January Reading Roundup

I'm off to a pretty good start for my 2026 reading year, having finished five books in January - four nonfiction and one historical fiction.  Here are the books I completed during January 2026, and a little of what I thought of each one.   

A Christ-Centered Home ****

by Hannah, Leah & Isaiah Stoddard

Genre:  Christian/Latter-day Saint Memoir

Format:  Paperback (own)

My first book of 2026 was A Christ-Centered Home by Hannah, Leah & Isaiah Stoddard, the children of James Stoddard, the subject of the book. This is a highly personal memoir of this Christian Latter-day Saint father who devoted his life to God and his family.  Through many trials, including his wife's mental illness, the eventual dissolution of his marriage, and suffering with and dying of cancer at age 51, when he still had responsibility for his young children, James Stoddard continued this work of bringing Christ and His gospel to others around the world.  The book is hard to read in parts, especially when it details some of the physical and emotional abuse that the mother of the family inflicted on the children.  Through all the difficulties, James Stoddard taught his children to forgive their mother and keep their faith in God, as they had been taught.  I gave the book 4/5 stars on Goodreads, but be warned that this is not a book for everyone. Some might not agree with the very traditional, conservative way Stoddard raised his children, including homeschooling them in an unconventional way.  The descriptions of abuse, and his suffering with cancer also make this book that might not appeal to some.

Detours ****

By Elizabeth Smart

Genre: Memoir/Self-Help

Format:  Kindle (library loan)

This is the third book by Elizabeth Smart, who was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City bedroom at the age of 14, and held against her will for nine months, until she was rescued and returned home to her family.  Her story is truly harrowing, and I have always admired her for overcoming the horrible abuse she experienced to lead a relatively "normal" life.  This new book is a self-help book of sorts about overcoming trauma.  The book is not terribly long and there are some good things in it, especially for those try to move past trauma and tragedy.  I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads, but I don't think I will read any more books which details of young Elizabeth's ordeal.  What happened to her is horrible and just too hard to read about.  (I also don't plan to watch the documentary about her on Netflix). 

  

Doing Life With Your Adult Children *****

By Jim Burns

Genre:  Christian/Family/Self-Help

Format:  Audiobook (library)/ Paperback (own)

This is an excellent book for all parents of adult children.  Jim Burns, a Christian counselor and family therapist, gives Biblically based advice about navigating some of the issues that arise between adult children and their parents.  Some of the topics covered include money, relationships, in-laws and grandchildren.  I found this book to be very helpful.  It was also well-written, interesting, easy to listen to (in the audio format), and remember.  I am glad I own a paperback version of the book so I can refer back to it from time to time.  I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads and would highly recommend it.

The Boy Who Dared ****

By Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Format:  Paperback (school copy)

This book tells the true story of Helmuth Huebner, a teenage boy who lived in Nazi Germany.  As Hitler takes power and aggressively and violently reshapes Germany and Europe, Huebner begins listening to forbidden BBC radio broadcasts on a contraband shortwave radio that his brother brings home before going off to fight in the war.  Convinced that Hitler is evil and must be stopped, Huebner writes and, with the help of several friends, distributes leaflets which tell the truth about Hitler, the Nazis, and the war.   Of course Huebner is eventually caught, imprisoned, tortured and eventually executed at the age of 17.  His friends are also caught and they served time in concentration camps.  Huebner's courage in standing up to evil much stronger than he was, demonstrates the power of truth and standing up for one's convictions.  The story of Helmuth Huebner is also the subject of a recent movie, Truth and Treason, which I have not seen, but understand is excellent.  The story told in the book is important and well-written, but this is not an easy read. The content and descriptions of Nazi atrocities, cruelty and torture make this book one that stays with the reader in sometimes troubling ways.  Because of that, I would not say this is an enjoyable read, but because everyone needs to know the story of this brave young man, I gave the book 4/5 stars on Goodreads. 

