

That's right except she can't have it all to herself. She has to share it with us. This is one we can always celebrate without even trying but it's fun to try. 

If you've been to my blog enough times, you know that orange soda is kind of our family drink. It's chosen quite often for birthdays and when we eat Hungarian food (though sometimes it's a different flavor). So for Peculiar People Day this year we had orange soda with our dinner. We also had a special guest at dinner.

(Going along with peculiar people, it took me a while to figure out how to say that last sentence. We had a guest for dinner? We had a guest with dinner? Both of those sentences could mean we ate our guest, which could go along with who our guest was.)

Lucky was able to bring home the class pet and he chose that day specifically because it was Peculiar People Day. Jeremy and I have a thing about platypuses... platypi. "I've heard it both ways." I'm so glad Lucky brought Charm for a visit. 

Since Charm's favorite food is mushrooms, I actually ate mushrooms. I hate mushrooms but again... I'm trying to be a good example. The thing about mushrooms for me is the texture. It's like I expected the texture of escargot to be. So take a look at the picture of me thinking about eating escargot on my "French Dining Experience" blog post from June 22, 2020. That's what I look like when I eat mushrooms and can recognize the texture and taste. I will put cream of mushroom soup in things and eat mushrooms if they are on pizza.

Enough about my dislike of mushrooms. Back to the platypus. 

 

Charm joined us for a number of things that day, including opening packages that Lucky got from grandparents for his baptism. Charm and Lucky's new baptism dog became fast friends.

Thanks for visiting, Charm.

Since I didn't get pictures, I will let you know we drank chocolate milk on National Milk Day on January 11.

Peculiar People Day 2019

January 10 was Peculiar People Day.  We are peculiar people.
In menu planning in advance, I tried asking people if they were to have something for dinner or with dinner, what would it be.  The first person I asked said chicken drumsticks.  I tried to get ideas for side dishes and such from other people but it wasn't that easy.  So finally I made some decisions myself.  We did have chicken drumsticks.  Since it seems like every time we have a birthday, the birthday person requests orange soda to drink with dinner, we drank orange soda with our Peculiar People Day dinner.  I decided to get a jar of alfredo sauce because I wanted alfredo sauce and pasta.  We had some fruits and vegetables that I know people have requested in the past.
So that was our dinner that night- things that the peculiar people in my family would like.
And here are some pictures of our peculiar family from last April.