Books Read: 4th Quarter 2025

So I fell 2 books short of my GoodReads 2025 reading challenge. I finished 18 of 20 books and to be honest several of them were really short. I set my goal for 2026 at 20 again so we will see how it goes. These are the books I finished in the 4th quarter of 2025.

1) The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau: I liked the way that this book highlights relatively small businesses and how they became what they became. It is nice to read success stories of people who seem relatable unlike the billionaires of the world.

2) We Are Inevitable by Gayle Foreman: a look at grief, family dynamics and love and how they affect us. I really did not like the main character I found him to be very whiny but I think he was written that way purposely.

3) The Haunted Mitten: A Guide to Haunted Locations, Ghost Stories, and Spooky Happenings Throughout Michigan by L.A. Miller: one of the very short books I read. A fairly interesting read.

4) Supernatural Michigan by James Blessing: another one of my shorty books. The stories in this one were a bit different than the normal haunted location stories.

5) Hauntings, Spirits, and Eats Michigan by Kathy Conder: I enjoyed reading about these different locations. Some of them I was familiar with but there were some that were new to me as well.

6) Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews: a cute Christmas romance. It was fairly predictable but sometimes a bit of brain candy is called for.

Monday Musings

Well here we are starting the first full week of 2026. It is amazing to me how fast time is going by. Here are the things currently on my mind.

1) It was back to school today for the guys. Thankfully it was a pretty easy and uneventful morning.

2) We are still dealing with car issues for my hubby. I am really hoping that it will finally be resolved this week.

3) I took the tree down yesterday and it always amazes me how big our living room feels once it is gone.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks.

My poor buddy woke up on the last Thursday of school before break looking like he went 10 rounds in a boxing ring. He had a secondary infection due to the virus he was dealing with for the 10 days prior. He missed the last 2 days of school and ended up missing his holiday party.

He loves the VR headset Santa brought him.

Friday Funnies

I hope that the first weekend of 2026 is a good one for you all.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

On this last day of 2025 I am once again joining in on the Hodgepodge. 

1. Did you make resolutions or set goals for the year we're waving goodbye? How did that work out for you? Will you set any goals for this new year, new season, or new month? Share one or two if you'd like to share. 

Yes I did and I did ok. I wanted to pay down some debt which we did but not as much as I wanted, declutter the toys and paper which we did some, read 20 books but I only read 18 and I wanted to knit every day which was a complete fail. This year I am going to go into the new year with no resolutions and see what happens. I am still picking a word of the year though which for me is Change. There are many things I want to change this year - especially since I am turning the Big 50 in June.

2. When did you have the most fun this year? 

When I relaxed and let myself enjoy my family.

3. What's a song or song lyric you'll associate with 2025? Tell us why. 

I don't have one. I really do not listen to music anymore.

4. Best (or a favorite) bite of something delicious you tasted this year? 

The steaks my hubby grilled for us a couple of times this summer.

5. What do you want to do more of in the new year? Less of? 

I want to have more relaxation and quality time with my family. I want less worry and anxiety, 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are real party animals around here. For the New Year I am watching Ohio State vs Miami, Clark's in his room playing his game and hubby and Preston are playing Madden. I would not have it any other way. If you are reading this I wish you health, wealth and happiness in 2026. 

True Life Tuesday: Daniel Sickles

Daniel Edgar Sickles was born on October 20, 1819 (although he claimed 1825) in New York City. His parents were George Garrett, a patent lawyer and politician, and Susan Marsh Sickles. He married Teresa Bagioli on September 27, 1852 against the wishes of both families. He was 32 and she was 15 or 16. It is believed that this is the reason why he changed the year he was born. 

He studied at the University of the City of New York (now New York University). He then studied law at the offices of Benjamin Butler. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1843. In 1847 he was elected to the New York State Assembly. In 1853 he was appointed by President Franklin Pierce to be secretary to the US legation in London. He returned to the US in 1855. In 1856 and 1857 he was elected to US Congress. 

The incident he is most famous for occurred on February 27, 1859. In Lafayette Square, across from the White House, he shot and killed Phillip Barton Key II. Key was the US attorney for Washington, DC and was the son of Francis Scott Key. Sickles discovered that Key was having an affair with his wife, Teresa. Sickles surrendered to Attorney General Jeremiah Black at Black's home and confessed. He was taken to jail where he was given many accommodations and he had so many visitors that he had to use the head jailor's apartment to receive them all. He was charged with murder and was represented by several politicians including Edwin Stanton who would late be Secretary of War. He plead not guilty by reason of insanity. This was the first use of this defense in the US. He was eventually acquitted of all charges. He ended up forgiving his wife which maddened the public. 

At the start of the Civil War Sickles raised volunteer units for the Union Army in New York. He was eventually appointed as a Coronel of the 70th New York infantry and was then promoted to Brigadier General of Volunteers in 1861. He refused to return runaway slaves and would put them on the Union payroll as servants or train them as soldiers. In March 1862 he had to relinquish command when Congress refused to confirm his commission. He lobbied his DC contacts and reclaimed his rank and command on May 24, 1862. He was promoted to Major General by President Lincoln on March 11, 1863. This was controversial since he was the only corps commander without a West Point education. He was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg and ended up having his right leg amputated. He was given the Medal of Honor for his action at Gettysburg 34 years later. 

After the Civil War he worked for many different organizations during Reconstruction. He served as US Minister to Spain from 1869-1874. While there he was rumored to of had an affair with Queen Isabella II. His wife, Teresa, died in 1867 and in 1871 he married Carmina de Creagh. The couple had 2 children. In the 1880s he frequently attended and spoke at Gettysburg reunions. In 1886 he was appointed honorary chairman of the New York Monuments Commission but he was required to step down in 1912 was it was determined that he embezzled $27,000 from the group. He served as a representative to the 53rd Congress from 1893-1895. While there he was a key figure in the efforts to preserve the Gettysburg battlefield. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in New York City on May 3, 1914. His funeral took place at Saint Patrick's Cathedral on May 8, 1914 and he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. 

Advent Days 15-24

I will be honest that this year was hard for me. With the dumpster fire that our country is becoming I had a very hard time getting into the spirit. Things ended up good though and Preston told me this was the best Christmas of his life which made it all worthwhile. We did skip day 18 - it was an absolutely horrible day and I just could not bring myself to do anything.

Friday Funnies

I hope that everyone is able to enjoy this last weekend before Christmas.