As Sisters in Zion****

By Debbie J. Christensen

Genre:  Latter-day Saints History

Format:  Hardbound (own/thrift)

This interesting little book details the experiences of two sisters (Julia and Emily Hill) who emigrated from England and worked together to make the trek the Salt Lake Valley, as part of the infamous Willie Handcart Company of Mormon Pioneers.  The Willie Company left too late in the season (August) to make the trip across the midwestern plains and Rocky Mountains to the Salt Lake Valley.  Early snows caused arduous hardship and many deaths among those in the party.  Faced with exhaustion, starvation and exposure, the Hill sisters helped and strengthened each other,  and together, they resolved to complete the journey.  Eventually, the sisters did reach Utah, and lived to marry, raise large families, and become successful in their own rights.  The book is a quick read and very interesting.  It also includes many of the beautiful poems and hymns written by Emily Hill, the younger of the two sisters.  I gave the book 4/5 stars on Goodreads. 

That's all for this Reading Roundup. I'm posting this before the end of January because I'm pretty sure I won't be finishing any more books before the end of the month.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Please let me know if you have been reading anything interesting!   

Until next time. 

📚Deb📚

"If you only read the books that everyone 

else is reading,

you can only think what everyone 

else is thinking."

~anon.

Cold, Snowless January Weekend

Here's a little about our January weekend.  

Friday was a cold, gray winter day, but still we remain snowless in Salt Lake City.   Charly took some more things to our Orem house, then he went out to lunch with Josh.  

On my drive to school Friday morning, I finished listening to this audiobook, Doing Life With Your Adult Children by Jim Burns.  This was an excellent book that all parents should read as their children get older.  I will review it at the end of the month in my January Reading Roundup. 

Friday was an early release day at school. The students were out of school at 12:30 p.m. and the afternoon was for teacher meeting and planning.  I left just before 3 p.m..

On the way home, I stopped to get some take-n-bake pizza for dinner.  We had kale salad and cranberry salad.  Josh came home to spend Friday night because he had a date with a girl who lives in the area. 

After dinner, Charly and I nestled down on the couch to watch one of my favorite old comedies from 2009 -  Bride Wars.  It's going off of Netflix soon, so if you haven't seen it, it's a fun movie that's worth a watch.  

Saturday morning I had an early appointment for my annual biometric blood work done.  Even though I didn't have to do the bloodwork done this year because I am retiring, I decided it would be good to get checked out.  

Saturday was a cold day with some clouds but blue skies peaking through. We are still dry and snowless here in Utah.  We desperately need snow for our water supply. I'm praying for snow and rain now. 

Saturday afternoon, we took our oldest grandson, Miles (on the left) and Josh (on the right) to lunch.  I had to take a picture of these two guys together because I could sure see a family resemblance with them standing side by side.  Josh is 9 years and 11 months older than Miles. We enjoyed a nice lunch and visit with these guys, and they enjoyed catching up with each other.  

After lunch, we took both Miles and Josh to the grocery store and got them a few things they needed.  I thought it was amusing how they both loaded up on ramen.  

Later, Charly and I went to a big furniture store not far from our new home.  We ended up buying a new mattress, box spring and bedframe which will be delivered this coming Thursday.  

We also decided to buy two new recliners for our family room.  The recliners we bought look like this, except that they are more brown in color than this one.  The recliners are La-Z-Boys and they are soooo comfortable.  They will be delivered with the new bed on Thursday.

Sunday was another cold and cloudy day.  We went to church as usual. 

Later Sunday afternoon, we had a little blue sky and sunshine, but it was still quite cold. 

We actually made two trips to our new home Sunday afternoon after church.  Josh helped us load a chair in the back of our Honda for the second trip. We are making progress in getting a few things moved into and organized at our new home.  Of course we will hire a moving company to move the really big, heavy things in a few weeks.  Church and making two trips to our new home took up most of our Sunday. When we got home, we had leftovers for dinner, then I got ready for another work week. 

Weekend Gratitude:

• Traveling to and from our new home multiple times (80 miles there and back). 
• Having a nice lunch with our grandson and son. 
• Getting my annual bloodwork done.
• Moving a lot of stuff to our new home. 

