Well, hello there! Happy Saturday and happy 2026!

Welcome to my new subscribers ~ thanks for joining us! Want to get to know me a bit better? Here you go!

The past two weeks have been a haze of family time and sleeping in and reading and cold, wet (and then snowy) walks, and so. much. sewing. We had a quiet Christmas, visited my Dad up north for a day, saw Wicked: For Good at the theater (loved it!), went bowling for NYE … and did I mention how much I sewed???

Here’s a little round-up of what I read and sewed over the past two weeks, and I’m including a bonus for my supporters at the end … a download with all of my most memorable reads from 2025!

Recent Reads

December is when I traditionally dive wholeheartedly into two things: Christmas reads and Newbery contenders. This year was very on trend, and I finished up a delightful Christmas historical romance novel duo on Christmas Eve and finished the last of the Heavy Medal Newbery contenders on New Year’s Eve.

I gulped down the final installment in a sweet holiday series when it was released on December 26th and also read and was so disappointed by a novel I had been saving for months. Oh, and I also finished listening to a sweet, simple dog-centric romance novel on audio. Loved the New Orleans setting!

BUT, the highlight of my winter break reading was a novel I purchased back in the fall, and FINALLY picked up now because my oldest desperately wanted to borrow it. I’m SO glad she pushed me to finally dig in!

To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage earns the distinct honor of BEST LESBIAN ASTRONAUT NOVEL OF 2025 in my record book. If that other novel is the polished, Hollywood version, To the Moon and Back is the gritty, heartwrenching version that has the much-appreciated added layer of Native American identity and history.

Do these novels need to be compared? Well, no, but I am doing so only because they came out around the same time and the hater girlies online seem intent on finding To the Moon and Back lacking based on … the fact that it isn’t Atmosphere? This is an apple to orange comparison, and I guess we just need more lesbians-in-space novels to make comparison between these two unnecessary.

I also JUST (FINALLY) last night finished this impeccable book that made me absolutely sob with abandon. For some reason I went into it with different expectations and didn’t realize how haunted I would feel? Beautiful, heartbreaking, memorable. A stellar start to my reading year.

Winter Break Sewing Projects

If you have a creative hobby, you know the heaven that is a spanse of uninterrupted time to just dive in and DO. My weeks usually involve fitting creativity into tiny chunks of time, picking up & putting down, always craving more minutes …

But over break I have been able to get lost in sewing projects without ever feeling rushed or that I was neglecting other things, simply because there was so much precious unscheduled time!

Here’s what I sewed …

• the Matchy Matchy Craft Studio Tee using an old flannel sheet of my daughter’s to test the pattern before cutting into precious linen. Loved the pattern, and now I have a pink unicorn flannel pajama shirt! Can’t wait to make this in a soft drapey linen for the spring.

• the shorter version of the True Bias Marlo sweater after making the longer version last month. I used this light waffle fabric (in gray) and this ribbing and despite being certain about 20 times that it was all going to have to be tossed out and chalked up to a learning experience, I LOVE IT. Totally worth redoing the waistband three times.

• the Sew Liberated Studio Tunic in a brownish canvas-linen blend that I can’t link to, but is perfectly hardy and structured enough for this garment. I’m so excited to wear it over fitted sweaters and heavier henleys and leggings this winter! The POCKETS. I used fun cotton for the facings and the hang loop on the back and I adore those little touches.

• my first ever pants! I tried out the Matchy Matchy Recess Play Pants using a totally different fabric than is recommended, and got … a totally different, but delightful anyway, result! I used this bamboo / cotton blend and the pants are super soft and drapey and so very cozy, and also my favorite garment color. I think I’ll size down-ish and make the rise shorter next time I make the pattern, especially if I use a linen blend, but I’m so excited to wear what turned out to be very structured sweatpants to school next week!

I had such a blast working with new patterns and fabrics and learning new skills over this unscheduled stretch of time. What. a. gift.

SUPPORTER BONUS: My Most Memorable Reads of 2025

This year’s collection of my most memorable reads includes adult fiction and nonfiction, as well as my middle grade and young adult faves ~ a total of 70 books! This download was so fun to put together, since it let me really revisit and reflect on my reading year.

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