Praying For:

• Josh who has two job interviews in the coming week. 
• Our state (Utah) that desperately needs rain and snow for our water supply.
• ICE agents, and other law enforcement officers, trying to do their job and uphold the law.
• Our nation.

Looking Forward To:

• Getting moved into our new home. 
• Having standardized English language testing finished this week at school.
• Getting some snow soon - hopefully!
• Spring

That's all for this weekend.  Have a good week!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

 

 

Gratitude at the End of the Week

It's time again to look back and remember some of the best parts of the last week.  To do this, I'm linking up again with Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five. 

😊 I haven't been in blogland as much as I usually am because I ordered a new computer, then had all the files from my old laptop transferred to the new one. For several days, I didn't have a computer. Finally, the new laptop is all set up and ready to go. My old MacBook was over ten years old and always running low on memory. The new computer has LOTS of memory for the many pictures I have and use on my blog.  I am thankful we were able to get this machine before I retire. 

😊 I'm grateful that the installation of the new carpeting in the basement of the new home is finished.  It looks great and I know we will enjoy it for many years to come.  

😊A pleasant surprise happened when the old carpeting in the master bedroom was taken up revealing beautiful wood floors underneath.  We decided not to recarpet that room, because we love wood floors.  Now the entire main level will have lovely wood floors!  I am thankful for this new home, and that we are getting it fixed just like we want it! 

😊 We are having a very dry winter where I live - in fact so far, it is the driest on record. We have had next to no snow at all in the valley, although there is some snow in the mountains.  This is not good, because we depend on mountain snow for our summer water supply.  One good thing about the dry winter weather is being able to walk outside.  I took some time off this past week to be at our new house when the carpet was installed and I was able to get not just one, but two walks in.  I am always grateful for being able to walk outside. 

😊 We have had a lot of smog and haze this winter due to the lack of storms, but the air seemed cleaner several days this week and we had some bright, sunny days.  I'm grateful for clear days when I can enjoy the mountain views from our new street. 

😊One of the walks I took this week was in the new neighborhood we will be moving to.  It was fun to get out and explore the area on foot.  One thing I am very grateful for is the proximity of our church. This church is literally down the street and around the corner from our home.  I told Charly and it will probably be quicker for us to just walk to church than to get in the car and drive there. 

That's all for the best of this past week. Thanks for stopping by. 

Until next time, 

😊Deb💖

"If we had no winter,

the spring would not be so pleasant;

if we did  not sometimes

taste of adversity,

prosperity would not be so welcome."

~Anne Bradstreet

 

Mid-January Gratitude and Answers to a Few Questions

The past few weeks have been super busy for me, and I haven't been able to participate in Friday's Fave Five with Susanne and Friends over at Living to Tell the Story.  Even though I have been absent from the "Faves," I still have much to be grateful for.  Here are some of the things I am most grateful for this week.  

😊Josh moved out of our basement and into this apartment complex last week.  He said he loves it, and he has already met many nice people.  This place is located about 15 minutes or so from the new place we bought and are moving to, so I am sure we will see Josh often.  I am grateful that Josh is settling in and likes his new apartment and roommates. 

😊 Our new home failed its radon test. The radon test we had with our home inspection showed that our radon was .1 above safe levels. Because I don't want anything unsafe or unhealthy in our home, we had a radon mitigation system put in. Charly spent several hours at the home with the radon abatement specialist as the system was installed.   I am grateful that we got this system put in our new home.  

😊 We are replacing the carpet in the entire basement and master bedroom of our new home. Wednesday afternoon, Charly and I went to pick out the carpet.  We were very pleased and grateful that the carpet we want is going to cost several thousand dollars LESS than we had anticipated.  The carpet will probably be installed on  Tuesday, which is sooner than we expected, and we are grateful for that as well. 

😊 After picking out carpet, Charly and I decided to stop for an impromptu dinner date.  Of course, if you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that Charly loves KFC.  I'm always grateful for an impromptu date with my sweetheart at the end of a busy and stressful day. 

😊 Wednesday night at bedtime, I noticed that our house seemed cold and our furnace had not gone on for a while.  Yes, our furnace had gone out.  Since our furnace is more than ten years old, I feared we would be buying a new furnace.   Thursday, Charly was able to get an HVAC company to come out immediately, and the technician found the problem right away and we did not need a whole new furnace. With the faulty parts replaced, our furnace was up and running again before 12:30 p.m.. I'm so grateful that we were able to get the furnace fixed so quickly and for just over $400.

😊 When the furnace went out, we were sure grateful for having some space heaters in our home, so we were able to stay warm while waiting for the furnace repairman. 

😊 This is a screenshot of the confirmation I received after completing and submitting my Early Resignation/Retirement Notification to the school district where I teach.  I am grateful that with the submission of this form, my retirement at the end of the school year is official.  The school district will also give me an extra $500 bonus for turning in my resignation early, so they can better make staffing and hiring decisions.  It's not a lot, but better than nothing, and I'm grateful for it.

Now, to address a few questions I have been asked about the new home we bought and are moving into:

1. Where is the home?  It is in Orem, Utah, which is in Utah County about 40 miles south of where we currently live.  You may have heard of Orem, Utah.  It is the location of Utah Valley University where the horrible assassination of Charlie Kirk took place back in September of last year.  The home we have purchased and are moving to is quite close to Utah Valley University.  We are about 10-15 minutes from where Josh will be living and about 20 minutes or 17 miles from where our daughter and grandchildren live.  Right now, we are 50 miles away from our Utah grands, so living closer to them will be a positive thing for us. 

2.  Didn't we just buy a different home last year?  Yes, about 18 months ago, we purchased a home in Southern Utah near St. George.  We are currently renting that home out, but when I retire, we may use that as our second, winter home.  It's in a beautiful area, as you can see in this picture. 

3. Why are we moving and what will we do with our current home? We bought our current home in 2017 when we moved to Utah from Arizona.  It is 73 years old, and while it is a very nice house with plenty of space for us, it also has too many steps and stairs for us as we get older.  Also, we don't like the location and neighborhood.  We plan to put our old house on the market in March or April.  If it sells right away, I may have to move into an extended stay hotel for a month or two to finish the school year.  I don't want to have to commute to school from our new home because that is a 40 mile drive.  Right now, my daily commute from this house is 1.6 miles, so I plan to stay here in this house or at least in the area around here until the end of the school year. 

That's all for this post. Thanks for stopping by, have a good weekend. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

 

Another January Week and Pictures of Our New Home!

We closed on the new place we are buying in Utah County on Monday.  There was a little problem with the paperwork, and we we ended up just making the deadline to sign. We had to close on the house before 5 p.m. on Monday, and we finished signing paperwork at 4:42 p.m..  The old owners finally moved out on Tuesday afternoon (they were supposed to be on Monday), so we got the key and went inside to take a look Tuesday evening.  

It's a great place, and we are looking forward to moving in.  I'm especially fond of the beautiful mountain views it has. Charly has already made several trips, with a few things to move in, while I have been at school.  Here are some pictures of the inside.  Of course, I will show more pictures once we are all moved in and settled. 

This is our living room.  Charly and I both fell in love with the gas fireplace and bookshelves on either side. 

In this picture, you can see that Charly has already started moving some of his books to the bookshelf in the living room. 

This picture is looking from the entryway of the home into the family room area.  

This is the kitchen, dining room, and family room area.  There are French Doors that go out to the back deck and backyard. 

Here is a view from the dining room/family room area looking at the kitchen, stairway to the basement, and hallway to the master bedroom.   I love that the laundry is on the main floor, so I won't have to carry baskets of laundry up and down the basement stairs anymore. 

This is the kitchen, dining room, family room area, looking into the entry and living room area.  The appliances are quite new and top-of-the-line.   I've never had white cabinets in a house before, but I really like these.  

This is the master bedroom.  We will be replacing this carpet soon.  It's a nice space with an adjoining, large master bathroom with both a jetted tub and shower, and a walk-in closet. 

This is the completely finished basement.  We will be replacing the carpeting coming down the stairs and throughout the basement. 

This is the big downstairs family room area.  I know we will enjoy this space. 

This is another view of the family room in the basement, and a hallway leading to one of the two additional bedrooms downstairs.

Our new place also has a lot of storage. This is one of two huge storage rooms with built in shelves. There is also a large storage area under the staircase.  We have lots of stuff, so lots of storage is a good thing for us. 

One night last week, we were in the town where our new place is.  I had stopped to get gas in my car and Charly and I were going to try and find a place to get dinner.  As I pulled out of the gas station, I realized that I was in a right-turn lane, but I wanted to go straight and not turn.  I put on my blinker and changed into the lane that would go straight across a busy street.  Suddenly, I saw red and blue police lights in my rearview mirror.  I stopped, and the officer told me I had made an illegal left-hand turn because once in a right turn right I MUST turn right.  I received a $130 ticket.  I had actually expected the ticket to be much more than that.  In Arizona, about ten years ago, I got a ticket and it was $250, so $130 seemed like a bargain. The next day, I called the traffic court number the officer gave me and paid the ticket with my credit card. Lesson learned.  I won't try to get out of a right-hand turn lane again, even if the turn lane is taking me somewhere I don't want to go. 

I finished my first book of 2026 Thursday night.  I am trying to get back into monthly Reading Roundup Posts, so I will include a review and tell you what I thought of it then. 

School was not without its challenges this past week, but I got through it, and I left our Friday afternoon teacher meetings feeling overall positive and looking forward to the weekend. Only 92 days of school left this year and in my teaching career!

Friday afternoon school,  Charly and I made a quick trip to our new house because the old owners had left the hoses attached, and the freezing temperatures predicted for the weekend could cause the pipes to freeze. Charly had tried to take the hoses off, but had to get a wrench because they were frozen to the outside faucet.  Friday night, he was successful in getting the hoses off.  We were tired when we got back to Salt Lake City and stopped to have breakfast for dinner at a Village Inn Pancake House.  The food was good, and Charly and I enjoyed this little impromptu Friday night date. 

Saturday was a full day of packing up cars and moving things to Utah county.  Josh moved into his new place in Provo, and we helped him with getting his things there.  We also took something from our current home to put in our new home.

Sunday morning, I was up before 6 a.m..  I ate breakfast and read the scriptures.  I'm currently reading in I Kings in the Old Testament and the book of Mark in the New Testament.  I always mark and annotate the scriptures as I read them. 

By 9 a.m. we were at church for our Sunday worship service.  It was a cold morning, but as you can see from the flag, there was no wind.  We had blue skies and thin clouds most of the day. 

After church and lunch, we took some more things to our new house.  All of my puzzles are now there. I organized them on these shelves in a walk-in closet in one of the downstairs bedrooms. 

I am posting this early tonight because we eat dinner within the hour, then make another trip to Utah County with a few things to put in the new house.   I think we are going to eat leftovers for dinner, so no need to post a picture and recipe today. 

Weekend Gratitude:

• Safe travels to and from Utah County as we moved Josh into his new place, and some of our things into our new place. 
• Getting a lot done over the weekend.  
• Enjoying a nice dinner date with Charly on Friday. 
• Moving Josh into his own place. 

Praying For:

• Josh to find a job.
• Safe travels as we continue making almost daily trips to Utah County. 
• Our nation. 
• My family - children and grandchildren. 

Looking Forward To:

• Getting the new carpet in the basement and master bedroom of the new place. 
• Finishing the school year - 92 more days. 
• Seeing my grandchildren again. 

That's all for this week.  Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for your patience with me as I am doing very well at keeping up with visiting and commenting on other blogs at this very busy season of my life. 

Until next time, 

😊Deb💖

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, 

nor be afraid of them: 

for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; 

he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

~Deuteronomy 31:6 KJV